Osina (, old version: ''Usina'') is a
village
A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...
in Southwestern
Bulgaria
Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
. It is located in the
Satovcha Municipality
Satovcha Municipality is a municipality in southwestern Bulgaria and is one of the municipalities in the Blagoevgrad Province.
Geography
It covers the Southwestern Rhodope Mountains. 14 settlemements belong to the municipality with a total o ...
,
Blagoevgrad Province
Blagoevgrad Province (, ''oblast Blagoevgrad'' or Благоевградска област, ''Blagoevgradska oblast''), also known as Pirin Macedonia or Bulgarian Macedonia (), (''Pirinska Makedoniya or Bulgarska Makedoniya'') is a province ('' ...
.
Geography
The village of Osina is located in the
Western Rhodope Mountains. It belongs to the
Chech region.
History
The village of Osina was founded in the early 15th century when shepherds from the village of
Kochan
Kochan () is a village in Southwestern Bulgaria. It is located in Satovcha Municipality, Blagoevgrad Province.
Geography
The village of Kochan is situated in a mountainous region of southwestern Bulgaria, approximately 10 km from the bor ...
moved to the area where they maintained their
dairies
A dairy is a place where milk is stored and where butter, cheese, and other dairy products are made, or a place where those products are sold. It may be a room, a building, or a larger establishment. In the United States, the word may also des ...
to avoid a
plague outbreak. Over time additional refugees from the region around
Serres
Serres ( ) is a city in Macedonia, Greece, capital of the Serres regional unit and second largest city in the region of Central Macedonia, after Thessaloniki.
Serres is one of the administrative and economic centers of Northern Greece. The c ...
settled in the village, though the exact timing and circumstances of their arrival remain unclear.
In 1873, Osina (''Oussina'') had a male population of 150
Pomaks
Pomaks (; Macedonian: Помаци ; ) are Bulgarian-speaking Muslims inhabiting Bulgaria, northwestern Turkey, and northeastern Greece. The strong ethno-confessional minority in Bulgaria is recognized officially as Bulgarian Muslims by th ...
and 50 houses. According to
Vasil Kanchov
Vasil Kanchov (26 July 1862 – 6 February 1902) was a geographer, ethnographer and teacher who served as Minister of Education of Bulgaria.
Early life and education
Vasil Kanchov was born in Vratsa. Upon graduating from High school i ...
, in 1900 Osina (''Усина'') was populated by 250
Bulgarian Muslims
The Muslim Bulgarians (, ''Bǎlgari-mohamedani'', as of recently also Българи-мюсюлмани, ''Bǎlgari-mjusjulmani'', locally called '' Pomak'', ''ahryan'', ''poganets'', ''marvak'', or '' poturnak'') are Bulgarians who follow the f ...
.
Stephan Verkovic
Stephan may refer to:
* Stephan, South Dakota, United States
* Stephan (given name), a masculine given name
* Stephan (surname), a Breton-language surname
See also
* Sankt-Stephan
* Stefan (disambiguation)
* Stephan-Oterma
* Stephani
* Stephe ...
also noted that by the end of 19th century, the village had a male population of 173
Pomaks
Pomaks (; Macedonian: Помаци ; ) are Bulgarian-speaking Muslims inhabiting Bulgaria, northwestern Turkey, and northeastern Greece. The strong ethno-confessional minority in Bulgaria is recognized officially as Bulgarian Muslims by th ...
and 50 houses.
Religions
The population is
Muslim
Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
and consists of
Pomaks
Pomaks (; Macedonian: Помаци ; ) are Bulgarian-speaking Muslims inhabiting Bulgaria, northwestern Turkey, and northeastern Greece. The strong ethno-confessional minority in Bulgaria is recognized officially as Bulgarian Muslims by th ...
.
Cultural and natural landmarks
* Remains of a settlement from the
Stone
In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...
-
Copper Age
The Chalcolithic ( ) (also called the Copper Age and Eneolithic) was an archaeological period characterized by the increasing use of smelted copper. It followed the Neolithic and preceded the Bronze Age. It occurred at different periods in dif ...
northwest from the village;
* Remains of a
medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...
settlement northeast from the village;
* Remains of a
medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...
settlement northwest from the village;
* Remains of a church west from the village;
* Remains of an old road near the village.
Further reading
*
Notes
Villages in Blagoevgrad Province
Chech
{{Blagoevgrad-geo-stub