Pchelin () 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 the

Sofia Province Sofia Province () is a province (''oblast'') of Bulgaria. The province does not include Sofia in its territories, but Sofia remains the seat of its administration. The province borders on the provinces of Pernik, Kyustendil, Blagoevgrad, Paz ...

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 ...

, located in the

Kostenets Municipality The Kostenets municipality () is one of the 22 municipalities of the Sofia Province, Bulgaria. The extent of the territory is 302 km2 and it had 14,154 inhabitants as of 2009. It encompasses the Valley of Gorna Banya, along the upper flow ...

. As of the 2022 the village had a population of 263. It is a

spa resort A destination spa or health resort is a resort centered on a spa, such as a mineral spa. Historically, many such spas were developed at the location of natural hot springs or mineral springs. In the era before modern biochemistry and pharmacoth ...

Geography

Pchelin is located in the

Kostenets–Dolna Banya Valley Kostenets–Dolna Banya Valley () is situated in western Bulgaria. It is named after the towns of Kostenets and Dolna Banya. The valley has a length of 18 km and a width of up to 5 km. The altitude is 520–680 m. Geography The ...

at the foothills of the

Sredna Gora Sredna Gora ( ) is a mountain range in central Bulgaria, situated south of and parallel to the Balkan Mountains and extending from the river Iskar (river), Iskar to the west and the elbow of river Tundzha north of the city of Yambol to the east. ...

mountain range, very close to the highest mountain range in the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

Rila Rila (, ) is the highest mountain range of Bulgaria, the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, and Southeast Europe. It is situated in southwestern Bulgaria and forms part of the Rila–Rhodope Mountains, Rhodope Massif. The highest summit is Musala at an e ...

. It lies some 70 km southeast of the national capital

Sofia Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...

, about 8 km of the spa resorts of Momin Prohod and

Kostenets Kostenets ( ) is a town in Sofia Province in western Bulgaria, and the administrative centre of the Kostenets Municipality (which also contains a separate Kostenets (village), village of Kostenets). The town is situated in the Kostenets–Dolna B ...

and 30 km of the ski resort of

Borovets Borovets ( , known as Chamkoria ( ) until the middle of the 20th century) is a mountain resort in Samokov Municipality in Sofia Province in Bulgaria. Geography Borovets is situated on the northern slopes of Rila mountain, at an elevation of ...

. The village has a territory of 15.546 km². It lies just south of the

Trakia motorway The Trakia motorway (, ) or Thrace motorway, designated A1, is a motorway in Bulgaria. It connects the capital city of Sofia, the city of Plovdiv and the city of Burgas on the Black Sea coast. The motorway is named after the historical region of ...

and east of the first class I-8 road

Kalotina Kalotina ( ) is a village in the Dragoman Municipality, Sofia Province, in westernmost central Bulgaria. As of 2010, it has 270 inhabitants and the mayor is Lidia Bozhilova. The village is located at the border with Serbia, 55 km to the north ...

–

Plovdiv Plovdiv (, ) is the List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, second-largest city in Bulgaria, 144 km (93 miles) southeast of the capital Sofia. It had a population of 490,983 and 675,000 in the greater metropolitan area. Plovdiv is a cultural hub ...

–

Kapitan Andreevo Kapitan Andreevo ( ) is a village near the Bulgaria—Turkey—Greece tripoint in Svilengrad municipality, Haskovo Province, southern Bulgaria. As of 2005 it has 948 inhabitants and the mayor is Dimitar Shiderov. Due to the proximity with Turkey, ...

. There are favourable conditions for agriculture, the main crops include wheat, strawberries and

blackcurrant The blackcurrant (''Ribes nigrum''), also known as black currant or cassis, is a deciduous shrub in the family Grossulariaceae grown for its edible berries. It is native to temperate parts of central and northern Europe and northern Asia, w ...

Pchelin mineral baths

The spa resort of Pchelin mineral baths is located some 2 km northeast of the village, nestled in a forested valley in the Septemvriyski ridge of Sredna Gora. The mineral springs have a total discharge of 13 L/sec and temperature of 73 °С. According to legends, the springs were used by the soldiers of the Bulgarian emperor

Samuel Samuel is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the biblical judges to the United Kingdom of Israel under Saul, and again in the monarchy's transition from Saul to David. He is venera ...

(r. 997–1014), who in 986 dealt a crushing defeated to the Byzantines in the

battle of the Gates of Trajan The Battle of the Gates of Trajan (, ) was a battle between Byzantine and Bulgarian forces in the year 986. It took place in the pass of the same name, modern Trayanovi Vrata, in Sofia Province, Bulgaria. It was the largest defeat of the Byz ...

that took place in the vicinity of the village.

Gallery

File:Pchelinski Bani.jpg , Pchelin mineral baths File:Hotel-vitalis.jpg , A spa hotel in Pchelin File:Pchelin village school.jpg , Old school

Citations

References

* {{Authority control Villages in Sofia Province Spa towns in Bulgaria