BH Towns and regions
WESTERN BULGARIA (Nishava and Kraishte regions)

Ponishavie (Nishava region) and Kraishte are historically and geographically defined regions in the Central part of Balkan Peninsula. Half of them belong nowadays to Serbia but the rest covering a territory of 5000 sq. km is part of Bulgarian very West. Districts of Sofia, Kyustendil and Pernik incorporate them administratively.

The landscape of the area is a mixture of low and middle mountains, highlands and valleys of Struma and Nishava river basins. The climate is moderate continental but at higher altitudes, it is mountainous, with cold winters and fresh summers.

The region was a crossroad in the hearth of Peninsula from the very early ages. Here passed the migration roots of the first European Neolithic settlers 8200 years ago, the traces of invading Indo-Europeans tribes some 6000 year ago, Celtic, Macedonian and Roman troops in the first millennium B.C., barbaric tribes during the Great migration of people etc. Not much has remained standing, but the Earth still hides many uncovered treasures and monuments of these lands, which due their border position in the last century remained remote and abandoned. Their written history started in the first millennium B.C. when they were the border between Thracian and Illyrian tribes and kingdoms.
The Romans, when they conquered the area in 1 century B.C.- 1 century A.D. brought here relative peace and stability for several centuries developing the urbanization and infrastructure. The Roman highway Via Militaris (from Vindibona (Vienna) – Aquincum (Budapest) - Singidunum (Belgrade) to Byzantium, later Constantinople (Istanbul) crossed the area along with other important Roman roads bringing funds and goods to the local population. The prominent Roman cities of Serdica (Sofia), Pautalia (Kyustendil), Naisus (Nish) influenced the economic and culture development of the region. During the Great migration of people, newcomers destroyed and plundered many times the area then belonging to the East Roman diocese of Ilyricum. The Middle age history here started with invasion of Slavs in 6-7 century A.D. who settled down and formally recognized the authority of East Roman Emperor but lived almost independently before their lands were incorporated in the emerging Bulgarian Empire in 809 A.D. From that time on, the area remained ethnically and culturally connected with Bulgarian people no matter who ruled it formally until the end of 19 century.

History facts in brief:

809 - 1010s – the region is part of First Bulgarian Empire
864 – Baptizing of Bulgarians
1110s - 1180s - the region is part of Byzantine Empire
1180s - 1330 - the region is part of Second Bulgarian Empire
1330 – 1380s – Ponishavie remains part of Second Bulgarian Empire but Kraishte was conquered by emancipated Serbian kingdom (inherited after 1355 by the Despot Konstantin Dragash).
1380s - 1390s – The regions were conquered by Ottomans and apart of some Christian reconquista trials remain there until 1878.
1680s – Rebellions of Bulgarians in support of Anti-Ottoman powers (Austria, Poland, Venice etc.) in the Holy war against the sultan.
1809 - 1821 - Rebellions of local Christians were brutally smashed by Ottomans.
1870 – Christians from Ponishavie and Kraishte join the Bulgarian Orthodox Exarchate.
1878 – The Russo-Turkish war liberated the region from Ottoman rule as a part of Bulgarian kingdom but areas of Nish and Pirot - occupied by Serbia as a reward for participating in the war on Russian side.
1919 – Bulgaria lost WW I. Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes annexed additional parts of the region: municipalities of Tsaribrod (now Dimitrovgrad) and Bosilegrad.
1944 – Soviet army occupied Bulgaria and Communist coup d’etate turned the country into a socialist republic and Soviet ally. The iron curtain split the region between Bulgaria and Yugoslavia. In 1950s the 20 km the Cordon sanitaire built by Bulgaria, additionally isolated both parts of the region and pressed due economic reasons locals living in the banned area leave forever their homelands.
1989 – The breakdown of the socialist system opened new horizons for people of both sides of the border.

Major towns of the area are:
Kyustendil is an old town and SPA resort with 60 000 inhabitants. Many sight-seeings from Roman, Medieval and Ottoman periods.
Pernik is an industrial town with 90 000 inhabitants – nothing is worth seeing but the medieval Krakra fortress and Kukeri winter festival.

An exit point for BH field school expeditions is the small town of Dragoman.

Dragoman (3739 inhabitants) is located on the main transport corridor connecting Western and Central Europe with Near East, only 36 km from Sofia and 12 km from Kalotina border point. More interesting than the town and its history is its neighborhood. Chepan mountain together with the Dragoman marsh shape a unique karst complex, just 1 km northern from Dragoman. Medieval churches and chapels to be studied by BH participants are app. In radius of 15 km around.