The village of Kostenets is situated 80 km to the southeast of Sofia. The view from the highway revealed towards the peaks of the Rila Mountain is splendid, as Ravni Chal and Belmeken are still covered in white. The area of Kostenets is full of history, dating millennia back. Mayor Lyubka Katsarova used to be a teacher prior to her 2015 election, with a decade spent as a mayoral secretary before that. She told us beautiful details on the village and what makes it an interesting tourist destination:

“One can see a lot here: history, lifestyle, culture, nature… A Thracian settlement was built up here in ancient times. We have taken steps for excavations in one of the areas, in order to be able to show something. The Krastite area can be found to the East of the village – an old spot with century-old oak trees. Remains of an ancient fortress with an early-Christian basilica, from the 5 – 6^th c. AD have been discovered by archaeologists on the Gorna Cherkva /Upper Church/ Hill, situated to the West of the village. An old legend says that the baptizing of locals happened there. The basilica has been registered as an old ruined church – Assumption of the Virgin Mary with a cross-like stone, inscribed 1253. Local legend claims that temple was taken by deception during the Ottoman raid, as the enemy held a donkey thirsty for a few days. Then the animal discovered the spot where the rebels, hiding in the church took water from. Thus everyone was slaughtered. The new chapel with an ossuary was built up in 1997. The St. Michael the Archangel temple is another local historical and spiritual landmark from 1854. The building is a unique three-nave dome basilica with unique murals, well-preserved. An old well can be found in the Bunara area. The resort above the village is linked to the names of many renowned Bulgarian writers, poets and wise men, who used to have their villas here. Great poet Ivan Vazov dedicated several of his works to the place, one of them describing the famous Kostenski Waterfall, falling from 10 m high,” Mrs. Katsarova says.

The village of Kostenets has population of 3,700. It is mixed, as 18% of the people are Roma. The unemployment rate remains high. Some of the locals work in the capital Sofia or in Plovdiv, as the distance is not that big. The thermal mineral springs with temperature exceeding 40C and some 12 l per second in debit are typical for the region. Those are slightly radioactive, containing fluorine, hydro carbonates and sulfates. The Villa Kostenets prestigious resort was built up here, along with a modern spa center in 1960. More from Mayor Katsarova:

“Mineral water is wealth, but unfortunately part of the spa center is nowadays in ruins – the bathroom and the building used for prophylaxis and treatment with modern appliance, for example. Now several other spa hotels offer these services. The size of the pool is Olympic and thousands of tourists used to visit it, but now it is in ruins as well. The shareholder company with the participation of the state takes no care of it. The mineral water has been granted for free from the state to the municipality as of 2011, but the ownership has to be municipal, in order for us to submit our application for running the place under an EU project…”

Lyubka Katsarova also told us about local crafts, passed on from one generation to another, such as cutlery and woodcarving. She says that her granny taught her some specific wax technique for egg-painting and that she intended to popularize it. “We try to preserve our culture and lifestyle in any manner, as we are people of struggle,” the mayor says in conclusion, accentuating on her great will to develop local tourism that would mean an opportunity for young people to make a living.

English version: Zhivko Stanchev