Kovachevitsa

Kovachevitsa clings to a steep slope in the western Rhodopes above Gotse Delchev, and the gradient shaped the building: houses of three and four storeys in dry stone with timber upper floors and heavy stone-slab roofs, set so close on the slope that lanes run between them as stairs and the roof of one house sits below the door of the next. It was founded by people moving into the mountains and reached its peak in the nineteenth century, then emptied. Protected as an architectural reserve, it has been used repeatedly as a film location for period productions. A number of houses are now guesthouses and the village has a small permanent population, with forest and walking routes above it.

History

The village was founded in the 17th century by refugees from various villages escaping Ottoman assimilation, drawn by its remote site and its water, and it never had an Ottoman administration, which helped it keep its traditions. Its first school, run by priests, opened in 1820 and a secular school in 1854, moving to a new two-storey house in 1888, and the church of St Nicholas, a national cultural monument, was built in 1847, with a bell tower added in 1900 (Wikipedia, Kovachevitsa).

The main sights

• Three and four-storey stone houses - built tall on a steep slope.
• Stone-slab roofs - the heavy roofing of the western Rhodopes.
• Lanes running as stairs - the streets climbing between the houses.
• A standing film location - the village used for period productions.

When to go

May to October; the road is difficult in winter snow. Half a day. Autumn colour in the surrounding forest is good. Weekends bring visitors and the guesthouses fill.

Practical notes

The road up is narrow, winding and slow. The village is steep throughout with a great many steps. Facilities are a few guesthouses and one or two places to eat. Some houses are derelict.

Nearby

Leshten is a short drive; Gotse Delchev lies below in the valley.

Key facts