Разлог

Razlog is the city of the Chaushi and the "Starchevata" carnival, the gateway to Pirin and Rila.

The history of Razlog begins in ancient times. In the area of ​​Stolovatets, about 5 km west of the city, remains of a Thracian sanctuary from the end of the Bronze Age and the beginning of the Iron Age were discovered, and archaeologists have registered eight ancient settlements in the area of ​​the city. During excavations in the Katarino area, which began in 2013, an early Thracian fortified settlement was studied, and in an ancient necropolis east of Razlog, a Thracian sword-rompheus, torks and fibulae were found - evidence of a long-term Thracian presence in the Razlog valley. The name Razlog first appears in writing in 1019 in a Byzantine document from the time of Emperor Basil II, when the region was part of the Bulgarian state, and later came under Byzantine and Serbian rule during various periods of the Middle Ages. Near the city, in the area of ​​Betolovoto, remains of an early Christian church from the V-VI century were discovered. During the Ottoman period, the settlement was known by the name Mehomiya and became the center of a separate kaza within the Serski Sanjak. According to Vasil Kanchov's statistics from 1900, the population is mixed - about 3,200 Christian Bulgarians, 1,460 Mohammedan Bulgarians, Turks, Vlachs and Roma living in a common urban area. During the Renaissance, Mechomia strengthened as a spiritual and economic center. The Church of Saint George was built in 1834 and preserves valuable frescoes and carved iconostasis. In the city, more than 41 Renaissance houses of the Razlozh-Czepin architectural type, declared cultural monuments, are preserved to this day. In 1896, Gotse Delchev founded a VMORO committee in Mechomia, turning the city into one of the hotbeds of the national liberation movement in Macedonia. After the Berlin Treaty of 1878, the region remained outside the borders of the newly liberated Bulgaria and continued under Ottoman rule for nearly another three and a half decades. Mechomia was liberated on 11/24 October 1912 during the Balkan War. On March 26, 1925, the city was renamed from Mehomiya to Razlog. During the September Uprising of 1923, the local barracks were briefly taken over by rebels. In the 20th century, Razlog developed as an industrial center - with the production of magnetic heads, furniture and food industry. During the Second World War, the partisan movement associated with the name of Nikola Parapunov operated in the Razlog valley. In 1939, the "Holy Annunciation" church was built, considered the largest and most beautiful in the Nevrokop diocese. Today, Razlog is the main gateway to Pirin National Park and Rila Mountain, in close proximity to the ski resort of Bansko. The city is famous for the Starchevata International Kooker Carnival, in which the Chaushi - masked young men in leather suits with cone-shaped hats and heavy clappers - drive away evil spirits on New Year's Eve. The Razlog valley, surrounded by three mountains, combines mountain tourism, a rich cultural and historical heritage and a living folk tradition.