Beslen () is a village in
Hadzhidimovo Municipality
Hadzhidimovo Municipality (, ) is situated in the southeastern part of Blagoevgrad Province in southwestern Bulgaria. The administrative center is the town of Hadzhidimovo, located in the northern part of the municipality. To the South Hadzhidimov ...
, in
Blagoevgrad Province
Blagoevgrad Province (, ''oblast Blagoevgrad'' or Благоевградска област, ''Blagoevgradska oblast''), also known as Pirin Macedonia or Bulgarian Macedonia (), (''Pirinska Makedoniya or Bulgarska Makedoniya'') is a province ('' ...
,
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 ...
. It is situated just 2 km from the border with
Greece
Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
.
Geography
The village is situated on the Beslen ridge of the
Rhodope Mountains
The Rhodopes (; , ; , ''Rodopi''; ) are a mountain range in Southeastern Europe, and the largest by area in Bulgaria, with over 83% of its area in the southern part of the country and the remainder in Greece. Golyam Perelik is its highest peak ...
in the most southeastern part of the Hadzhidimovo municipality, 10 km southeast of the town of Hadzhidimovo, 94 km southeast of
Blagoevgrad
Blagoevgrad ( ) is List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, а town in Southwestern Bulgaria, the administrative centre of Blagoevgrad Municipality and of Blagoevgrad Province. With a population of almost inhabitants, it is the economic and cultura ...
and 145 km south-southeast of
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 ...
. The terrain is mountainous. The climate is transitional Mediterranean with mountain influence with summer minimum and winter maximum of rainfalls.
History
In the 19th century, Beslen was a Muslim village in the
Nevrokop kaza
A kaza (, "judgment" or "jurisdiction") was an administrative divisions of the Ottoman Empire, administrative division of the Ottoman Empire. It is also discussed in English under the names district, subdistrict, and juridical district. Kazas co ...
of the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
. In the book "Ethnography of the
vilayets
A vilayet (, "province"), also known by #Names, various other names, was a first-order administrative division of the later Ottoman Empire. It was introduced in the Vilayet Law of 21 January 1867, part of the Tanzimat reform movement initiated b ...
of Adrianople, Monastir and Thessaloniki, published in Istanbul in 1878 and reflecting the male population statistics of 1873, Boslen is referred to as a village with 28 households and 75
Pomak
Pomaks (; Macedonian: Помаци ; ) are Bulgarian-speaking Muslims inhabiting Bulgaria, northwestern Turkey, and northeastern Greece. The strong ethno-confessional minority in Bulgaria is recognized officially as Bulgarian Muslims by th ...
inhabitants.
According to
Stefan Verkovich
Stefan may refer to:
* Stefan (given name)
* Stefan (surname)
* Ștefan, a Romanian given name and a surname
* Štefan, a Slavic given name and surname
* Stefan (footballer) (born 1988), Brazilian footballer
* Stefan Heym, pseudonym of German writ ...
, by the end of the 19th century, Beslen had a Muslim male population of 110, living in 28 houses. In 1899 the village had a population of 307 inhabitants according to the results of the census of the population of the Ottoman Empire. According to statistics by
Vasil Kanchov
Vasil Kanchov (26 July 1862 – 6 February 1902) was a geographer, ethnographer and teacher who served as Minister of Education of Bulgaria.
Early life and education
Vasil Kanchov was born in Vratsa. Upon graduating from High school i ...
("Macedonia. Ethnography and Statistics") by 1900 Beslen (Baslen) is a Bulgarian-Muslim settlement. It is home to 300 Muslims in 35 houses.
The population is growing from natural growth. There is a slight decrease in the numbers after the migration abroad after 1989 year and the second decade of the 21st century.
* 1934 – 366 people;
* 1946 – 487 people;
* 1956 – 560 people;
* 1965 – 599 people;
* 1975 – 653 people;
* 1985 – 757 people;
* 1992 – 737 people;
* 2001 – 748 people;
* 2011 – 723 people;
* 2018 – 665 people;
Economy and transportation
The agriculture is characterized by animal husbandry and crop production - growing tobacco. There is a cadastral and regulatory plan. The housing fund has been completely renovated. The massive stone walls on both floors and the attic furnaces are typical. The village is electrified, water-supplied, with sewage; much of the street network is paved with asphalt. The village is accessible only by road. It is connected with Hadzhidimovo by bus. There is a postal station. The village is provided with land lines and mobile service.
Education
There is a middle school "Gotse Delchev", founded in 1927 as a primary school. It moved to a new building in 1960 and in 1980 it became a middle school. There is also a community centre "Hristo Botev".
Religion
The population is predominantly Muslim. There is a mosque in the village.
Honours
Beslen Island in Antarctica is named after the village of Beslen
References
Villages in Hadzhidimovo Municipality
{{Blagoevgrad-geo-stub