Mountain Tourism: Plachkovtsi
The town of Plachkovtsi is situated in the skirts of the Balkan mountain at 600m above sea level. It lies 8km away from the town of Tryavna, beneath the northern slopes of the Tryavna part of the Balkan mountain. Here, the mountain is relatively low and easily accessible, while the land is rich in coal and basalt. Plachkovtsi’s population is 2,146 people.
There are two legends for the town’s establishment and its name. According to the first, the town appeared during Ottoman rule, after citizens of the former capital of Turnovo whose life worsened after the city was taken over by the Turks fled to the Balkan mountain in search of peace. One of these, Slav from the village of Plakovo (Turnovo region), settled with his family in the area where at present the village of Cherno Plachkovtsi can be found. This happened around the year 1496. Gradually, the settlers became known as the “Plakovchanite” - a name that was gradually transformed into Plachkovtsi.
The second legend is also connected to the subjection of Bulgaria to the Ottoman Empire. When Turnovo surrendered in 1393, Patrirch Evtimii was sent on exile. He was initially accompanied by Turnovo citizens but when his companions reached the area where Plachkovtsi currently is situated, the Turkish soldiers stopped the people from following the Patriarch further. The name hence comes from the tears the Patriarch’s followers shed (as “placha” is the Bulgarian verb for “cry”).
The modern development of the town has been due primarily to black coal mining. Local coal deposits attracted foreign investors’ interest already in the middle of the 19th c. Several mines thus opened between 1860 and 1936. In order to transport the coal out of Plachkovtsi, the state built a narrow-gauge track to Tryavna in 1901 that was also used for passenger transportation. The narrow-gauge track was used including by the Bulgarian poet Ivan Vazov during his visit to Plachkovtsi. Later on, with the development of mining and lumbering, the state built a standard railway track as well.
Apart from numerous mountain water springs in the area, there is also a mineral water spring close to the nearby village of Enchevtsi that is recommended for treatment of stomach diseases. In 1948, Plachkovtsi was declared a tourist resort. Several chalets and holiday homes were then built in the area. In 1969, Plachkovtsi was granted the status of town.
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Bulgaria Regions: Gabrovo
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