Dragostin Explained

Official Name:Dragostin
Native Name:Драгостин
Settlement Type:Former Village
Pushpin Map:Bulgaria
Pushpin Label Position:Location in Bulgaria
Subdivision Name: Bulgaria
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Name1:Blagoevgrad Province
Subdivision Type2:Municipality
Subdivision Name2:Gotse Delchev
Population As Of:2007
Timezone:EET
Utc Offset:+2
Timezone Dst:EEST
Utc Offset Dst:+3
Coordinates:41.5744°N 23.6967°W

Dragostin (before 1934 called Borzhoza) is a ruined mountain village now in the municipality of Gotse Delchev, in Blagoevgrad Province, Bulgaria.

According to the statistics of Bulgarian ethnographer Vasil Kanchov from 1900 the settlement is recorded as "Bordjova Çiftlik" with 70 inhabitants, all Bulgarian Exarchists.[1] Served by a poor road, and surrounded by woodland, the village had fewer than twenty houses and stood about three kilometres to the west of the centre of Gotse Delchev. The population slowly left because there were no modern amenities and because access to the neighbouring town was difficult. Due to having no permanent residents, nor any other activity for many years, and after a plea from the Municipality, on 29 February 2008 Dragostin was removed from the official list of villages and the whole of its area was transferred into the administration of Gotse Delchev.[2] The electric supply was cut off some years ago.

Although some of the former village's houses are still standing, they are not lived in, so are in decay, and some are thought to be in a dangerous state.[3] However, a church standing just outside the village is reported to be still in good condition.

References

41.5744°N 23.6967°W

Notes and References

  1. http://macedonia.kroraina.com/vk/index.html Vasil Kanchov. "Macedonia. "Ethnography and statistics." Sofia, 1900, p. 193
  2. http://dv.parliament.bg/DVWeb/showMaterialDV.jsp?idMat=4922 The act of erasing Dragostin
  3. http://planina.e-psylon.net/viewtopic.php?t=404&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight= A forum in Bulgarian