| Kunino | |
| Settlement Type: | Village |
| Total Type: | |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Vratsa |
| Subdivision Type2: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name2: | Roman |
| Subdivision Type3: | Kmet |
| Subdivision Name3: | Yolo Petkov |
| Elevation M: | 321 |
| Population Total: | 478 |
| Native Name: | Кунино |
| Population As Of: | 2018 |
| Area Total Km2: | 38801 |
| Postal Code: | 3140 |
| Area Code: | 091202 |
| Registration Plate: | BP (Вр) |
| Coordinates: | 43.1892°N 23.9998°W |
| Pushpin Map: | Bulgaria |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Bulgaria |
Kunino (Bulgarian: Кунино)[1] is a village in northern Bulgaria, in the Vratsa region, Roman municipality, on the Iskar River. As of December 15, 2018, the village had a population of 478, according to estimates from the Unified Population Registration System and Population Administrative Services.[2]
See main article: Bulgaria.
Kunino is located in the western part of Przedbalkan, which is part of Balkan Mountains. It is located in the Kurlukov Gorge of the Iskar River.[3]
Kunino is surrounded by karst formations. There are numerous limestone rocks in the form of monadnocks and natural arches. The emblematic Czerwenica rock towers over the village.[4] So far, about 140 caves have been discovered in the village area. The longest of these is the 256-meter-long, while the deepest is Glozawa, located up to 69 meters below the surface.[5]
The wide-open valley of the Iskar River facilitates the free flow of air and prevents the occurrence of inversions, so air temperatures are high. The surrounding high rock rims cause air masses to rise during the summer. This contributes to the development of clouds and, consequently, more frequent heavy rains and hailstorms.[6]
See main article: Vratsa Province. Kunino belongs administratively to the municipality of Roman, in the province of Vratsa. Kunino's identification code is 40645.
Administrative territorial affiliation:
The regional statistical office is located in Vratsa.
Kunino covers an area of 38,801 km².[7]
There is an archaeological site in Kunino, where Bulgarian archaeologist and prehistorian found the remains of a large settlement called, dating back to the Neolithic period, located on the Rudina plateau in the Provirtenka cave. He also discovered numerous stone tools, ceramic fragments of figurines, and the most significant find was stones used for grinding grains. This testifies to the advanced level of agriculture in the area at that time.[8] Nikolai Dzhambazov discovered traces of people from the Middle and Late Paleolithic periods in the cave in 1956.[9] In 1960, during the repair of the road to the village of, the remains of a village dating back 4,000 years were discovered. The research was carried out by Bogdan Nikolov of the Regional Archeological Museum in Vratsa. Excavations revealed the foundations of clay houses, plaster walls, stoves and fireplaces. Stone tools, numerous ornaments, fragments of painted pottery, querns for grinding grain and clay weights for a vertical loom were also discovered.[10]
In the 1000s BC, the area was inhabited by Thracians from the Tribali tribe. Their presence is evidenced by the discovered village of Trulenzis, as well as uncovered bronze brooches and fragments of bronze horse figurines. Based on the objects found, it was concluded that in the fifth century BC there was a significant Hellenization of the local population. In 28 BC, the settlement was incorporated into the Roman Empire. Over the next three centuries, the village flourished through trade, stonemasonry and winemaking – it was concluded from stone inscriptions and carvings.[11]
The area was inhabited by Slavs. Ivan Velekov suggests that the local Slavs originally settled in Emperor Justinian's fortress, but soon abandoned it and settled closer to the Iskar River, at the site of the present village.
The locality by its present name is mentioned in a timar description from 1479.[12] An important role in the public and political life of Kunino in the first three decades of the 19th century was played by an influential merchant, Dimitraki Khajitoshev, who had a farm and a store for basic goods in the village. Numerous records of business transactions were found in his notes.[13] In 1865, after the Crimean War, the Circassians were expelled from the Russian territories and settled in Bulgaria, including Kunino. The Circassians plundered local homes, which caused their residents to revolt and clash with the invaders.[14]
A historical museum was established in 1888.[15] In 1891, the Tsvetan Ganovsky community center was established.[16] In June 1918, Kunino was hit by a strong tornado, which caused great damage, including destroyed houses, and claimed about 150 cows. In 1921, a stonemasonry school was established. In 1922, a railroad station was built according to a design by Czech engineers.[17]
According to the National Statistical Institute, as of February 1, 2011, the age structure of the population in Kunino village was as follows:[18]
| Age | 0–4 | 5–9 | 10–14 | 15–19 | 20–24 | 25–29 | 30–34 | 35–39 | 40–44 | 45–49 | 50–54 | 55–59 | 60–64 | 65–59 | 70–74 | 75–79 | 80–84 | 85 and more | |
| Total | 11 | 7 | 24 | 28 | 23 | 19 | 20 | 16 | 28 | 34 | 36 | 39 | 52 | 54 | 42 | 42 | 26 | 8 |
| Bulgarians | 87,82 | |
| Others | 10,77 | |
| Unidentified | 1,39 |
The village has a kmetstvo, an elementary school and a stonemasonry school, a community center and a post office. The nearest kindergarten is 6 km from Kunino in the village of, and the nearest hospital is in the town of Roman.
The village is sewered and electrified, and has running water, which it gets from Iskar.
Local road 1031 and the Sofia-Varna railroad run through Kunino. There is a railroad station.
The register of monuments includes:[19]
See main article: Bulgarian Orthodox Church. St. Nicholas Orthodox Church was built in the Middle Ages, and was destroyed by the Turks during Ottoman rule. Thanks to the support of wealthy Kunino's families, St. Nicholas Orthodox Church was restored in the early 17th century. It is built in the style typical of the time - a separate residential building was detached from the nave. It was painted in the late 18th century by Petko Daskalov.[23] In 1945, the Orthodox church was closed and deteriorating. In 1996, volunteers began rebuilding the church, which was consecrated and opened on May 6, 1997.[24]
The village is home to the FK Stroitl Kunino football club.