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Dobarsko

 

     The village of Dobarsko, Razlog district is situated 80 km south from Blagoevgrad and 17 km from Bansko. The population is 700 people who live in about 200 houses. Dobarsko is a mountain village located at an altitude of 1070 m. It is nestled in the south foot of the holy Rila Mountain and overlooks the endless horizons of Pirin and Rhodope Mountain.

     The church St. St. Theodor Tiron and Theodor Stratilat /1614/ is restored and preserved in the village of Dobarsko. It dates back to the 17th century and is half dug into the ground as the builders didn’t want to attract the attention of the Ottoman authorities. The beautifully preserved murals of the church depict scenes from the life of Jesus Christ. The ancient church St. St. Theodor Tiron and Theodor Stratilat is a unique sanctuary. Dobarsko Renaissance Church - Sretenie Gospodne /1860/ is still functional. It has richly decorated iconostasis made by artists from Bansko School. In this beautiful area of untouched nature there are eight consecrated grounds. In one of them /500 m from the village/ was rebuilt the church of Uspenie Presveta Bogoroditsa (Assumption of the Holy Mother).
     In a historical document Dobarsko is mentioned for the first time ever in Tsar Shishman’s Rila Decree from 1378. Dobarsko is the most economically developed settlement in Razlog valley until the end of 18th century, when Bansko outgrows it. The huge amount of cattle bred in its beautiful pastures was brought south to Seres and Drama in the winter where the Dobarsko tradesmen exported wool to Bosnia, Serbia, Austria and Hungary.
     A legend tells that founders of this marvelous place in the south foot of the holy Rila Mountain were the blinded soldiers from Tsar Samuil’s army who couldn’t get to the Rila Monastery as the winter came too early. The historical fact is: Tsar Samuil's army was defeated in battle at Belassitsa Mountain in 1014 by the Byzantine Emperor Basil 11, whose nickname was Bulgarochthonos. Basil 11 captured most of the Bulgarian army, blinded the soldiers, and sent the men back to the Tsar leaving one one-eyed man in every 100th to lead the blind soldiers. The soldiers had their reasons to choose the location of the village of Dobarsko - water with healing powers that springs in the yard of St. St. Theodor Tiron and Theodor Stratilat Church.
     Today, the village is a tourist attraction which main activities are related to the development of quality tourism services – accommodation, catering and attractions such as short trails, picnic places, folklore demonstrations and demonstrations of traditional customs, village celebrations and others. In addition, Dobarsko works for the better socialization of cultural monuments such as the three churches and many sacred grounds around the village; rising of standards through human capacity building; marketing and promotion. To achieve this, it works in partnership with a number of institutions such as the Rila National Park Directorate, Pirin National Park Directorate, History Museums in Razlog and Blagoevgrad, Razlog Municipality, other tourist, environmental and business-support organizations.