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Perushtitsa

 

 

     Perushtitsa has its outlook totally altered throughout the last century. The wide streets with new houses lead you to the wide town’s square where main landmark is the representative House of Culture. Just across the garden is the History Museum – one-floor building with marble-cleft decoration. In close proximity is the restored Class School from 1850 – nowadays it hosts the town’s art gallery.

     In the local History Museum you can see the new exhibition. There you can see lots of personal items, weapons and documents connected to the history of this little town, to the revolutionary activity and heroic independence fight of the local people. Your attention will be drawn to the original uniforms of Bulgarian rebels from 1876, the rifle of Spas Ginov, the wonderful painting "The defense of Perushtitsa" (artist D. Dobrev), personal belongings and weapons of the guerilla fighters (partisans) from the WW2.


 



     Close by is one small historic church – St. Archangels Gabriel and Michael. Today it is a filial of the local museum (no admission fee). It is a commemoration of one of the bloodiest tragedies in Bulgarian history – April Revolt of 1876. This temple is projected and built from masters from Bratsigovo in 1847-1848. Later it became centre of the conspiracy for national rebellion against the Ottoman yoke. In 1869 the ubiquitous Vasil Levski found here one of the first secret revolutionary committees. Its chairman was the teacher Petar Bonev Toshev, close friend of Levski. On April 23, 1876, the bells of this church rang to kickstart the rebellion and summon all the local population to fight for the freedom of Bulgaria. Under the leadership of Toshev, the rebels led heroic battles against the outnumbering Ottoman forces. They retreated house by house, leaving the town in the hands of the enemy. Ten days, while the men were fighting against the Turks, women and children were hiding behind the thick walls of the church. Finally the Turks entered the temple. Their yataghans took the life of dozens of innocent victims.


 



     In the last minutes of the fight one of the rebels – Spas Ginov, in order to save his family from captivity, murdered his wife along with his five children. Then he committed suicide. His example was followed by many others: Kocho Chistemenski, Ivan Hadzhitliev, Gocho Mishev, etc. – 22 revolutionaries chose such death. Today you can still see their bones – in stone sarcophagus inside the temple. Their names are written down on the eastern wall of the temple. Nowadays the church is preserved in the outlook of 1876.


 



     Fascinating place to visit in close proximity to Perushtitsa is the so called Red Church (Chervenata tsarkva). Here you can see the ruins of a former sumptuous church from V-VI century, just 1 km from Perushtitsa. The altar space is well preserved along with the remains of frescos.

     Above the town is the Rhodopean ridge Varhovrah. This is one of the great places for hiking in Bulgaria. Perfect base camp for many of the tracks is the mountain chalet of Varhovrah.