 |
 |
 |
The town of Elhovo is situated in the southeast part of Bulgaria. It is very well positioned between the most attractive coastal and mountain resorts in Bulgaria and extremely close to Turkey and its resorts. Elhovo is situated in the centre of the Elhovo Field (100-150 m above the sea level) and is surrounded by the slanting slopes of the Manastir and Dervent Elevations and Stranja Mountain. The state boundary with Turkey passes about 30 km to the south-east of the town. The Tounja River passes through the low-mountain range in the south part, separating the Dervent Elevations from the Sakar Mountain. The river forms a picturesque canyon between them. Its steep valleys and beautiful windings make the region immensely attractive. 21 970 people live in the Elhovo municipality, including 13 244 people in the town of Elhovo, who constitute 60.28% of the municipality's total population. The Elhovo municipality includes 1 town and 22 villages (the village of Granitovo being one of the biggest). History: A Thracian settlement called Orouditsa existed at the place of the present town. The Roman conquered it, fortified it and gave it the name of Orouditsa ad Bougoum. Later the Byzantine called it Malso Kastra (fortified settlement) until the arrival of the Slavs who gave it the melodious name of Yanitsa which consequently changed into Enina. In the years of Ottoman Rule the town was an agricultural, crafts, and administrative centre. In 17th century it had a market street with more than 40 workshops. However, the town became depopulated after several epidemics, the devastating kurdzhalii (Turkish brigands) raids, and the Russian-Turkish War of Liberation (1877-1878). A great part of the population moved to Dobroudzha, Bessarabia and Russia. At the time of the Liberation one could count 100 houses and 900 inhabitants. In 1934 the town was renamed to Elhovo. Museums The varying ethnographic heritage of the Elhovo municipality and the whole Stranja-Sakar region is studied, stored and popularized through the Ethnographic Museum in Elhovo. The museum has an interesting exhibition, which was open on 3 April 1971. The visitors become acquainted with the essential elements of the region's history by means of photographs, facsimiles and other materials. There is a collection of tools, implements and other objects reflecting the characteristics of the local agriculture and stock-breeding. They also show the development of the crafts in the region. The wedding, mummers', Christmas and St. Lazarus' Day rituals are shown by means of photographs and requisite. Samples of fretwork and iconography are exhibited. The development of transport in the region is also shown with photographs. The specialized Ethnographic Museum in Elhovo has one of the richest ethnographic collections in Bulgaria. The museum has participated with exhibits out of its stocks in exhibitions, organized in Bulgaria; Budapest, Vienna, Bucharest, Montreal.
