Bratsigovo

Bratsigovo Брацигово
St John the Precursor Church
Coat of arms
Bratsigovo Location of Bratsigovo
Coordinates:
Country	Bulgaria
Provinces (Oblast)	Pazardzhik
Government
• Mayor	Sonya Misheva
Elevation	599 m (1,965 ft)
Population (15.12.2004)
• Total	4,646
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Postal Code	4579
Area code(s)	03552

Bratsigovo (Bulgarian: Брацигово) is a town in Southern Bulgaria. It is located in the foothills of the Rhodope Mountains, on the banks of the Umishka River in Pazardzhik oblast, and is close to the towns of Peshtera and Krichim.

Bratsigovo Hills on Trinity Peninsula in Antarctica are named after the town.

History

The tallest Eastern Orthodox bell-tower in the Balkans

Archeological evidence has shown that the area was inhabited by Thracians and later Slavs.

Historical records show the township was established at some point in the 16th-17th century, built over the ruins of an earlier settlement. The founders of the new town were Bulgarian emigrants from the western part of Aegean Macedonia, from the vicinity of Kostur.

The population of Bratsigovo took an active part in the April Uprising of 1876.

In 1950 Bratsigovo had a population of 3,364. (Source=Columbia-Lippincott Gazetteer)

Web page: http://www.bratsigovo.bg/

Balneology

The town is developing as a balneological center, too. There is a cold mineral water spring (18-26 C) with the flow rate of 120 liters per minute at the distance of 500 metres west of it. There is a balneo-sanatorium built up here. The mineral water treats some skin diseases, the nervous system, kidney related diseases and others. There is a nice park and a country-houses zone around it.

Sources

• Bulgarian Coastal Properties: Bratsigovo