Bistritsa, Blagoevgrad Province

Bistritsa Бистрица
Village
Bistritsa
Coordinates: 42°3′N 23°11′E
Country	Bulgaria
Province	Blagoevgrad Province
Municipality	Blagoevgrad
Government
• Mayor	Georgi Bochukov (GERB)
Area
• Total	171.498 km2 (66.216 sq mi)
Elevation	893 m (2,930 ft)
Population  (31-12-2020 )
• Total	76
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal Code	2724
Area code	073

Bistritsa is a sparsely inhabited mountainous dispersed village in Blagoevgrad Municipality, in Blagoevgrad Province, Bulgaria. The village consists of 42 neighborhoods. It is situated in Rila mountain 9 kilometers east of Blagoevgrad. The Bistritsa river flows through the village.

History

Оn the territory of today's Bistritsa lived Thracians, before the new era, Romans 1 - 4 century AD, Slavs and Proto-Bulgarians. This is supported by evidence. Some coins minted during the reign of the emperors ( Tiberius, Claudius, Constans and Constantius II) were found in tnear the village. In addition, during excavations around the former summer camp "Septemvriyche" were found late ancient fortress, church, building bricks, stone balls, iron locks, nails, staples. They are dated to the Thracian-Roman era.

Population

By 1900, according to Vasil Kanchov ("Macedonia. Ethnography and Statistics"), the population of the village numbered 1540 people, of whom 1300 were Bulgarian Christians and 240 Vlachs.

Population according to the censuses over the years:

Historical population of Bistritsa, Blagoevgrad Province
(Source: NSI)

Year	1934	1946	1956	1965	1975	1985	1992	2001	2011
Population	1794	1771	1531	588	291	193	172	151	90

Economy and transportation

Most of the population is not economically active. There aren't any major economical subjects in the village. There is a municipal asphalt road connecting the village with Blagoevgrad, but most of the neighborhoods are connected with unpaved roads.

Institutions

The only institution in the village is the mayor's office. There aren't any educational or medical institutions. The school is not functioning and its building is ruined.

Religion

There are nine Christian Orthodox churches and chapels in Bistrica. St. George's Church dates back to 1861, and John the Baptist Church in the Dabovo area dates back to 1872. St. Demetrius's Church is in the central part of the village and was also built at the end of the 19th century.