Pernik
Pernik (Bulgarian: Перник) is an industrial city in Central Western Bulgaria, close to the capital Sofia. It's of interest to travellers mainly for the underground Museum of Mining and the annual International Festival of Masquerade Games, a showcase of mummer-like folk traditions from Bulgaria and abroad.
Understand
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With a population of about 70 thousand, Pernik is the administrative centre of Pernik Oblast (Province/District), which extends from Pernik to the Serbian border, about 50 km (31 mi) to the west. It contains four much smaller towns - Radomir (the only one above 10 thousand), Breznik, Tran (with the scenic gorge of the river Erma), and Zemen.
Pernik lies in a valley surrounded by mountains from three sides - the relatively low Lyulin and Golo Bardo to the north and south, and Vitosha to the east, the same mountain that rises over the capital Sofia. Geographically, the Pernik Valley lies on the north-eastern corner of a broader area known as Kraishte - an uneven land of many low mountains and high valleys shared between Bulgaria and Serbia. The river Struma, the fifth longest in Bulgaria, flows through the city, though it's not very large yet as its source is nearby, on Vitosha.
The coal deposits around Pernik have been known for a long time, but industrial mining started only after the liberation of Bulgaria, in the 1890s. This lead to quick population increase and economic development as coal was followed by power stations and steel foundries. In 1929, the village was officially granted status of grad (town/city). A diverse set of factories opened through the 1930s and 40s, and industrial development intensified even further under the Communist regime - like in other countries, the regime was fond of heavy industry. At its peak in the mid-1980s, the population reached almost 95 thousand.
Like elsewhere in Bulgaria, the fall of Communism was not kind to Pernik's economy. Nevertheless, the decline was not as pronounced as elsewhere in Bulgaria, because the proximity to Sofia (about 30 km (19 mi) by road) means that the citizens of Pernik can commute to the capital for work, education, or entertainment. This has lead to the emergence of a whole genre of jokes about the stereotypical "young man from Pernik" - who wears a track suit, drives a second-hand Volkswagen Golf and likes to threaten people with a piece of angle iron (vinkel).
Get in
See
- Regional History Museum
- Museum of Mining
- Fortress ruins
Do
- International Festival of Masquerade Games Surva
Nearby
Radomir
Radomir is a small town (pop. 13,000) close to Pernik - 10 km (6.2 mi) to the south-west as the crow flies, on the opposite side of the low mountain Golo Bardo. It's notable mostly for two things - as the junction station where the railway to Kyustendil merges in to the main line, and the role it played in Bulgarian history during World War I. After Bulgarian forces suffered a defeat in Macedonia, a disorderly retreat turned into a mutiny, which in turn became a soldier's uprising against the monarchy and the establishment of a Bulgarian republic was proclaimed in Radomir. The uprising was short-lived, but the general unrest about the outcome of the war lead to the abdication of the Tsar, Ferdinand, who left the throne to his son Boris III.
- Buchaloto ("The Droner") - a 11-metre (36 ft) waterfall in a small park on the edge of town
- History Museum - a Communism-era relic taking up the first floor of a residential building, almost entirely dedicated to the Soldiers' Uprising
- Ruined Chapel of St. John - on a cliff overlooking Pchelina Reservoir, about 8 km (5.0 mi) from Radomir in a straight line, not far from the road to Zemen; accessible by road or train, though it requires some driving or hiking on dirt roads.