dev.englishbulgaria.net/public/2016/05/vratsa-is-a-picturesque-thr.../index.html

275 lines
9.9 KiB
HTML
Raw Permalink Blame History

This file contains invisible Unicode characters

This file contains invisible Unicode characters that are indistinguishable to humans but may be processed differently by a computer. If you think that this is intentional, you can safely ignore this warning. Use the Escape button to reveal them.

This file contains Unicode characters that might be confused with other characters. If you think that this is intentional, you can safely ignore this warning. Use the Escape button to reveal them.

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
<meta property="og:title" content="Vratsa Is a Picturesque Thracian City" />
<meta property="og:description" content="The picturesque little city of Vratsa (Враца) sits at the foothills of the Balkan Mountains in Northwest Bulgaria. On a recent road trip I was amazed when I saw the city sitting under the craggy cliffs of the &ldquo;old mountain&rdquo; (Стара Планина /Stara Planina in Bulgarian). What with the water and all it&rsquo;s kind of like a poor man&rsquo;s Cape Town!
The city of Vratsa below the Balkan mountain
" />
<meta property="og:type" content="article" />
<meta property="og:url" content="/2016/05/vratsa-is-a-picturesque-thracian-city/" />
<meta property="article:published_time" content="2016-05-16T07:56:02+00:00" />
<meta property="article:modified_time" content="2016-05-16T07:56:02+00:00" />
<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary"/>
<meta name="twitter:title" content="Vratsa Is a Picturesque Thracian City"/>
<meta name="twitter:description" content="The picturesque little city of Vratsa (Враца) sits at the foothills of the Balkan Mountains in Northwest Bulgaria. On a recent road trip I was amazed when I saw the city sitting under the craggy cliffs of the &ldquo;old mountain&rdquo; (Стара Планина /Stara Planina in Bulgarian). What with the water and all it&rsquo;s kind of like a poor man&rsquo;s Cape Town!
The city of Vratsa below the Balkan mountain
"/>
<meta name="google-site-verification" content="DDjjsgQkHNfTs0c7eNhK9cLOKICiG4UV4S25Y08LTZU" />
<meta name="msvalidate.01" content="2CA373095D945D1AA256B1CD8A3DF872" />
<meta name="yandex-verification" content="4da8e13ffdc83261" />
<meta name="generator" content="Hugo 0.80.0" />
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "http://schema.org",
"@type": "BlogPosting",
"headline": "Vratsa Is a Picturesque Thracian City",
"url": "/2016/05/vratsa-is-a-picturesque-thracian-city/",
"wordCount": "193",
"datePublished": "2016-05-16T07:56:02+00:00",
"dateModified": "2016-05-16T07:56:02+00:00",
"author": {
"@type": "Person",
"name": "Alan Orth"
},
"keywords": "Bulgaria, Stara Planina, Thrace, Vratsa"
}
</script>
<link rel="canonical" href="/2016/05/vratsa-is-a-picturesque-thracian-city/">
<title>Vratsa Is a Picturesque Thracian City | English Bulgaria</title>
<!-- combined, minified CSS -->
<link href="/css/style.min.7630f633048d0ad0729792dd11eaf5941c807ec38e3f3897289a9bf133b9e91d.css" rel="stylesheet" integrity="sha256-djD2MwSNCtByl5LdEer1lByAfsOOPziXKJqb8TO56R0=" crossorigin="anonymous">
<meta name="theme-color" content="#7952b3">
<!-- RSS 2.0 feed -->
</head>
<body>
<div class="container">
<header class="blog-header py-3">
<div class="row flex-nowrap justify-content-between align-items-center">
<div class="col-4 pt-1">
<a class="link-secondary" href="#">Subscribe</a>
</div>
<div class="col-4 text-center">
<a class="blog-header-logo text-dark" href="/">English Bulgaria</a>
</div>
<div class="col-4 d-flex justify-content-end align-items-center">
<a class="link-secondary" href="#" aria-label="Search">
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" stroke-width="2" class="mx-3" role="img" viewBox="0 0 24 24"><title>Search</title><circle cx="10.5" cy="10.5" r="7.5"/><path d="M21 21l-5.2-5.2"/></svg>
</a>
</div>
</div>
</header>
<div class="nav-scroller py-1 mb-2">
<nav class="nav d-flex justify-content-between">
<a class="p-2 link-secondary" href="#">World</a>
<a class="p-2 link-secondary" href="#">U.S.</a>
<a class="p-2 link-secondary" href="#">Technology</a>
<a class="p-2 link-secondary" href="#">Design</a>
<a class="p-2 link-secondary" href="#">Culture</a>
<a class="p-2 link-secondary" href="#">Business</a>
<a class="p-2 link-secondary" href="#">Politics</a>
<a class="p-2 link-secondary" href="#">Opinion</a>
<a class="p-2 link-secondary" href="#">Science</a>
<a class="p-2 link-secondary" href="#">Health</a>
<a class="p-2 link-secondary" href="#">Style</a>
<a class="p-2 link-secondary" href="#">Travel</a>
</nav>
</div>
</div>
<main class="container">
<div class="row">
<div class="col-md-8">
<article class="blog-post">
<h2 class="blog-post-title"><a href="/2016/05/vratsa-is-a-picturesque-thracian-city/">Vratsa Is a Picturesque Thracian City</a></h2>
<p class="blog-post-meta"><time datetime="2016-05-16T07:56:02Z">Mon May 16, 2016</time>
in
<a href="/categories/bulgaria/" rel="category tag">Bulgaria</a>
<a href="/tags/stara-planina/" rel="tag">Stara Planina</a>, <a href="/tags/thrace/" rel="tag">Thrace</a>, <a href="/tags/vratsa/" rel="tag">Vratsa</a>
</p>
<p>The picturesque little city of Vratsa (Враца) sits at the foothills of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balkan_Mountains">Balkan Mountains</a> in Northwest Bulgaria. On a recent road trip I was amazed when I saw the city sitting under the craggy cliffs of the &ldquo;old mountain&rdquo; (<em>Стара Планина</em>/Stara Planina in Bulgarian). What with the water and all it&rsquo;s kind of like a poor man&rsquo;s <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Town">Cape Town</a>!</p>
<figure>
<img
sizes="(min-width: 35em) 1200px, 100vw"
srcset='
/2016/05/vratsa-is-a-picturesque-thracian-city/DSC_0002_hu6247ac82c844b4dbac538bf97308849e_2367296_480x0_resize_q75_box.JPG 480w,
/2016/05/vratsa-is-a-picturesque-thracian-city/DSC_0002_hu6247ac82c844b4dbac538bf97308849e_2367296_800x0_resize_q75_box.JPG 800w,
/2016/05/vratsa-is-a-picturesque-thracian-city/DSC_0002_hu6247ac82c844b4dbac538bf97308849e_2367296_1200x0_resize_q75_box.JPG 1200w,
/2016/05/vratsa-is-a-picturesque-thracian-city/DSC_0002_hu6247ac82c844b4dbac538bf97308849e_2367296_1500x0_resize_q75_box.JPG 1500w,
'
src="/2016/05/vratsa-is-a-picturesque-thracian-city/DSC_0002_hu6247ac82c844b4dbac538bf97308849e_2367296_800x0_resize_q75_box.JPG"
alt="The city of Vratsa below the Balkan mountain"/> <figcaption>
<p>The city of Vratsa below the Balkan mountain</p>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>I&rsquo;ve never actually <em>been</em> to Vratsa, but after reading Wikipedia for a few hours I am fascinated by the history of the region.</p>
<p>The area would have been inhabited by loosely organized Thracian tribes during the first millennium before Christ. From around 550 [BCE] Thrace was subjugated by the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achaemenid_Empire">Persian Empire</a> until Persia&rsquo;s defeat in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greco-Persian_Wars">GrecoPersian Wars</a> in 449 BCE. After that, there was likely a more organized <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odrysian_kingdom">Thracian kingdom</a> for a few centuries until Rome finally turned Thrace into a province in the first century CE. Over the next millennium the Byzantines, Bulgarians, and Ottomans would all take turns dominating this region of the Balkan peninsula.</p>
<p>I&rsquo;m excited to put more of the puzzle pieces together as I explore the country.</p>
</article><!-- /.blog-post -->
</div>
<div class="col-md-4">
<div class="p-4 mb-3 bg-light rounded">
<h4 class="fst-italic">About</h4>
<p class="mb-0"><em>English Bulgaria</em>. Life in the Balkans&hellip; in English! <a href="/about">Read more →</a></p>
</div>
<div class="p-4">
<h4 class="fst-italic">Archives</h4>
<ol class="list-unstyled mb-0">
<li><a href="/2018/02/the-radiant-and-peaceful-shipka-memorial-church/">The Radiant and Peaceful Shipka Memorial Church</a></li>
<li><a href="/2016/11/if-you-give-a-bulgarian-man-some-grapes/">If You Give a Bulgarian Man Some Grapes&hellip;</a></li>
<li><a href="/2016/05/katarzyna-estate-and-the-legend-of-thracian-wine/">Katarzyna Estate and the Legend of Thracian Wine</a></li>
<li><a href="/2016/05/vratsa-is-a-picturesque-thracian-city/">Vratsa Is a Picturesque Thracian City</a></li>
<li><a href="/2016/05/tanks-rolling-streets-sofia/">Tanks Rolling Down the Streets of Sofia</a></li>
</ol>
</div>
<div class="p-4">
<h4 class="fst-italic">Elsewhere</h4>
<ol class="list-unstyled">
<li><a href="https://alaninkenya.org">Alan in Kenya</a></li>
<li><a href="https://mjanja.ch">Mjanja Tech</a></li>
<li><a href="https://picturingjordan.com">Picturing Jordan</a></li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
</div><!-- /.row -->
</main><!-- /.container -->
<footer class="blog-footer">
Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is licensed under a <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license</a>.
<p>
<a href="#">Back to top</a>
</p>
</footer>
</body>
</html>