If you don’t like old places, if abandoned areas and decaying houses overtaken by ivy and forgotten history repel you, if you have no interest in history and find conversations with the few elderly villagers of our mountain settlements boring and tedious—quickly exit this article. The village of Pirin will hardly touch your heart!
But if you are the type who feels a special emotion when you find yourself in such corners, evoking melancholy with the eerie beauty of crumbling, memory-laden houses, tightly nestled along ghostly alleys, Pirin is your destination!
Watch the short film from my last visit to Pirin village in June 2024, and see how the locals welcomed me.
Where Pirin Village is located
It lies in the Pirin Mountains, 200 km from Sofia and 30 km from Gotse Delchev. You’ll reach it faster if you choose the Struma Highway through Blagoevgrad. After Katuntsi, the road becomes quite picturesque as it climbs the mountain. To reach Pirin, take a 2-kilometer detour from the main road to Gotse Delchev. The village is tucked in a basin, with houses stacked on the slopes of the Pirin Mountains on both sides of the Pirinska Bistritsa River.
7 Reasons to Visit Pirin Village
-
Step into a different time dimension
The village seems frozen in the 1950s, with typical old stone and adobe houses, slanted roofs, and wooden gates. You won’t find cafes, supermarkets, stalls, billboards, or other “hooks” of globalization here. Pirin village has literally encapsulated itself in the past. No wonder it’s sought after as a set for film productions.
At least three Bulgarian films have been shot here. Not to mention that it’s one of the most photogenic villages in Bulgaria—no matter where you look, you’re amazed! A real magnet for photographers, melancholic souls, and lovers of antiquities and Dark Tourism (to which I belong).
A bit of history
Pirin’s past is glorious and twisted. In the Middle Ages, the locals made a living by mining iron ore. The villagers operated five forges and eleven furnaces, producing large quantities of nails, horseshoes, and farming tools, which were quickly sent to the markets near the Aegean Sea.
People from Pirin have always been proud and rebellious. They couldn’t stand the Turkish boots trampling on their fields and homeland. So, just before the Ilinden-Preobrazhenie Uprising in 1903, the people here rose up against the invader, but the uprising was crushed in blood.
-
Light a candle in the old “St. Nicholas” church
Some of the villagers, however, hid in the “St. Nicholas” church from 1885, locking themselves behind its large wooden door. When the Turks saw the door tightly barred and the image of Saint Nicholas painted above it, they, being superstitious, abandoned their plans to kill the locals.
Today, the church is listed as a cultural monument. It’s said that in its apse rests the decapitated head of Spiro Voivoda, as well as the bones of other rebels from the village who died during the Ilinden-Preobrazhenie Uprising. The church stands on a small hill above the village houses. The key to it is held by the churchwarden, old Vela, and the mayor of Pirin village. It’s worth a visit.
-
Ask about the dragon Gintcho and maiden Kalina
The way locals tell the dragon’s legend is strange, as though it really happened to their relatives. The plot is long and tangled, like a human fate. Essentially, it’s about this: while walking by the river on a rainy day, the maiden Kalina (or Stana) was kidnapped by a dragon. He took her to his cave near Pirin village. After a while, Kalina gave birth to a male child—half human, half dragon, named Gintcho—and returned to the village with the child. The dragon built them a beautiful house, hauling massive rocks for its foundations and occasionally visiting his family.
Years passed, but Gintcho, who had wings, couldn’t adjust to human life, and when he grew up, he flew to the mountain forever. To this day, the villagers of Pirin believe that the dragon Gintcho protects their fields from hail. Gintcho’s house, which is different from the rest, has long been abandoned. But the older people still remember its last inhabitant. This was a real person, who died in the 20th century with the surname Gintchov. According to locals, he was a descendant of the dragon and had signs of… wings.
Others tell the story of Nikolinka, who passed away in the 1960s. When she learned that the dragon liked her, the beautiful maiden smeared her face with poisonous herbs, causing her skin to burn and become ugly, so that he wouldn’t steal her. The dragon gave up his intentions, but the woman remained ugly and alone for the rest of her days.
The story of the 6 pregnant women
Pirin village arose on the opposite hill in the early Middle Ages. But, as usual, the Turks chased its people. Some of them settled in the Pirinska Bistritsa River basin and founded what is now Pirin village. But a small group headed north.
And as the people wandered across Bulgaria, a miracle occurred—overnight, three women gave birth to six male children under one… hornbeam. The group decided to settle there! As a result, the town of Gabrovo was born.
-
A village square like a picture!
To immortalize the dragon legend, the mayor commissioned a wooden sculpture from his own pocket of a standing dragon with a maiden kneeling at its feet, kissing its hand for some unknown reason, but as if doing… something else.
Alongside the unusual sculpture, the village entered the media, attracting tourists. For them, an information board in both Bulgarian and English was placed, telling the legend far and wide. Three more wooden sculptures have appeared in the square: one of Spiro Voivoda, whose decapitated head is buried in the church, one of Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of the village, and the newest attraction—a mother bear with her cub, as well as a brand-new small artificial waterfall, quietly trickling.
-
Pirin Village has a guesthouse
The good news is that Pirin village is light years away from modernity. But that doesn’t mean it’s at odds with tourism. For years, enthusiasts of old Bulgarian villages and authentic experiences have stayed in the guesthouse of former folk singer Lyubimka Biserova. Her grandfather, Pop Stamat, was an ally of Yane Sandanski and Spiro Voivoda.
The hostess greets guests with homemade dishes and introduces them to unique Pirin traditions and rituals. Under her guidance, visitors can learn how to make the so-called lozhena banitsa, summer sherbet soup, and other local delicacies. Nearby, there are several hiking routes. One of them leads to the “Dragon’s Hole,” the dragon and Kalina’s marriage bed.
More about the enchanted village of Pirin and my meeting with Lyubimka Biserova Here
-
Take a walk to the “Holy Trinity” monastery
About 3 km from Pirin village lies the “Holy Trinity” monastery, the location of the old Pirin village. Locals call it “Turitsa” and claim that even today, the area is scattered with ruins of the former village. Recently, the so-called monastery was renovated.
The road to it has also been repaired and is fairly good. The narrow asphalt strip, which sometimes disappears, winds upwards in the mountains, offering beautiful views of Iren-Pirin. Of course, you can also reach it on foot.
Actually, it is a small chapel, perched on a hill in a beautiful area. However, there was never a monastery here, and I couldn’t understand why it is called that. Every year on Pentecost, the village of Pirin celebrates its holiday with a large gathering near “Holy Trinity,” where the women prepare a feast in more than 10 huge pots.
7. The locals, living between two worlds
In the mid-20th century, Pirin was one of the largest villages in the area, with over 2,000 inhabitants. Today, it has no more than 80 permanent residents, mostly elderly people, whose way of life is not much different from that of their ancestors. Since tourists come here quite rarely, every newcomer is met with curiosity and goodwill. People from Pirin are friendly and approachable. Conversations with them are easy and pleasant.
This is how we learned about the dragon Gintcho, the six mothers under the linden tree, and, of course, the glorious history of the village of Pirin. Everywhere you go, people stop and talk to you, happy that someone shows interest in them. If you want to visit the church, look for the mayor or grandmother Vela, the churchwarden. They will unlock it for you and gladly tell you all about it.
Ако статията ви е допаднала, подкрепете ме като се абонирате за моя YouTube канал с кратки видеа от пътешествията ми до скритите кътчета на България. Последвайте линка ➡️➡️➡️ @VenetaNikolova
Вижте къде да отседнете в района. За по-изгодни оферти използвайте филтъра на търсачката!