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Pchelnik is a village in North-eastern Bulgaria. It is part of Dolni Chiflik municipality, Varna region and is located some 50 km away from the city of Varna. Its former name was Kovanlak (meaning a place where honey-bees are bread in Turkish). The population numbers to approximately 1500. Altitude - 8 m.
The village was founded at the end of the 15th century during the Otoman Domination in Bulgaria by a Turkish notable Jemal Bey. After the crusades of Vladislav Varnenchik (1443-1444) the Turkish sultan Murad the Second has come to the conclusion it would be easier to defend the Empire if native Turks are settled in northern and north-eastern Bulgaria. According to the Turkish chronicles the settlers originated from Kurdistan. Pchelnik was the place where Jamal Bey has placed a huge number of bee-hives, which later on gave the name of the village.
The village of Pchelnik is situated among lavish greenery, surrounded by century-old beech and oak forests. The air is crystal clear and healthy. No industrial pollution is present in the area. The roads are well-organized and maintained. In the village there are: a secondary school, a community center with a library, a kindergarten, an Orthodox church, food-shops and a supermarket, a park, cafes and restaurants, 2 petrol-stations, a doctor's and a dentist's offices. Regular public transportation is available to the city of Varna and the nearby villages.
Some 3 km away from the village there is a big controlled access dam-lake which attracts fishing lovers from near and far. One could catch carp, sheat-fish and pike. Grown in the area are corn, sunflower and herbs (St. John's Worth, peppermint and thistle. Near Pchelnik there are fields planted with apple-trees.
Source: http://bg.wikipedia.org
Pictures: Мирела