Novo Selo (Obshtina Novo Selo)
Novo Selo (Ново село, "New village") is a village in northwesternmost Bulgaria, part of Vidin Province. It lies on the right (south) bank of the Danube and is the administrative centre of a municipality with the same name.
As of December 2017 Novo Selo has a population of 970 and the mayor is Georgi Stoenelov. It lies at 44.16667°N, 22.78333°W, 45 m above sea level. The village is located 25 km north-northwest of the provincial centre Vidin and 12 km east of the Serbian border at the Timok River mouth, with Mehedinți County of Romania directly across the Danube to the north. The main occupation in Novo Selo is vine growing.
According to the travel notes of the Italian traveller Count Luigi Ferdinando Marsigli, the village was founded around 1700 and was initially named Prosǎnǎc (Просънъц). Due to the plague and a fire the villagers abandoned the village only for their descendants to return in 1772 to found the modern Novo Selo. After the Crimean War a local government was set up and a knez (mayor) and councillors were elected.
Following the Liberation of Bulgaria in 1878 Novo Selo became part of Vidin District, and has since 1 January 1979 been the seat of a municipality also including the villages of Florentin, Negovanovtsi, Vinarovo and Yasen.
The construction of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church of St Nicholas in the village, a cultural monument, began in 1825, during the Ottoman era. The bells were shipped from Pest, Austria-Hungary. The Zemedelets chitalishte (community centre) was built in 1930; it is also a memorial to all locals who perished in the wars. The Cyril and Methodius School dates to 1939. Another landmark is the characteristic clock tower from 1931, which is a symbol of Novo Selo. Novo Selo also has a small river port, a beach and an orphanage.
Novo Selo is also known for its typical vernacular, sharing features with the Serbian dialects to the west and the Torlakian vernacular to the south, as well as showing lexical influences from Romanian. Novo Selo's motto, in the local vernacular, is Mi smo si mi (Ми смо си ми), "We are (just) ourselves".
As of December 2017 Novo Selo has a population of 970 people, down from its peak of 4,535 people in 1934. Most inhabitants are ethnic Bulgarians (93%), with a large "Vlach" (Romanian) minority (who declared themselves as Bulgarians) and a few Romani people (7%). An overwhelming majority of the population of the village identify themselves as Christians (95%). Most inhabitants identified as Orthodox Christians belonging to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. The Bulgarian language spoken in Novo Selo has many similarities with the neighbouring Serbian language and Romanian language.
As of December 2017 Novo Selo has a population of 970 and the mayor is Georgi Stoenelov. It lies at 44.16667°N, 22.78333°W, 45 m above sea level. The village is located 25 km north-northwest of the provincial centre Vidin and 12 km east of the Serbian border at the Timok River mouth, with Mehedinți County of Romania directly across the Danube to the north. The main occupation in Novo Selo is vine growing.
According to the travel notes of the Italian traveller Count Luigi Ferdinando Marsigli, the village was founded around 1700 and was initially named Prosǎnǎc (Просънъц). Due to the plague and a fire the villagers abandoned the village only for their descendants to return in 1772 to found the modern Novo Selo. After the Crimean War a local government was set up and a knez (mayor) and councillors were elected.
Following the Liberation of Bulgaria in 1878 Novo Selo became part of Vidin District, and has since 1 January 1979 been the seat of a municipality also including the villages of Florentin, Negovanovtsi, Vinarovo and Yasen.
The construction of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church of St Nicholas in the village, a cultural monument, began in 1825, during the Ottoman era. The bells were shipped from Pest, Austria-Hungary. The Zemedelets chitalishte (community centre) was built in 1930; it is also a memorial to all locals who perished in the wars. The Cyril and Methodius School dates to 1939. Another landmark is the characteristic clock tower from 1931, which is a symbol of Novo Selo. Novo Selo also has a small river port, a beach and an orphanage.
Novo Selo is also known for its typical vernacular, sharing features with the Serbian dialects to the west and the Torlakian vernacular to the south, as well as showing lexical influences from Romanian. Novo Selo's motto, in the local vernacular, is Mi smo si mi (Ми смо си ми), "We are (just) ourselves".
As of December 2017 Novo Selo has a population of 970 people, down from its peak of 4,535 people in 1934. Most inhabitants are ethnic Bulgarians (93%), with a large "Vlach" (Romanian) minority (who declared themselves as Bulgarians) and a few Romani people (7%). An overwhelming majority of the population of the village identify themselves as Christians (95%). Most inhabitants identified as Orthodox Christians belonging to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. The Bulgarian language spoken in Novo Selo has many similarities with the neighbouring Serbian language and Romanian language.
Map - Novo Selo (Obshtina Novo Selo)
Map
Country - Bulgaria
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| Flag of Bulgaria | |
One of the earliest societies in the lands of modern-day Bulgaria was the Neolithic Karanovo culture, which dates back to 6,500 BC. In the 6th to 3rd century BC the region was a battleground for ancient Thracians, Persians, Celts and Macedonians; stability came when the Roman Empire conquered the region in AD 45. After the Roman state splintered, tribal invasions in the region resumed. Around the 6th century, these territories were settled by the early Slavs. The Bulgars, led by Asparuh, attacked from the lands of Old Great Bulgaria and permanently invaded the Balkans in the late 7th century. They established the First Bulgarian Empire, victoriously recognised by treaty in 681 AD by the Eastern Roman Empire. It dominated most of the Balkans and significantly influenced Slavic cultures by developing the Cyrillic script. The First Bulgarian Empire lasted until the early 11th century, when Byzantine emperor Basil II conquered and dismantled it. A successful Bulgarian revolt in 1185 established a Second Bulgarian Empire, which reached its apex under Ivan Asen II (1218–1241). After numerous exhausting wars and feudal strife, the empire disintegrated and in 1396 fell under Ottoman rule for nearly five centuries.
Currency / Language
| ISO | Currency | Symbol | Significant figures |
|---|---|---|---|
| BGN | Bulgarian lev | лв | 2 |
| ISO | Language |
|---|---|
| BG | Bulgarian language |
| TR | Turkish language |