THE VILLAGE OF REZOVO – THE MOUTH OF REZOVSKA RIVER
Rezovo is the southernmost village on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. It is located 95 km south of Bourgas on road 99, 17 km away from Ahtopol and 11 km from Sinemorets. The village is next to the mouth of Rezovska River, which is the border with The Republic of Turkey.
Coordinates: 41°58’29.27” N, 28°01’46.95” E; 9 m above sea level
History
In the Bay in front of the mouth of Rezovska River, a lead stocked anchor from IV-III century BC was found. In many places around Rezovo there are traces of metallurgical activities. About 5 km west of the village, in the area Zguriite, the largest trove of ancient slag in the country was found. The amount is estimated to be more than 100,000 tons. There are ore developments about 3-4 km west of the village. There is a Thracian necropolis nearby. On the Kastrich cape, which is 3 km north of Rezovo, there is a small rectangular fortress (20x30 m). Here, according to some archaeologists, was located the mediaeval fortress Kastrition. In this region there are also burial mounds.
Medieval Rezovo belonged to Agatopolskata Nahiya and consisted of 41 households. On old maps it is marked as a port town. In XVIII century it was called Buyuk Rezve (Big Rezovo). On the map of Nikolaas Vitsen of 1715 Ruzezuu appears as the name of a river. The Austrian traveller Karl Shtyutts mentioned Ruze in 1788. According to Wenzel von Bronyar (1776), "the village is quite large, but very poorly constructed, with houses covered with reeds. The villagers export to Constantinople the usual wood but also extremely good watermelons and large quantities of onions... ". As a sea port Rezovo appears on the map of Christian Thomas (1788). At the same time it was noted by the Austrian engraver Max Shimek, and with the name Ruze it exists on the map of General Hatov of 1829.
Rezovo changed its place to protect itself from the pirates from Caucasus (lazi), but its coastal land continued to be used by the shepherds from Strandja because the winter by the Black Sea was milder and better for the animals and, at the same time, more inconvenient for maritime piracy.
The old village from the last century is 10 kilometers into Strandja, on Kukucha (Kochureto) hill. Before it was burnt down during the Preobrajensko Uprising, it had 100 houses and a church - St. John the Baptist. For some time it was called Ennie kyoy (Novo Selo). (Dr. Ivan Karayotov)
Area Descriptions
Old names: Rezbu, Rezvi, Rezvi dere, Rezve. The name of the village is connected with the name of the Thracian Tsar Rhesus, who participated in the Trojan War. According to other sources it is possible that to Rhesus comes from the word "tsar" in the language of the Thracians.
The village is located on a high cliff above the Black Sea.
Today’s village was inhabited in 1903 and a church –St. St. Constantine and Elena – was built right away. This is evidenced by the icon "Vseh Svyatih" by the icon painter D. Poliksoidu, which dates back to 1909.
After the Balkan War several families from the village of Yana and from Malko Tarnovo came to Rezovo. Wood and coal production, agriculture, livestock breeding and seafaring vocations helped the villagers to prosper quickly in modern times. In 1923 the forest product cooperative "Rezvaya" was founded in Rezovo. The Census in 1926 recorded in Rezovo 95 houses and 378 inhabitants, of which 70 refugees from Eastern Thrace. The 1930s marked the peak of the development of the new village. In 1955 there were 90 houses here, while in 1933 only the members of the cooperative "Rezvaya" were 92 people.
In 2000 the Orthodox Church St. John the Baptist was built in the village.
Today, according to data from 01.02.2011, the village has 46 inhabitants.
People travelling to Rezovo have their IDs checked by officers from the Border Police.
REZOVSKA RIVER
Rezovska is a less known and studied river in Strandja. As a border river (it is the actual border with Turkey) for many years it was under a strict visitor’s regime, almost impossible to get to in order to carry out research.
It starts from under Mahiyada peak (1031 m), located in the Turkish part of the mountain. It collects the water of Paspalovska River, the border Deliiska River and Chernogorska River, and through rocky banks and ancient forests flows into the Black Sea at the village of Rezovo.
Rezovska River is faster and colder than Veleka and trout is quite common in it. In the lower reaches of the river there is catfish.
Near Uzunbudzhak reserve the river forms meanders, called by locals "budzhatsi" (quiet, secluded, surrounded by the river beds), some of which are called Dyado Kirov Budjak, the Big Budjak, etc.
The Bulgarian bank is steep, with many rock formations, precipices and caves.
The slopes of Rezovska River are covered with dense oak and beech forests. On the rocky slopes you can see the common Mediterranean rockrose, rare types of orchids, ivy, clematis, greenbriers, asparagus, silk vine, hops and wild vine.
Typical of the river valley is the glass lizard, Montpellier snake and leopard snake.
References
Natural Park Strandja. Natural resources, archaeological heritage, spiritual culture.
Authors: Diko Patronov, Ivan Karayotov, Diana Radoynova, Published by the Directorate of Natural Park Strandja, 1999.
