For The Rhodopes a lot has been written. Strange charm hides this area, where ancient civilizations and peoples meet - lived or passed from here, but left something of themselves for future generations. Dorkovo is a village hidden in the Chepino riverbed of the Western Rhodopes. Its history as a settlement is intertwined with the glorious grandeur of the medieval fortress Tsepina and is lost back in time.
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From the 16th century, when the mass conversion of Christians from the whole took place Chepino riverbed, long years in Dorkovo the population was only Bulgarian-Mohammedans. After the Liberation, the first Christian settlers came here at the beginning of the century. These are refugees from the rest of Turkish Macedonia. The Macedonian The wave of refugees coincided with the emigration of many Muslims who left for Turkey in the post-war period (Balkan, Inter-Allied). The newly arrived Bulgarians bought houses and properties from the emigrants and settled here permanently.
The number of Bulgarians from Thrace is smaller - these are families who are mainly engaged in cattle breeding and ratai. The extensive pastures on the mountains were a sufficient condition for their resettlement in this area. Also of interest is the establishment of another ethnic group in Dorkovo - the Vlachs. Until the beginning of the century, the Vlachs led a mostly nomadic life, dictated by their main occupation - cattle breeding. At the end of the 1920s, many of the Vlach clans settled permanently in the settlements of the Chepin Basin.
The men of the family continue to lead a rugger life with their herds, reaching the White Sea, but their families now have a permanent home, where they also return for the coldest winter days. Thus, at the end of the 1920s, a strange mixture of families, who came from different parts, with different beliefs and customs, took shape in Dorkovo.
The interesting thing is that in this seemingly strange month of people, beliefs, customs all these years there has been calmness, tolerance, understanding. Until the middle of the century, the integrity of individual groups was not violated, mixed marriages were not allowed. In the 1960s, there were already cases of mixed marriages between Bulgarians and Vlachs. After a decade, marriages between Christians and Muslims are already a fact. In recent years, mixed marriages have not surprised anyone.
Dorkovo is extremely rich in beautiful sights. If you are in the region, be sure to see: "Tsepina" Fortress , The Paleontological Museum , The Church "St.Prophet Ilia" , "Ostrata Skala" area, "Danoto" area of the Batak Dam.
