Razlog Разлог
Razlog skyline, Preobrazhenie Square, Central Park, Razlog skyline at night
Razlog Location of Razlog
Coordinates: 41°53′N 23°28′E / 41.883°N 23.467°E / 41.883; 23.467Coordinates: 41°53′N 23°28′E / 41.883°N 23.467°E / 41.883; 23.467
Country	Bulgaria
Province (Oblast)	Blagoevgrad
Government
• Mayor	Krasimir Gerchev
Elevation	812 m (2,664 ft)
Population (2009-09-15)
• Total	13,448
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Postal Code	2760
Area code(s)	0747

View over Razlog with the mountains in the background

Razlog (Bulgarian: Разлог) is a town and ski resort in Razlog Municipality, Blagoevgrad Province in southwestern Bulgaria. It is situated in the Razlog Valley and was first mentioned during the reign of Byzantine emperor Basil II.

During his 1894–1896 trip in the region of Macedonia, Bulgarian geographer Vasil Kanchov visited Razlog (then known as Мехомия, Mehomia) and reported that it numbered 820 households, of which 500 of Eastern Orthodox Bulgarians, 300 of Muslim Bulgarians (Pomaks), 16 of Protestant Bulgarians and 5 of Eastern Orthodox Aromanians, for a total population of around 4,620.[1] According to the same author's 1900 study on the population of Macedonia, Razlog was populated by 4,970 people, of which 3,200 Christian Bulgarians, 1,460 Muslim Bulgarians, 80 Turks, 200 Roma and 30 Aromanians.[2]

The town's population actively participated in the Kresna-Razlog and Ilinden-Preobrazhenie Uprising, Razlog, which was part of Serez sanjak in Selanik vilayet as "Razlık", itself being liberated from Ottoman rule in 1912. Razlog has developed as a centre of winter tourism in the 1990s and 2000s owing to its favourable position in the vicinity of the Pirin, Rila and Rhodope mountains.

The Municipality of Razlog[link]

The municipality of Razlog comprises the villages of Banya, Gorno Draglishte, Dolno Draglishte, Dobarsko, Bachevo, Godlevo and Eleshnitsa with a total population of 20,410 inhabitants. Each of these places has its own specific charm.

The fairy-tale village of Dobarsko, hidden in the outskirts of Rila, maintains the legends of the Dobarsko Singing School. One can see here the church "Saints Theodor Tiron and Theodor Stratilat" (1614) - a National Monument of Culture with high architectural and artistic culture. The murals depicting Jesus Christ in what observes claim to be a jet rocket astonishes foreigners as well as Bulgarians. The icons in the Tzar (King) Row of church "Sretenie Gospodne" (1860) were painted by Simeon D. Molerov, a representative of the Bansko Painting School.

The unbelievable generosity of a nature can be seen in the beautiful and cool forests, in the rivers, which flow through Razlog valley, in the numerous warm mineral water springs, mostly concentrated in the territory of the villages of Banya nad Eleshnitsa that are extremely attractive because of their open-air swimming pools.

The greenhouses, the Old Bath (1973) and the church "Sveti Georgi" create a pleasant and interesting atmosphere in the village of Banya. It is spa and climatic resort of local importance; of interest are also historic ruins nearby.

The spirit of the Bulgarian traditions and customs, preserved from many generations, give the unforgettable appearance to the villages of Gorno and Dolno Draglishte, Godlevo and Bachevo. The historic and natural landmarks are the perfect addition to the opportunities for rural tourism in the villages.

The resort locations Predel, Betolovoto, and Katarino present the visitor with a chance for an unforgettable experience with the marvelous nature of Rila and Pirin Mountains.

History[link]

The natural conditions in the valley situated between Rila, Pirin and rodopi mountains, determine its settlement in ancient times. The old Thracian name of Razlog is Mehomia. According to the legend in the past at this place a Thracian war leader won a vicotry over his enemy and that is why he called this settlement "Meo Mia", which translated from Thracian means "my victory".^{[citation needed]} In 1925 the town was renamed Razlog.

The Municipality of Razlog and the whole Razlog valley possess rich inheritance of cultural monuments from different ages and civilizations. Cultural monuments on the territory of Razlog are 7. These are the Christian temples: Saint Georgi Pobedonoset - built in 1834 in Razlog, Saint Gerogii - built in 1834 in Banya village, Uspenie Bogorodichno - built in 1835 in Dolno Draglishte village, the iconostasis in this temple was made by one of the most prominent representatives of the wood-carving school in Tryavna - Dosyu Koyuv; Saint Bogoroditsa in Dolno Draglishte village, specialists suppose that the temple was built before the 16th century; Sretenie Gospodne - built in 1860 in Dobarsko village and Saint Theodor Stiron and Theodor Stratilat - built in 1614 in Dobarsko village. this temple unique mural paintings, it is a cultural monument under the protection of UNESCO. There are 70 houses in the municipality, which are archeological monuments. They are mainly building from the age of the Revival - the so called "Razlog - Chepino" house.

The historic museum in Razlog presents a collection of pottery from 19-20th century, local traditional hand-made textile and bell-moulding.

During the Second Balkan War (1913), the area around the town was a major battlefield between the Greek and Bulgarian armies. The town was captured by the Greek forces on July 9 (O.S.), recaptured by the Bulgarians on July 16, and again to the Greeks, on July 18.^[1] After the following peace treaty Razlog was ceded to Bulgaria.

Culture[link]

Koukeri - New Year Carnival in Razlog

Razlog is town with rich cultural traditions and customs kept through the centuries and still having the spirit if the original Bulgarian values.

Two of the most significant folklore events in Bulgaria are organized and held in Razlog. These are the New Year's Koukeri holidays nad the gathering for folk art - "Pirin sings". These events offer an unforgettable experience for the multiple participants, as well as for the thousands of visitors of the town of Razlog.

Proof for the original koukeri traditions is the insignia of honour, given to the municipality of Razlog by Mr. Henri Van der Kroon, President of the International Federation of European and Mediterranean carnival towns in May 2004. As a member of this Federation, the koukeri groups from the municipality of Razlog regularly participate in the events organised by it. Unique is the gathering for folk art "Pirin songs", which is visited on a mass scale and takes on of the leading positions in organizational and artistic organization. The gathering in the "Yavorov" hut has become tradition in the recent years. The hut is one of the most visited locations in the Pirin mountain. It was built 72 years ago and during the summer season it turns out to be small for numerous tourists. Interests for the tourists are local "valevitsi, craftsmen's shops and culinary art of Razlog with the scent of the "kapama", "chumlek", "church's beans", "sugrena banitsa", etc. Of great interest are also the Easter and Christmas holiday, religious and general life customs, such as Todor's day (horse race), Voditsi (celebration of Yordan's day with throwing of a cross into water), Grandmother's day, Proshki, etc.; these have been preserved until nowadays.

Education and sports[link]

A big part of the specialized schools in the region are located in Razlog; they provide qualified labor for the different sectors of the economy, development in the municipality.

The educational network in the Municipality of Razlog comprises 9 municipality schools, 2 of which are primary, 6 secondary, there is one school with special classes in - English, Mathematics with German; there are also 4 national schools. Specialists the field of business administration and management in hotels and culinary arts., electronics, transportation, and agriculture are prepared in the Professional high-school in Tourism, the Professional Transport high-school and professional Mechanization and Agriculture high-school.

In 1999 in Razlog was established "ASIX"-Razlog, a club for martial arts, in which above 60 children train actively. The members of this club have won many prizes from republican, Balkan and international tournaments. There are more than 30 medals from the republican tournament in Karate-do and Dju-Djitsu in 2006. Other sports developed in the municipality are" volleyball, basketball, chess and sport orientation.

Nature[link]

Nature is the greatest asset of Razlog valley. Norht of the town is the kingdom of the Rila National Park. Pirin raises to the south - the mountain that Slavs called "Mountain of Gods" (Perun). The Pirin National Park is included in the convention for the Preservation of World Natural and Cultural Heritage Sites. In Pirin, there are more than 100 bird species and over 1100 plant species among which is the symbol of the mountain - the edelweiss. There are also 42 mammal species - chamois, bears and others.

The most precious parts of Pirin are designated reserves. "Bayuvi Dupki - Djinjiritsa" is a biosphere reserve under the auspices of UNESCO, where unique formations of white and Macedonian and Bosnian pine trees are to be found, together with more than 27 Bulgarian and 43 Balkan relict species.

Pirin and Rila are a paradise for lovers of nature and hiking. Tourists are familiar with the locations of Predel and Betolovoto and with the Yavorov hut. A magnificent place in summer, Pirin becomes a heaven on earth for skiers in iwnter. More than 2000 years ago the Thracians called that wonder of Nature Orbelus, meaning Snow-Mountain.

Investments[link]

In the recent years the Municipality of Razlog has attracted significant foreign investments, connected to the development of modern technologies in the field of machine-building, electronics, and furniture production.

Only for the period 2005-2006 projects for near 50 million levs have been implemented, and the investments applied for the beginning of 2006 are 100 million euro. The biggest private sites are the resort complex "Katarino SPA", "Hotel Razlog" with total investment of near 15 million euro. Of the foreign investments, the biggest are cleaning station for waste waters for 6 million euro and road II-19 "Simitli-Razlog-Sadovo" which connects Bulgaria and Greece - for 20 million euro.

Golf lovers may visit the tourism, sports and recreation center - Pirin Golf & Country Club. The complex is located in the Betolovoto location, at the foot of the Pirin mountain, with magnificent view to the Rila and Rodopi mountains. Besides the golf course with 18 holes and the necessary servicing buildings, the complex includes also construction of a "Welcome zone" with car park, residential zone; center (commercial center, restaurants, cafes), horse base, and sports complex.

Imminent is the realization of a project including completion of ski-zone "Kulinoto", building of water park and other concomitant structures. Other important project will significantly improve transportation infrastructure and the access to the region.

At the moment there are perspective researches for supplying Bansko, Razlog, Dobrinishte village and Banya village with natural gas, after which the construction of gas-conveying and distributing networks may begin in the locations foreseen for gasification.

Cityscape[link]

View of Razlog and Pirin mountains

View of lake near Razlog and Pirin mountains

Honour[link]

Razlog Cove on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is named after Razlog.

Alexander Georgiev Barov (1931–1999) - famous Bulgarian architect. Born in 1931 in Razlog. His most remarkable work is the National Palace of Culture (1978). He has designed Universiada Hall (1961), Olympic Sports Complex in Accra, Ghana (1961), the building of the Bulgarian Embassy in Moscow (1977), Boyana residence (1974), National Historical Museum (1974 former government residence-Boyana) and many memorial complexes.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Razlog

• Official web site of Razlog
• ELEVATION 2011 - Bulgaria's Unique Rock & Dance Music Open Air Festival in Razlog
• Razlog Online - News from Razlog and its district
• Information portal of Razlog and Bansko - hotels, news, forum, ski conditions
• Pirin Golf and Country Club - Razlog Bulgaria
• Katarino Hotel in Razlog
• Hotel Razlog

v t e Cities and towns of Bulgaria 1,000,000+ Sofia (capital) 300,000+ Plovdiv Varna 100,000+ Burgas Pleven Ruse Stara Zagora 50,000+ Asenovgrad Blagoevgrad Dobrich Gabrovo Haskovo Pazardzhik Pernik Sliven Shumen Veliko Tarnovo Vratsa Yambol 20,000+ Aytos Botevgrad Dimitrovgrad Dupnitsa Gorna Oryahovitsa Karlovo Kardzhali Kazanlak Kyustendil Lom Lovech Montana Nova Zagora Petrich Razgrad Samokov Sandanski Sevlievo Silistra Smolyan Svishtov Targovishte Troyan Velingrad Vidin 10,000+ Balchik Bankya Bansko Berkovitsa Byala, Rousse Province Byala Slatina Cherven Bryag Chirpan Elhovo Etropole Gotse Delchev Harmanli Ihtiman Isperih Karnobat Kavarna Knezha Kostinbrod Kozloduy Kubrat Levski Mezdra Momchilgrad Nesebar Novi Iskar Novi Pazar Panagyurishte Parvomay Pavlikeni Peshtera Pomorie Popovo Provadiya Radnevo Radomir Rakovski Razlog Stamboliyski Svilengrad Teteven 5,000+ Aksakovo Ardino Belene Belogradchik Beloslav Bobov Dol Chepelare Dalgopol Devin Devnya Dolni Chiflik Dragoman Dryanovo Dulovo Dzhebel Elena Elin Pelin Galabovo General Toshevo Hisarya Kameno Koynare Kostenets Kotel Krichim Krumovgrad Kuklen Lukovit Lyubimets Lyaskovets Madan Nedelino Omurtag Oryahovo Perushtitsa Pirdop Polski Trumbesh Rakitovo Saedinenie Septemvri Simeonovgrad Simitli Slivnitsa Sopot Sredets Straldzha Strazhitsa Suvorovo Svoge Tervel Topolovgrad Tryavna Tsarevo Tutrakan Tvarditsa Varshets Vetovo Veliki Preslav Yakoruda Zlatitsa Zlatograd Under 5,000 Ahtopol Alfatar Antonovo Apriltsi Balgarovo Batak Batanovtsi Belitsa Belovo Boboshevo Bolyarovo Borovo Boychinovtsi Bozhurishte Bratsigovo Bregovo Breznik Brusartsi Byala, Varna Province Byala Cherkva Chiprovtsi Debelets Dimovo Dobrinishte Dolna Banya Dolna Mitropoliya Dolna Oryahovitsa Dolni Dubnik Dospat Dunavtsi Dve Mogili Glavinitsa Glodzhevo Godech Gramada Gulyantsi Gurkovo Hadzhidimovo Iskar Ivaylovgrad Kableshkovo Kalofer Kaolinovo Kaspichan Kermen Kilifarevo Kiten Klisura Kocherinovo Koprivshtitsa Kostandovo Kresna Krivodol Kula Laki Letnitsa Loznitsa Madzharovo Maglizh Malko Turnovo Marten Melnik Merichleri Miziya Momin Prohod Nikolaevo Nikopol Obzor Opaka Pavel Banya Plachkovtsi Pliska Pordim Pravets Primorsko Rila Roman Rudozem Sadovo Sapareva Banya Sarnitsa Senovo Shabla Shipka Shivachevo Slavyanovo Slivo Pole Smyadovo Sozopol Strelcha Suhindol Sungurlare Sveti Vlas Tran Trastenik Tsar Kaloyan Ugarchin Vetren Valchedram Valchi Dol Varbitsa Yablanitsa Zavet Zemen Zlataritsa

v t e Razlog Municipality Capital: Razlog Villages Banya Bachevo Dobarsko Dolno Draglishte Godlevo Gorno Draglishte Eleshnitsa Landmarks Culture Notable people Zorka Parvanova

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (March 2008)

Danijela Martinović, known artistically as Danijela (born July 15, 1971, Split, SR Croatia, Yugoslavia) is a popular Croatian singer with success across all of the Balkans.

Biography[link]

Born to a middle-class family, Danijela began to sing from an early age. Her big break came in 1991 when she joined the pop band Magazin. Magazin had long been a big name on the Croatian music scene (as well as the wider area, dating back to Yugoslav times); as such, Danijela became one of the biggest national icons.

In the late 1990s she left Magazin to pursue a solo career, but she continued to work with the band's leader and prolific songwriter Tonči Huljić. That partnership resulted in Danijela winning the 1998 Dora contest with the popular ballad "Neka mi ne svane" ("May the Sun Never Rise") and becoming the Croatian representative at the 1998 Eurovision Song Contest, where she came in 5th with 131 pts.

Danijela has a sister, Izabela, who also pursued a music career through Split-based pop act Stijene.

In 2007 she participated in the Croatian version of the television show Dancing with the Stars", in which she danced with Nicolas Quesnoit (who was winner of the first season with Zrinka Cvitešić). She was eliminated in the 5th episode.

In December 2010 she released a new song called "Pola Pola". In 2011 she released her new album "Unikat".

External links[link]

• Official website (English) (Croatian)
• Diskography

This article on a Croatian singer is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Marija Šerifović Марија Шерифовић
Marija Šerifović (2009)
Background information
Birth name	Marija Šerifović
Born	(1984-11-14) November 14, 1984 (age 27) Kragujevac, Socialist Republic of Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia
Genres	Pop, Serbian music
Occupations	Singer
Years active	2003-Present
Labels	City Records (2003-Present)
Website	www.marijaserifovic.org

Marija Šerifović (Serbian: Марија Шерифовић, Serbo-Croatian pronunciation: [mǎrija ʃerǐːfoʋitɕ], born November 14, 1984) is a singer from Serbia. She won the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 with the song "Molitva". Šerifović was born in Kragujevac, Socialist Republic of Serbia, Yugoslavia and is the daughter of Verica Šerifović, also a notable singer. She was also one of the judges on Eurosong to choose the Irish entry for Eurovision Song Contest 2008 and sung Molitva to close the show. She was also a member of the International Jury in Melodifestivalen 2009, the selection for the Swedish entry to Eurovision Song Contest 2009.

Music career[link]

Albums[link]

Marija Šerifović's debut album Naj, Najbolja (English: The Very, Very Best) was released in 2003 and was well received. The biggest hit from the album was the lead single "Znaj da znam" (English: Know That I Know) composed by Darko Dimitrov. In the summer of 2005, she released the single Agonija, which was a cover version of Greek superstar Despina Vandi's "You're Not Here" (Greek: Olo leipeis).

Her second studio album Bez Ljubavi (English: Without Love) was released in 2006, and was as successful as her debut album. In early 2006, she released first single from the album, the title track. On 28 June 2007 she released an album called: Marija Šerifović: Molitva - The Best Of.

Marija's third studio album Nisam Anđeo (English: I Am Not An Angel) was released in spring 2008, and it contained 9 new songs.

Festivals[link]

In 2003, she participated in the Budva Festival with the song Gorka čokolada ("Bitter Chocolate") again by Darko Dimitrov. In 2004, she took part in the same festival again with a song called Bol do ludila ("pain until madness") and won first prize. The song was a regional chart topper. For the 2005's Beovizija, then the Serbian semifinal of former Serbia and Montenegro's national pre-selection of the Eurovision Song Contest, Evropesma, the song was called Ponuda ("Offer"), and it came 18th. That same year, she entered as a favourite and won the Serbian Radio Festival with a song U nedelju ("on Sunday"), written by Leontina Vukomanović. She also received the award for the best vocal performance.

Concerts[link]

On February 21, 2007, Šerifović held her first solo concert at Belgrade's Sava Centar, considered to be a major break in the Serbian music scene. A 4,000-strong audience attended.

During the Croatian parliamentary election, 2007, Marija Serifovic sang in Zagreb for the Independent Democratic Serb Party.

Beovizija and the Eurovision Song Contest 2007[link]

Šerifović won the Beovizija 2007 with the song "Molitva" (meaning "prayer" in English) on 8 March, winning the combined votes of the jury and televoting and thus qualified to be the first representative of newly independent Serbia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 in Helsinki, Finland. The song was also recorded in English as "Destiny" and in Finnish as "Rukoilen". There is also a Russian version of the song called Molitva (Молитва).

Marija sings in Helsinki

As a part of her Eurovision Song Contest promotional tour, Šerifović visited Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia, Switzerland and Greece.^[1] Although a promotional video was originally planned,^[2] a documentary film will be made which will include both the music video and the preparations for the Eurovision Song Contest.^[3]

On 12 March, the draw of the running order for the semi-final and the final was held. Serbia was the 15th country to participate in the semi-final, and qualified for the final, where they presented their song in the 17th position, following Germany and preceding Ukraine. Her song "Molitva" (Prayer, Serbian Cyrillic: Молитва) won the Eurovision Song Contest 2007.

At the press after Eurovision Marija said: "Tonight I am very proud being a Serb!"

When she landed at the Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport, 70,000–100,000 people prepared a mass rally for her in front of the Civic Assembly of Belgrade.

She held a concert in her birth town Kragujevac on 25 May in front of the town hall. She performed in front of about 60,000 people who came to celebrate the triumph at Eurovision. She explained that the concert was very different in Kragujevac, because in that town, she sang before her friends, colleagues, teachers, neighbours and those whom she generally recognised from her daily life.

Politics[link]

On 24 December 2007 in Kragujevac and 15 January 2008 in Belgrade, Šerifović sang her Eurovision winning hit song "Molitva" (Prayer) at an election rally of the Serbian Radical Party. She also endorsed the presidential candidacy of the party's president Tomislav Nikolić adding that her song was "a prayer for a new, different and more honest Serbia". Many of Šerifović's fans were disappointed with her decision to support Mr. Tomislav Nikolić for president, considering that the Serbian Radical Party's platform is traditionally based on a Greater Serbia ideal (considered dangerous by some countries located near Serbia), and the fact that the Serbian Radical Party leader Vojislav Šešelj is imprisoned by the post-war ICTY in The Hague. There has been some speculation that song writers Sasa Milosevic Mare, and Vladimir Grajić Graja who wrote the Eurovision song "Molitva", quit working on Šerifović's new album, because of her political views.^[4][5]

The European Union is considering whether Marija Šerifović should be allowed to continue in her role as one of fifteen "intercultural ambassadors" appointed for the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue (2008) due to her nationalist leanings.^[6]

However, before Šerifović went to Helsinki, Šerifović participated in an RTS broadcast called "Avalski toranj", where each of four guests give the names of the three most important Serbs ever; as one of her selections, Šerifović chose Dr Zoran Đinđić, ex Serbian Premier and leader of the Democratic Party. Also, in late 2007 Šerifović went to Zagreb to support Milorad Pupovac, a leader of the Independent Democratic Serbian Party, in the Croatian parliamentary election, 2007.

Personal life[link]

Shortly after the win at the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest, Šerifović came out as a lesbian on Serbian television, saying "Molitva" was dedicated to all minorities.^[7]

Discography[link]

Non-album tracks[link]

2005[link]

• Ponuda (non-album track), performed at Beovizija 2005, released on the accompanying CD
• Agonija (non-album track)

2007[link]

• Bez tebe (non-album track)
• Molitva (non-album track), winning song of Beovizija 2007 and Eurovision Song Contest 2007
• Molitva - The best of

Konjina

Awards and nominations[link]

See also[link]

• Serbia in the Eurovision Song Contest

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Marija Šerifović

• Official Site
• Official label site
• Marija Serifovic complete discography
• An exclusive interview of the “Eurovision 2007” winner Maria Sherifovich for a «New Portal»

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Lordi with Hard Rock Hallelujah	Winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2007	Succeeded by Dima Bilan with Believe
Preceded by No name	Serbia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007	Succeeded by Jelena Tomašević with Oro
Preceded by Flamingosi feat Louis	Beovizija winner 2007
Preceded by Saša Matić Dado Topić	Music Festival Budva winner 2004	Succeeded by / Tijana Dapčević

v t e Serbia in the Eurovision Song Contest Serbia and Montenegro in the Eurovision Song Contest1   Participation 2004 2005 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012   Artists 2000s Željko Joksimović No Name Marija Šerifović Jelena Tomašević feat. Bora Dugić Marko Kon & Milaan 2010s Milan Stanković Nina Željko Joksimović   Songs 2000s "Lane moje" "Zauvijek moja" "Molitva" "Oro" "Cipela" 2010s "Ovo je Balkan" "Čaroban" "Nije Ljubav Stvar" 1Competed as Serbia and Montenegro in 2004 to 2005 (Note: Entries scored out are when Serbia did not compete)