Pamporovo Resort Winter 2011/2012

Stokite village is located in the center of the southern part of Bulgaria, in the very heart of the Rhodopi mountain, only 15 kilometers away from the district center Smolian town and 7 kilometers away from the ski resort Pamporovo. Stoikite village is 250 kilometers away from the capital city Sofia and 90 kilometers away from Plovdiv city. It is 1400 meters above sea level. The climate here is moderately cold. The spring is fresh and warm, the summer is cool, the autumn is a pleasant one with a lot of sun and the winter is long, but comparatively mild. The rugged and forest terrain protect the village from strong winds. You will see spruce, fir trees, juniper, prunes, crab apple trees, apple trees and other vegetation in the vicinity of the village and in the very village. The area is rich in healing herbs, edible mushrooms-edible boletus, parasol mushroom, chanterelle, forest mushroom and others. You will see rabbits, fawns, deer, squirrels, wolves, wild boars, foxes, badgers, hedgehogs and other animals in the forests and in the meadows nearby. The village consists of five living districts: Grashtitsa, Kaikovska, Stoikite, Murshavoto and Vodata.

History

The village name was mentioned by the French man Paul Lucas for the first time in a written document in year 1706. People have discovered a silver medal from the first Olympic games held in Athens in 1896 and this silver medal was discovered in the land belonging to the village. According to historians, this medal belongs to a local villager.

Religions

Bulgarian Muslims and Bulgarian Christians lived in this village in the past. Two Muslim families of 10 people were forced to leave the village during the period from year 1879 till 1.01.1895 and they went to live in Eastern Thrace.

The bishop of Plovdiv City Panaret laid in year 1874 the first stone of the church Saint Apostles Peter and Paul in Kaikova living district. The April Uprising of year 1876 and the Russo-Turkish Liberation War delayed the church construction, but this church was completed and sanctified on 05.06.1881. This church and the chapels are a spiritual center for all people, living in the village.

Public institutions

Stoikite became a separate municipality in year 1878 and a real proof for that are the seal on the letters addressed to the military commander captain Petko voivoda and the memorial book (chronicle book) of Shiroka Luka municipal council. Its first mayor was Stoyan Tormanov.

Cultural and natural landmarks

The caves “Uhlovitsa”, “Diavolsko gurlo” and Yagodinska cave, known also as “Imamova dupka” are located near the village Stoikite. The Yagodinska cave is situated near the river Buinovska, only 3 kilometers away from Yagodina village in the Rhodopi mountain and it is a part of the unique karst complex of Buinovsko gorge. The cave is 10 kilometers long and it is a five-story, labyrinthine and abysmal cave. You may enter it through the dug artificial opening, while its natural entrance is 30 meters upwards.