Melnik

Bulgaria -x- Blagoevgrad Province

Location: Melnik is a tiny town in Blagoevgrad Province, in south-western Bulgaria, in the southwestern Pirin Mountains, about 437 meters (1,434 ft) above sea level.
Climate:
History: It has a long and proud history, but its current population is counted at 325 humans. It is popularly known as Bulgaria's smallest city, and rates in an international survey as the 10th drunkest city in the world. Melnik has figured in Vampiric history over the centuries: The Church of St Nicholas the Thaumaturge (ruins near the current town) was an early attempt by the Tremere to extend their influence into the region. Though the Tremere were slaughtered by Tzimisce nobles at the time, the church remained in use for several centuries.

Through the turn of the last century, it was home to a coterie of relatively young vampires who may or may not have been associated with the Sabbat. The Southern Courts eventually succeeded in driving them out, and at the end of WW II, prevailed upon the Greek government to order the Greek population (the large majority at the time) to move South before the town and its environs were turned over to Bulgaria. According to reliable sources, there are no current supernatural occupants.
Population: With a population of 385, it is the smallest town in Bulgaria, retaining its city status today for historical reasons.
Economy: The economy of Melnik is run by Tourism and Real Estate development (outside city limits). The town is an architectural reserve and 96 of its buildings are cultural monuments.

By Night

Arenas

• -- The Stadium of Melnik

Attractions

• -- Ognyanov' Smithy

Bars and Clubs

• -- Aleksova House (A tavern, located one block north of the The Melnik.)
• -- The Lupine Tavern (A tavern, located one block north of the The Melnik and a few dozen meters west of the Aleksova House.)

Castles

• -- Bolyarska House (The Byzantine House)

Cemeteries

• -- Cemetery of Melnik (Located at the far northern end of town, farthest from the houses of the living.)
• -- The Church of St. Yoan Predtecha (Attached to the cemetery. The date of its establishment is unknown.)

City Government

The Mayor of Melnik

• -- Kaloyan Stanimir Dragano

The Melnik Town Council

• -- Boyko Abadjiev -- Owner & Proprietor of Abadjiev's Tailor Shop.
• -- Spas Georgiev -- Owner & Proprietor of Georgiev's Grocery.
• -- Valentin Hadjiev -- Owner & Proprietor of Hadjiev's Rickshaws.
• -- Miroslav Ognyanov -- Owner & Proprietor of Ognyanov's Smithy.
  
• -- Nikola Pavlov -- Owner & Proprietor of The Lupine Tavern.

Local Law Enforcement

• -- Constable Raina Popov

• -- Melnik Post Office

Churches

• -- Church of St Nicholas (Est. 13th Century): Not to be confused with the church below.
• -- The Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul (Est. 1840)
• -- The Church of Saint Anthony (Est. unknown)

Crime

"There is little to no crime in Melnik. All the residents in the city take great pains to make sure nothing disturbs the tourist trade."

Citizens of Melnik

• -- Kaloyan Stanimir Dragano -- The Mayor of Melnik.
• -- Dr.Bojidar Dragomirov - Antiquarian & Archeologist
• -- Professor Dragan Vanev
• -- Spas Georgiev - Grocer
• -- Miroslav Ognyanov -- Melnik's lone Blacksmith.
• -- Kalina Zdravkov -- Owner of Aleksova House
• -- Nikola Pavlov -- Proprietor of The Lupine Tavern.
• -- Magistrate Lazarov - Town Judge
• -- Eva Radkov - The Scarlet Woman
• -- Kosta Dimitrov -- Groundskeeper of the Cemetery of Melnik.
• -- Vasil Dimov -- A local handyman and custodian of the local stadium.
• -- Haralambi - Villiage Idiot of Melnik (missing & presumed dead)
• -- Zdravko Minkov - The Nightwatchman (R.I.P: April 17th, 2009)

Current Events

2008
The provincial authorities felt the town needed a part-time constable, so they sent Raina Popov to fill the position. To date she performs her duties to perfection, which is to say that she patrols, watches the town's visitors and protects the townsfolk from outsiders.

2009
On the night of April 17th, the village idiot Haralambi left the Lupine Tavern and was never seen again. At midnight, his landlady Ruzha Yankov called the nightwatchman Zdravko Minkov to go and find the drunk idiot, who she was certain had fallen asleep somewhere on the way home.

Zdravko was last seen investigating a disturbance in the small garden between Tomov Brothers Bibliophiles and Bozhidarov Tobacco Sellers. What that disturbance was, remains a mystery. When the nightwatchman failed to come back with Haralambi, Ruzha finally called the new constable to investigate. A considerable amount of blood was found at the scene, though not enough to account for a death, but likely a serious injury.

By midnight, the entire town was awake and terrified by these bizarre disappearances; those who had organized search parties, the constable confined to the Lupine Tavern and the rest she strongly advised to remain in the safety of their homes. Unfortunately, the current group of tourists became involved.

By three o'clock in the morning, it became apparent that neither the village idiot or the nightwatchman were going to be found, as a thick fog had rolled in and made further investigation a near impossibility.

Near dawn of April 18th, Zdravko Minkov was seen by most of the shop owners and other early risers, running through the town - waving at everyone as he ran towards a small river bed, about a kilometer east of town. The last person to see Zdravko alive was his best friend Vasil Dimov, the custodian of the local stadium.

Vasil thought that something was wrong with Zdravko, because when he ran past he just waved and he looked very pale. Vasil was so concerned that he gave chase, but Zdravko reached the river which was swollen with spring runoff a couple minutes before him. Vasil saw him jump, naked into the ice cold, white water of the river and he was carried away down river in the dawn light.

Zdravko's uniform and weapon were found nearby on the muddy banks of the river by the constable and those she deputized to find the missing nightwatchman. Though the constable and her deputies searched for the next few days, down both sides of the riverbank as far as the highway, no remains were ever found. The local judge, Magistrate Lazarov ultimately ruled it a suicide and the case was shut, but Vasil and Zdravko's friends feel certain that it was something else entirely, perhaps the 'evil eye' at work.

Hotels & Hostels

• -- Charkov House (Hotel - Restaurant - Tavern)
• -- Chavkova House (Hotel and restaurant located a dozen meters east of the The Chevermeto restaurant.)
• -- Greco Eli (Just a hotel, it is located at the southern end of town.)
• -- House of Danailov (An elegant Eastern European hostel and sanctuary.)
• -- Lumparovata House
• -- The Mario (A hotel located just north of the Aleksova House tavern, across the dry riverbed.)
• -- The Melnik (Hotel - Restaurant - Bar. It is located on the south central side of town.)
• -- Rimski Most (Hotel and restaurant, it is located in the middle of the western end of town.)
• -- The Rodina
• -- Uzunova Kashta

Hypermarkets

There are no hypermarkets in Melnik, in fact, asking for one brings a blank look from any towns-person. Almost all inns and taverns provide meals, but townspeople do buy goods and necessities from the local shops, of which there are several. All basics can be obtained through local merchants, in the unlikely circumstance that a visitor might need something from outside Melnik, it can likely be found for sale at Georgiev's Grocery. Most locals shop elsewhere and one wonders how Spas Georgiev makes a living.

Landmarks

• -- The Ancient Roman Bridge
• -- Kordopulov House
• -- The House of the Pasha

Maps

Monasteries

• -- Rozhen Monastery

Monuments

• -- Yane Sandanski Monument (Located west, across the street from the Rimski Most hotel.)

Museums

• -- Melnik History Museum: Housed in the Pashov House (Est. 1815).

Parks

• -- Karlanovo Pyramids (sedimentary rock formation)

Private Residences

• -- Kamenovata kasta
• -- Pirinski orel Chalet
• -- Pop Tashevata kasta

Restaurants

• -- The Chevermeto (Located a few meters east of the The Mario hotel.)
• -- The Megdana (Restaurant - Tavern)

Ruins

• -- The Church of St.Nicolas the Thaumaturge (ruins near the current town - Est. 1756)

Schools

• -- Neofit Rilski Primary School

Shops

• -- Abadjiev's Haberdashery (Men Only!)
• -- Bozhidarov Tobacco Sellers (Melnik's nationally famous tobacconist.)
• -- Tomov Brothers Bibliophiles (A fully stocked bookshop - specializing in rare historical and occult works.)

Transportation

• -- Hadjiev's Rickshaws: Rickshaws to go anywhere, at any time of year!

Vampires of Melnik

Aleksey Asen -- The Prince of Melnik

Wraiths of Melnik

• -- Yane Sandanski

Websites

www.wikipedia.org (from there, you can find a variety of sites)

http://www.bulmaps.bg/index.php?l=eng

http://www.visittobulgaria.com/visit/practical_info/maps_collection/map_of_melnik