Balsha, Bulgaria

Balsha Балша
A view over the Balsha village
Country	Bulgaria
Province (Oblast)	Sofia City
Named as "Pancharevo"	unknown
Government
• Mayor	Nikolay Nodkov
Elevation	617 m (2,024 ft)
Population  (Census 2024)
• Total	719
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
Postal Code	1217
Area code	(+359) 02 ???
Car plates	C, CA, CB

St Theodor Stratilat monastery

Old and new St Petka church

Inside of old St Petka church

Ivan Denkoglu cultural centre

The town hall

Entrance to the village

Balsha is a village in Sofia Oblast (the capital region) in Bulgaria. It has a population of 719 people (2024) and lies at 617 metres of altitude - located right at the beginning and at the westernmost part of the Stara Planina mountain range.

History

According to legend, the Sofia valley was covered by a lake which reached all the way to Stara Planina. Three young women got married in villages on the opposite sides of the lake - Balsha, Yana and Boyana.

Another legend tells that a local aristocrat whose name was Balsha was helping the church and the close by monastery St Theodor Stratilat.

The Balsha village is also where Bulgarian patriot Ivan Denkoglu was born.

Education

There is a primary school in the nearby village of Dobroslavtsi (179 OU), located about 4,3 km away.

Transport

It is possible to reach the village with Sofia metropolitan public transport via local bus nr. 30 (from Vrabnitsa - which itself can be reached with the Sofia metro).

Sightseeing

The St. Theodor Stratilat monastery is located at a walking distance from the village.