๐ง๐ฌ Elin Pelin, previously known as Novoseltsi, is a town in central western Bulgaria. It is the administrative centre of Elin Pelin Municipality, located in central Sofia Province. It lies in the Sofia Valley, with the slopes of the Balkan Mountains to the north and the Sredna Gora Mountains to the south-southeast, 24 km south-east of the capital city of Sofia. The number of Thracian, Roman and Byzantine artifacts and ruins in the area proves that the surroundings of Elin Pelin have been inhabited since antiquity. A Slavic settlement was founded in the Middle Ages and existed until the early Ottoman rule of Bulgaria.
Elin Pelin (then Novoseltsi) began to emerge as a local cultural and trade centre during the Bulgarian National Revival. In 1881, after the Liberation of Bulgaria, it was proclaimed the administrative centre of a district. Novoseltsi continued to grow in importance after the construction of the SofiaโSaranbey (now Septemvri) railway line and the establishment of the Izida ceramic factory, the first in the country. A class school and a chitalishte were founded in the late 19th century. Novoseltsi was renamed Elin Pelin in honour of the noted writer of the same name (born in the nearby village of Bailovo) in 1950 and was proclaimed a town in 1960.
The area of Elin Pelin is one of the best preserved centres of the traditional ethnocultural subgroup of the Bulgarian people, the Shopi, including its characteristic vernacular, the white clothing and the characteristic dances, songs and humour. The Shop Holidays, a celebration of Shop culture and life, have been organized in the town since 1970.
Elin Pelin has a population of over 7,263 people. Elin Pelin also forms part of the wider Sofia Province which has a population of over 1,678,041 people. Elin Pelin is situated 24 km south-east of Sofia.
Twin Towns - Sister Cities Elin Pelin has links with:
๐ท๐ธ Leskovac, Serbia ๐ท๐บ Naro-Fominsk, Russia๐ช๐ธ Miranda de Ebro 42.683
๐บ๐ธ Janesville 42.683
๐บ๐ธ East Lansing 42.733
๐ช๐ธ Ponferrada 42.667
๐บ๐ธ Rochester Hills 42.65
๐ท๐ด Cluj-Napoca 23.6
๐ท๐ด Alba Iulia 23.581
๐ฑ๐น Radviliลกkis 23.55
๐ฌ๐ท Chalkidiki 23.5
Locations Near: Elin Pelin 23.6,42.6667
๐ง๐ฌ Sofia 23.324,42.697 d: 22.8
๐ง๐ฌ Vratsa 23.56,43.211 d: 60.6
๐ง๐ฌ Pernik 23.038,42.61 d: 46.4
๐ง๐ฌ Blagoevgrad 23.095,42.017 d: 83.3
๐ง๐ฌ Montana 23.237,43.414 d: 88.1
๐ง๐ฌ Pazardzhik 24.333,42.2 d: 79.5
๐ท๐บ Dimitrovgrad 22.778,43.015 d: 77.4
๐ง๐ฌ Kyustendil 22.683,42.283 d: 86.5
Antipodal to: Elin Pelin -156.4,-42.667
๐ต๐ซ Papeete -149.566,-17.537 d: 17147
๐น๐ด Nuku'alofa -175.216,-21.136 d: 17049
๐ฆ๐ธ Pago Pago -170.701,-14.279 d: 16574.3
๐ผ๐ธ Apia -171.76,-13.833 d: 16486.7
๐บ๐ธ Hilo -155.089,19.725 d: 13076.1
๐บ๐ธ Maui -156.446,20.72 d: 12966.8
๐บ๐ธ Maui County -156.617,20.868 d: 12950.3
๐บ๐ธ Kahului -156.466,20.891 d: 12947.7