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Samokov is a town of roughly 28 000 residents situated in a kettle between the mountains of Rila and Vitosha in Western Bulgaria. Administratively it falls under the Sofia district and lies 55 kilometres from the capital city. The etymology of the toponym points to the term samokov (samo self, and kov to hammer in Bulgarian), i.e. a water-powered forge.
The town started as a settlement in the 14th century growing around a colony of Saxon miners. Historians believe they were brought to the area to establish what became a major iron-producing centre. These traditions persisted over the centuries making Samokov famous far across the whole Ottoman Empire. The local smithies would be commissioned with the task of delivering up to 20 000 horseshoes and 30 000 nails to the Belgrade fortress, and beams as far as Mecca.
The renowned Samokov Art School was founded by Hristo Dimitrov (1745-1819) and produced many Bulgarian Revival painters (the Zograf and Dospevski families, Hristo Jovevich, Nikola Obrazopisov, Mihail Belstojnev), wood carvers (the Greek-born Atanas Teladur, local Bulgarians like Stojcho Fandăkov), printers (Nikola Karastojanov, Georgi Klinkov). Their works decorate tens of churches in Bulgaria and the countrys western neughbours.
Samokov forms an internationally popular tourist zone together with the winter resort Borovets lying just 8 kilometres away, with Maljovitsa, Belchinski banki, Govedartsi also attracting skiers, climbers, patients seeking balneological treatment. The farming area around the town is Bulgarias top potato producer.