History of Leshten
In the registers of Sanjak Pasha from 1478 – 1479, the village is not noted, i.e. it was probably not yet subject to the Ottoman forms of administrative and military rule.
It was noted 40 years later in the abbreviated register of timars, zeamets and khass in the Livata Pasha from 1519, chap. 3 pp. 152 – 153 count 18 hanets (households) of infidels and three unmarried people in the village of Leštani (towards Pomesti).
In 1530 it was noted again in the abbreviated registers of Sanjak Pasha ch. 3 p. 153 count 36 hanets (households) of infidels, 13 unmarried and one widow.
Almost 100 years later - in 1660, in the register (chap. 3, p. 155) there are no noted jezier inns in the village of Leštani.
In 1723, in the register for the collection of the extraordinary avariz tax (ch. 3, p. 155-156), 39 Christian khanates and 3 Muslim khanates were noted in the village of Leštani.
Both Muslim and Christian families were taxed with the "avariz" tax.
The first modern settlers were attracted to Leshten mainly because of the gold-bearing sands of the Kanina River. Once upon a time, the locals made a living from carpentry, wrought iron and gold mining. Despite the gifts of the land, Leshten was never too lively. A historical look back shows that it was inhabited by at most 500 people.
Leshten officially joined the territory of Bulgaria after the Inter-Allied War in 1912 (in which dozens of local residents took part) and remained a commercial and municipal center until the 1930s.
Livelihood of the population after 1912 , when this region was freed from the Ottoman yoke, agriculture (growing rye, oats, barley, tobacco), animal husbandry (cows, sheep and goats), logging and carpentry, and in older times - mining, viticulture and fruit growing.
Famous cattle breeders with larger herds were once Georgi Kirichev, Marko Gadjev, Todor Gruev - Dikliata, Iliya Kehaya, Atanas Marin and others. In winter they led their herds to the White Sea, and in summer they returned them again to the slopes of the Rhodopes. There were also hired merchants, such as Kosta Kerin, who owned a dozen guard horses, with which he transported goods from Nevrokop to Kavala and from Kavala to Pirot and Niš. With enviable mastery, the people of Leshten knew how to arrange every corner of the land, building up the fields-terrace over terrace with walls, one above the other, like the old vineyards in the Kapine area.
In 1837, the church of St. Paraskeva, richly decorated for the time with an iconostasis, decorative painting and numerous icons. The cell school was also opened in the same year.
After the redistribution of municipalities in 1934, depopulation gradually began. Today, a large part of the houses are deserted, but there is no lack of those that have been restored. Regardless of their condition, each of them is an architectural monument in itself. However, officially such is the church "St. Paraskeva" from 1836 and the cell school. The frescoes of the temple amaze with their bold strokes and bright colors.
A new school building was built only in 1891.
After the redistribution of municipalities in 1934, depopulation gradually began. Today, a large part of the houses are deserted, but there is no lack of those that have been restored.
Livelihood
Agriculture and animal husbandry
The livelihood of this population in the 16th and 17th centuries was animal husbandry and agriculture.
Cultivable lands were around the village, and stone walls were built around the properties as a protective measure against erosion. The walls can still be found today.
The development of agriculture and animal husbandry in the 17th and 18th centuries did not change significantly from before. It remains primitive and low-income. Cereal and leguminous crops were mainly sown - rye, oats, barley, beans, lentils and yarrow. Last but not least, corn, potatoes and sunflowers should be mentioned.
Later, in the 19th and 20th centuries, they began to plant vineyards and vegetables near the river. Tobacco production also began, large areas were sown with this crop. In the middle of the 20th century, the improvement of the soil with natural and artificial fertilizers also began. Greater yields were obtained, but agriculture was still primitive. It was plowed with a wooden plow and ox teams.
In addition to agriculture, animal husbandry was also developed. Each family had a team of oxen, and those who had only one ox mated with each other and thus cultivated the land. Each family had a horse or mule to transport the produce and for other needs.
There were no carts or other vehicles. Everything was transported by saddle. It was very difficult, but it was fun and cheerful.
Everything was done by hand and with harnessed livestock - with mules, horses, donkeys and oxen.
All the families kept goats, sheep and cows. Each family had no less than ten sheep. There were also many farmers with 200-300 or more herds. One of these people is Hristo Kehaya, Apostol Papanov, Todor Gadjev, Angel Prandjev and others. In the village there were also shepherds who grazed not only their own but also the herds of other villagers. These are Angel Kirichev, Iliya Dzirev, Stoyko Kalachev, Todor Dochin, Angel Terziev. They drove the herds to the Balkans in the spring and grazed them there all summer and until late autumn on the lush meadows of the Rhodopes.
Todor Gadjev, who had a large herd of sheep and cough in the area of "Hodjovica" and "Druma". In winter, the herd wintered in Belomorska Thrace in the vicinity of the town of Drama. The herd returned in the spring to the green meadows of the Rhodope Mountains.
Other larger livestock breeders were Hristo Kehaya - who started the Kemerov family, Ivan Gadjev or as he is known Maralov each owned over 100 sheep.
Wealthier and wealthier families in the village during this period were Kirichevi, Papanovi, Pranzhevi, etc.
Crafts
In the 18th century, some of the trades arose, mostly with masonry. Master masons are famous throughout the surrounding area. They build houses in many of the surrounding settlements. They work mainly with stone, they cover the houses with stone slabs. this is how the houses in Leshen, Kovachevitsa and Dryanovo were built.
All Leštenli were craftsmen - carpenters and went to work in Bulgaria during the summer - mainly in Pazardzhik and Plovdiv, but not only. They also worked in White Sea Thrace - Dramsko, Sersko and all the way to Thessaloniki. They were called Belodreshkovci, their costumes were white. They also worked in White Sea Thrace, they went abroad to earn money. The women and children stayed in the village to take care of the house, the fields and the animals.
Finds around Leshten
Leshten is a settlement with an ancient past, as evidenced by the many archaeological discoveries.
Southwest of Leshten, in the "Agustnik" locality, traces of human activity from the first millennium before the new era were found - right next to the settlement there is a necropolis, whose graves are surrounded by stone slabs.
South of it in the locality "St. Athanas' has two Thracian burial mounds and a structure of stones arranged in a circle, probably with a cultic purpose. The complex belongs to the late period of the Iron Age.
Remains of an ancient settlement were also found in the "Zelenka" area southwest of Leshten.
Other ancient finds were also found in the land of Leshten - clay vessels were found in the area of Ogradeto.
Stories of local residents:
Petko Gamishev from the village of Dyulevo, Pazardzhik:
"I was 20 years old when my cousin Ivan Gemishev and I went to the Agustnika area, where we cleaned the fields. There we came across old walls built with mortar - large stone blocks were connected with lead. We found an iron stand with bent tops that looked like a church candlestick, and also a small headless marble bust. According to stories of old people, this was the church of the old village of Sokolets."
Angel Peltekov from Pazardzhik:
"On our field in the area of "Zelenka" there was a dug-out wall, the foundations of which were made of large stones and were soldered with lead. I scraped off pieces of lead from there, from which I prepared slugs/balls/for the hunting rifle. At that time, the oldest resident of Lešćeni, grandfather Stoiko Atanasov Kirichev, who was 105 years old (died in 1960), said that he knew from his grandfather about the Agustnika area, where the old village of Sokolets (Dogan in Turkish) was. Here people from Lešten have found many old coins, clay vessels and many other objects.
Rada Delcheva from the village of Leshten:
When I was little, they found some jars on the fence. Empty jars. They took them out and we children watched them.
They also found other objects and coins - old coins.
The old village of Sokolets
The village of Sokolets (Doganovo) was down near Ognyanovo and Marchevo. It was called so because they raised falcons for hunting and for the Turkish army, for which they were exempted from taxes and the privilege of Turks not dying in it.
Part of the population was local, and part Bulgarians - settlers from Golo Burdo, who fled there due to Islamization.
The village was often invaded by the Bei gavaz, who looted or took for nothing whatever they needed. It got even worse when the Mohammedanization of the neighboring villages of Gorno Dryanovo, Oreshe and Debren began.
The relocation of the village of Sokolets
From the book "From the past of the village of Radilovo", Ivan Vachkov based on the report of Kostadin Dikliev, made at a community meeting in the village of Leshten on February 28, 1977
Everything started with the Muslimization of the population, when the tribe of Kemi Keran and Dagar Pehlivan came to the village. She harassed the population of Sokolets. She wanted to host her. Sokoltsi seemed to be patient, but once they invited the tribe to a great feast, agreeing on which day and how, in the most solemn way, the Mohammedanization of Sokoltsi would take place. They entertained them, ate, drank and got drunk this gang. At a given signal, they were beaten to death.
They buried them deep in the ground. In secret, the group that committed the murder mounted their horses and set off across the Rhodopes to look for their fellow villagers, who had previously left the village in groups. They settled in the village of Radilovo, Pazardzhik.
There they were free from the raids of beys and pashas, and more importantly, they saved themselves and fled to accept Islam. The old village of Sokolets was abandoned. Representatives of the Turks came, and there is a living soul in our village. They searched, sent news, but the falcons had disappeared, "Dugnalar - kainlar" was their conclusion. 5, 10 years ago... the Turkish authorities established that there were refugees in the village of Radilovo. Then the Neurokop kaymakamin and the bey from the village of Zagrade (Lower homestead) went to the village of Radilovo. They found falcons near the fields of the village. They were informed that they would not be held responsible for the massacred Turks, telling them the words "whatever they sought, they found". You are free, you can return to your village. Falcons scattered. Some went to other settlements, some stayed in Radilovo, and several families headed by Leshko Golovado and Nikolo returned to their native village, but not in Sokolets, but in a new place, founding the village of Leshten (because the place was overgrown with lentil, hazel …).
A man from Kovachevitsa (Dimitar Stoyanov Shabanov), who became a son-in-law in Leshten around 1875, graduated from the IV department, a Bulgarian by profession, a bricklayer, says "I became a son-in-law in Leshten, I fell in love with the people and the village. I taught and led apprentice masons and journeymen. For many years I was a master builder in the village of Radilovo. In this village, when I was working there, old people told that once a whole village from Nevrokopsko escaped and found a reception in their village of Radilovo."
Now only two Leshten families coincide with families from Radilovo, but they have already disappeared there as well - Bozadzhiev and Voinovi, which can be assumed to be related to Voynikovi.
Georgi Bozhinov, "Rodopi" magazine, vol. 4 / 1972 year
A memory that has been preserved by the people of Leshten or Lyashten, Blagoevgrad region.
"Once a band of robbers came to rob the village. The village caught her, cut her down. Then it got scared - but now where? - and got up and ran across the mountain. And only after passing the entire mountain, it stopped at Radilovo, on the eastern edge of the Rhodope. There he was found by the bey of Zagrade, who ruled the local places (Pazardzhishko). Struck with a request: "Don't do that, people, who will work this land. Take her and go home, no one will hook you for anything." And the village returned, but not to its old place, but to a new one.
Story of Ivan Voinov from Leshten, 29.09.2023, Gotse Delchev
According to this story, it all started when the Turks set out to capture and Turkify the villages at the foot of the mountain – around the Kanina River. Then the village had about 700 people.
One day the inhabitants of Sokolets realized that an army would come and want to turn them into Turks. Several people went up the old road, from Marchevo - a little above the area of Cherniyat kos and met the Turks. They didn't leave a single one alive. They returned to the village and said to the elders: "Listen! We beat those!”
"How so? We are here waiting for them!" - they said. Immediately the whole village got up and everyone who could carry anything took it. The people scattered up the forest. When the Turks arrived, they looted and burned the old village - the village of Sokolets, to the ground. It was completely destroyed.
For a very long time - perhaps about ten years, people traveled around the mountain in an attempt to find a new place. They were in separate groups - in genera. They didn't want to, and they couldn't go back. They feared further Turkish incursions. They crossed the mountain and reached Pazardjishko - to the village of Doganovo Konare (today Malo Konare).
They lived there for about a hundred years. Later they began to return individually, again on a family basis. It happened at the beginning of the 19th century - before 1810. The Kerinis are the first to return. They were quite wealthy and built a very nice house - the "konaka". They were engaged in trade and their colleagues - also merchants - stayed in their inn when they passed through with the caravans.
When our family returned - then our family was not Voinovi, but Tupchevi, it was around 1810-1820.
Then our grandfather - who returned then from Pazardzhik - was called Georgi Tupchev. This is my grandfather's great grandfather. Then they had paramons (nicknames). "Warriors" was our paramon. Then it became our last name.
My great-grandfather's brother stayed in the village of Ognyanovo, Nevrokopsko (now Gotse Delchev). We know Georgi Tupchev from the village of Ognyanovo. We know we are fourth cousins and our children are fifth.
MORE FAMOUS LESCHE SURNAMES
Marini, Kirichevi, Kerini, Boykovi, Kashevi, Bankovi, Itrilovi, Kalachevi, Gamishevi, Babazhovi, Kundevi, Fikeini, Nikolovi, Diklievi, Shabanovi, Pranjevi, Papanovi, Kandevi, Murtevi, Peltekovi, Terziev, Poyukovi, Voinovi, Zirevi, Delchevi, Panzov, Pazvantov, Pashkotov, Kapitanov, Gadjev, Kafkov, Chakarov, Barzev, Mrzavanov, Fodulov, Kemerov, Avramov, Kirimovov, Doginov, Veselievov, Todorinov, Latinov, Gruev, Strklinov, Bozadzhiev, Zaprev, Boshnakov.
FAMOUS LOCATIONS
Holy Spirit, Saint George, Saint Dimitar, Saint Spas, Saint Atanas, Saint Archangel, Saint Ilia, Saint Todor, Agustnika, Zelenka, Kapine, Kanina, Golyak, Shiroka Niva, Banska Usoyka, Kukuchovets, Kartogi, Rayanitsa, Kalkovets, Brezovitsa, Kesaritsa, Ovsich, Chervenka, Buryovitsa. Staykov hill, Todorkova padina, Zabek, Lyutimia, Druma, Usoe, Belova niva, Mushitsov drum, Kutela, Roga, Chuchura, Chatham, Sinankovitsa, Marina, Gyurkovets, Kavgaliyata, Baknitsa, Elkhovets, Vris, Sivila, Murtata, Charga, Torishta, Balinitsa, Dryana, Zagrade, Katsiuvitsa, Lyashnik, Livade, Padinite, Chereshovitsa, Serlivo dere, Svila, Ivanitsa, Shein well, Latinov rid, Metlivets, Papanski buk, Topa, Komarov well, Nereza, etc.