General information
Mezek is a village in Southern Bulgaria and belongs to the province of Haskovo and the Svilengrad municipality. Located at 100-199m above sea level, it is 251 km from Sofia, 6 km from Svilengrad and one kilometer from the Greek border.
Mezek has 323 inhabitants. It is known mainly for the archaeological sites nearby and the Mezek wine made locally.
History
In the area around Mezek several Thracian tumuli (burial mounds) dating from the pre-Roman era have been excavated. Most likely Mezek was founded about 2 km east of its present site in the Orehite (Walnuts) locality. In the beginning the village bore the name of Muzak and consisted of not more than 800-1000 houses. Ancient foundations, vessels, wells etc have been found attesting to early human presence. The settlement was situated on the trade route from Sofia to what is today Istanbul linking Europe and Asia. Various tribes frequently attacked it. After one such incursion the inhabitants fled to the Rhodope Mountains. When they returned, they established another village on the eastern slopes of the Rhodopes. They were attracted by the abundance of water in the area. The numerous remains of graves and churches bespeaks of steady growth and expansion.