Samokov

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**Samokov**

Province (oblast)	Sofia
Population	30 366 (13.09.2005)
Altitude	960 m
Postal code	2000
Area code	0722
Geographic coordinates	42° 20' north, 23° 33' east
Time zone	EET (UTC +2; UTC+3 in summer)
Mayor	Angel Nikolov

Samokov (Bulgarian: Самоков) is a town in Sofia Province in the southwest of Bulgaria. It is situated in a kettle between the mountains Rila and Vitosha.

Due to the suitable winter sports conditions, Samokov, together with the nearby resort Borovets, is a major tourist centre.

A 1892 painting by Nikola Obrazopisov of the Samokov School

In the past, Samokov was a centre of handicrafts and art, with notable figures like Zahari Zograf, Hristo Dimitrov and Nikola Obrazopisov. The town's name is a compound word of "samo" and "kov", respectively meaning "self" and the root of the verb "forge, hammer", and comes from the samokov, a mechanical forge powered by water, since the town of Samokov was a major iron producing centre during the last two hundred years (18th-19th century) of Ottoman rule of Bulgaria.

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Cities and towns in Bulgaria
Aytos \| Asenovgrad \| Blagoevgrad \| Botevgrad \| Burgas \| Dimitrovgrad \| Dobrich \| Dupnitsa \| Gabrovo \| Gorna Oryahovitsa \| Gotse Delchev \| Harmanli \| Haskovo \| Karlovo \| Karnobat \| Kazanlak \| Kardzhali \| Kyustendil \| Lom \| Lovech \| Montana \| Nova Zagora \| Panagyurishte \| Pazardzhik \| Pernik \| Petrich \| Pleven \| Plovdiv \| Razgrad \| Rousse \| Samokov \| Sandanski \| Sevlievo \| Shumen \| Silistra \| Sliven \| Smolyan \| Sofia \| Stara Zagora \| Svishtov \| Targovishte \| Troyan \| Varna \| Veliko Tarnovo \| Velingrad \| Vidin \| Vratsa \| Yambol