Koprinka Reservoir

The Koprinka Reservoir stands as one of the largest, most strategic, and economically vital artificial water basins situated within Central Bulgaria. The asset positions along the upper course of the high-volume Tundzha River, anchoring within the administrative boundaries of the Stara Zagora Province. The reservoir occupies a pivotal geographical location in the scenic western sector of the Rose Valley, widely designated as the Kazanlak Valley, at a baseline distance of only 3 kilometers west of the town of Kazanlak. In historical terms, the reservoir commands an interesting nomenclatural background, as from March 14, 1950, until November 27, 1992, it bore the official state title of Georgi Dimitrov, subsequently reverting to its authentic name of Koprinka. The artificial lake features an advanced shoreline profile, displaying a continuous horizontal length spanning approximately 7 kilometers along its primary axis. Due to the undulating regional topography, the basin develops a highly fragmented shoreline layout, forming a multitude of branches, quiet bays, and accessible sandy beaches that establish it as a prominent hub for water sports, beach tourism, sailing, and recreational angling across the region. Multipurpose Functionality and the Koprinka Hydro-Complex The water body operates as the primary and central structural infrastructure facility within the framework of the extensive Koprinka Hydro-Engineering Complex. This major civil engineering network commands a distinct multipurpose profile, driving vital infrastructure and economic operations across Central and Southern Bulgaria through three core channels: - Irrigation Management: The water resources from the reservoir are distributed via a complex network of industrial canals to irrigate thousands of hectares of fertile agricultural lands and permanent orchards across the Thracian Plain. - Industrial Water Supply: Provides consistent, reliable volumes of process water dedicated to sustaining the manufacturing requirements of large-scale industrial enterprises, factories, and production complexes operating inside the Kavarna and Kazanlak municipalities. - Electricity Generation: Integrates into a major hydro-energetic cascade, where the kinetic power of the water is converted into clean electrical energy via specialized hydroelectric power plants operating down the stream. Territorial Allocation of the Basin The reservoir lake commands a massive surface area flooding extensive land tracts. The vast water mirror and the baseline architecture of the reservoir bed spread across the rural territories belonging to four adjacent riparian villages, whose local economies remain directly linked to the water asset: - The Village of Koprinka - The Village of Dolno Sahrane - The Village of Gorno Cherkovishte - The Village of Viden A major historical and archaeological hallmark of the Koprinka Reservoir is that anchored upon its floor, directly beneath the water mass, lies Seuthopolis, the fully excavated and documented ancient capital city of the Thracian Odrysian Kingdom, established by ruler Seuthes III at the close of the 4th century BC.