page_title: Gorna Bela Rechka
section_title: Economy
hierarchical_section_title: Gorna Bela Rechka / Economy
caption_attribution_description: English: Wasp nest in a sheep bell, lit by a blue torch. Gorna Bela Rechka, Bulgaria Български: Гнездо на оси, свито в чан, осветено със синьо фенерче. Горна Бела Речка, България
context_page_description: Gorna Bela Rechka is a small village in the northwestern region of Bulgaria, about 25 kilometers from the Serbian border. It belongs to the community of Varshets in the province of Montana. Nothing is known about its history. Montana, the provincial capital, is situated about 36 km to the northwest.
context_section_description: Gorna Bela Rechka is located in a region that is considered “the poorest region in the EU”. The gross domestic product in northwestern Bulgaria is only 28% of the average in Europe. The whole region is impacted financially primarily by a “depopulation of rural areas”. The Montana Region alone has lost more than 50,000 inhabitants since the last millennium. This has led to solitude and an aging population. In 2013 only 61 residents were counted in Gorna Bela Rechka, all over the age of 70. In particular, many women have left their homes. They found employment caring for the elderly in other European countries, in order to support surviving relatives left at home in Bulgaria. In his 70-minute documentary The Town of Badante Women, film maker Stephan Komandarev has dealt with the impact of these economic and social tragedies, using the example of the women from nearby Varshets in 2009. Because there are no young people left in Gorna Bela Rechka, the situation in the village has changed. Here, people mainly live off their goats and sheep. From goat milk they produce traditional foods, including a special goat cheese. The products from Bela Rechka meet the criteria of Slow Food.
caption: Wasp Nest In a Sheep Bell
  in Gorna Bela Rechka
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