page_title: Golema Rakovitsa
section_title: Geography
hierarchical_section_title: Golema Rakovitsa / Geography
caption_attribution_description: English: Belfry of the church "Saint Nikolay" in Golema Rakovitsa village, Bulgaria Български: Камбанарията на църквата "Свети Николай Мирликийски" в с. Голема Раковица, България
context_page_description: Golema Rakovitsa is a village in western Bulgaria, part of Elin Pelin Municipality, Sofia Province.
context_section_description: Golema Rakovitsa is situated near the eastern end of the Sofia Valley, at the western foot of Sredna Gora mountain. It is located just where the Lopushina and Ravna rivers flow together to form the Lesnovo River. From the village border starts the upper part of Ognyanovo Reservoir. Elin Pelin, the main town of the municipality, is about 18 kilometres (11 mi) to the west.
  An annual from the Bulgarian National Library, published in 1928, indicates that in the middle of 19th century there were 180 houses in the village. It was the biggest settlement in the eastern Sofia district at the time. In comparison, Elin Pelin, named Novoseltsi back then, was listed as having 125 houses. Just after the First World War there were 2,200 residents in the village. However, when the communist regime took the rule in the country, private property was strongly limited and the farming realties were nationalized. The population started permanently decreasing because of migration, mostly to Sofia. Nowadays about 400 people remain in Golema Rakovitsa.
caption: The church in 2008
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