Venelin () is a village in northeastern Bulgaria, located in Dolni Chiflik Municipality, Varna Province. The village had 744 inhabitants as of 31 December 2024.
Geography Venelin lies on the left bank of the Kamchia River. The village covers an area of 16.06 km².
History The settlement appears in Ottoman-era records as Sarı Hadırlar (1573), Sarı Hadır (1679), and Sarh Hadır (1689); the Turkish-derived name has been variously interpreted as meaning "yellow millet" (sarı darı) or as a reference to sarık ("turban"). Until 1934, the village was commonly known as Saradar (). It was renamed Venelin in 1934 after the Rusyn Slavist Yuriy Venelin (1802–1839), whose scholarly work on the Bulgarians played an important role in the Bulgarian National Revival.
Demographics Population of the village according to censuses and official estimates:
+ Population of Venelin Year Population Change 1934 1,481 — 1946 1,322 −10.7% 1956 1,242 −6.1% 1965 965 −22.3% 1975 901 −6.6% 1985 787 −12.7% 1992 779 −1.0% 2001 829 +6.4% 2011 908 +9.5% 2021 732 −19.4%
Ethnic composition According to the 2011 Bulgarian census, Venelin had 908 residents; reported ethnicity was as follows:
+ Ethnic composition (2011 census) Group Number Share (%) Turks 357 39.31 Bulgarians 236 25.99 Roma 10 1.10 Did not answer 299 32.92 Other / preferred not to answer 6 0.66 Total 908 100.00* *Percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
Culture The local chitalishte (community cultural centre) "Probuda" was founded in 1905. It maintains an authentic-folklore ensemble dedicated to the traditions of the Vayatsi, a Bulgarian ethnographic group from the Eastern Stara Planina.
The village church is dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel, with the village's annual fair held on Archangel's Day according to the Old Style calendar (21 November).
References
External links
Венелин – Dolni Chiflik Municipality settlement page