Kunino (Bulgarian: Кунино)[1] is a village in northern Bulgaria, in the Vratsa region, Roman municipality, on the Iskar River.
[7] There is an archaeological site in Kunino, where Bulgarian archaeologist and prehistorian Vasil Mikov [pl] found the remains of a large settlement called Samuilica [pl], dating back to the Neolithic period, located on the Rudina plateau in the Provirtenka cave.
[8] Nikolai Dzhambazov discovered traces of people from the Middle and Late Paleolithic periods in the cave in 1956.
Stone tools, numerous ornaments, fragments of painted pottery, querns for grinding grain and clay weights for a vertical loom were also discovered.
[10] Based on the objects found, it was concluded that in the fifth century BC there was a significant Hellenization of the local population.
Over the next three centuries, the village flourished through trade, stonemasonry and winemaking – it was concluded from stone inscriptions and carvings.
[12] An important role in the public and political life of Kunino in the first three decades of the 19th century was played by an influential merchant, Dimitraki Khajitoshev, who had a farm and a store for basic goods in the village.
[13] In 1865, after the Crimean War, the Circassians were expelled from the Russian territories and settled in Bulgaria, including Kunino.
[16] In June 1918, Kunino was hit by a strong tornado, which caused great damage, including destroyed houses, and claimed about 150 cows.
The register of monuments includes:[19] St. Nicholas Orthodox Church was built in the Middle Ages, and was destroyed by the Turks during Ottoman rule.
Thanks to the support of wealthy Kunino's families, St. Nicholas Orthodox Church was restored in the early 17th century.