Mountain Republic

Overview

Kornitsa and Breznitsa are two Muslim, Pomak, villages near Bulgaria's border with Greece. In the winter of 1973 the entire population of Kornitsa rebelled and spent the next 3 months camped out in the main square. Uniquely for Communist Eastern Europe, their village became a no-go area for the state. The peaceful protest came to an end at dawn, and the crackdown was brutal.