A brief history of Gutsal
There were once over 300 families living in Gutsal, and it had a population of 1934 souls between the two world wars. People mainly lived from farming and forestry. Its history goes even back to the time of the Thracians, when Gutsal connected Thracia with west Bulgaria, Serbia, and Macedonia.
The village had been reduced to 39 souls in the last 80 years, and it was heading towards extinction, as many other Bulgarian villages do. It took 15 years and a worldwide pandemic for the village to become alive again after a small rise in 2005 when British people started buying a lot of property in Bulgaria. After almost 50 years, the village population started growing again after over 50 houses have been sold over the last two years. Most of the houses in the village are about 80 to 100 years old, and have been inhabited for many years, but more and more are being renovated and built. Today, there are about 150 people living in the new and original houses.
In recent years, there has been a large influx of young people coming to the village to enjoy their weekends and even to live there permanently because they want to escape Sofia and work remotely while enjoying the stunning views from the top of the Rila mountain.
The lake
Towards the lower part of the village, there is a small karst lake which has been formed naturally, and in the evenings there is a small bistro where you can enjoy a glass of wine or a small meal while enjoying the view.