Razhevo or sometimes Ruzhevo (, ; spelled until 1945; meaning "Rye village") is a village in central Bulgaria, part of Kaloyanovo Municipality, Plovdiv Province. Geography The village is located 30 km north of Plovdiv and is 30 km south of Karlovo. It is on the left, depressed bank of the river Stryama, the left tributary of the Maritsa river. It is in the center of one of the flattest places in Bulgaria and in cloudy weather the Thracian plain can be seen in all directions, except for the blockage of an occasional hill. When it is sunny, Sredna Gora and Stara Planina can be seen further back. The climate in the region is humid continental, the winter is mild, and the summer dry and hot, as the temperatures often pass 40 °C (105.8 °F). The plain on which the village was built is alluvial. Near the village, the so-called "Mayor's River" (), a canal from Maritsa, runs. Transportation Razhevo has three exits—the asphalt road from the village Razhevo Konare (3 km away) from the south, the asphalt road to the village Chernozemen to the west, and the paved road to the villages Begovo (3 km) and Suhozem (5 km) going northeast. Razhevo has a bus route to Plovdiv—the buses come from the bus station "Sever." Another way to get to the village is by train (which arrives at the central station or Filipovo station) from Plovdiv to Karlovo or vice versa, leaving from the train station in Chernozemen, which can be reached by bus from Plovdiv. After crossing a bridge over the Stryama, Razhevo can then be seen. History Etymology of the Name The local legends say that the village was founded by Baba Razha (Bulgarian: Баба Ръжа, or a variant Ружа)—she had been running from the Turks. However, it can be argued that the name of the village actually comes from rye, and thus rye bread is extensively popular in the region. Others believe that the name developed from the Bulgarian word for "weapon" (, orazhie) as A subdivision of the village Bratya Daskalovi has the same name as Razhevo. Villages with similar names include Razhena in Madzharovo Municipality; in Kazanlak Municipality, Razhenovo; and in Ruen Municipality, Ruzhitsa. In North Macedonia, there are two villages named Ruzhanichino and Arzhanovo. In Antiquity and the Middle Ages In antiquity, the land known today as Razhevo was part of the land of