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Below you will find some of the most popular versions behind the name of this quaint town: Little is known about when and who were the first settlers in Koprivshtiza as it is about the origins of the town’s name.
Presence of Ore
One theory is based on the belief that the area where the town is situated had high concentration of iron ore. Old Bulgarian iron ore is called “rupa” or “rupishte”. Actual proof of this claim is somewhat limited, however there are documents mentioning the connecting of iron ore and Koprivshtitsa. It is possible the ore was transferred from a different location as in the past there was an annual fair, Koprivshtitsa’s people were called “kuptzite” (from the verb to buy – kupuvam in Bulgarian). In combination between “rupa”, “rupishte”, “kuptzi” and “koup” one can derive a word very similar to the today’s name of the town - “kopruptzi”, “koprupisthe.”
Heap of rivers (“kup rechitzi” in Bulgarian)
There are a lot of streams and rivers in the area where Koprivshtitsa is located. They are springing from the near hills, flowing one into another and at the end they are all culminating into Topolnica river. This “heaping” of rivers is possible to be the reason of the name of the town.
Nettle ( “kopriva”in Bulgarian)
Because of the nice climate and the water rich land a lot of nettle can be found in the area of Koprivshtitsa. The similarity between the name of this plant and the name of the town is the base of this theory.
Manure hill
The main livelihood of the people living in this area was breeding cattle. This is another version for Koprivshtitsa’s name, which could be derived from the Greek word “kopros” which means manure.
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History of Koprivshtitsa
The Great Men of Koprivshtitsa 
