A fascinating legend tells the story behind the name of the town, Belitsa. A long time ago Itsa, the prettiest maiden in the village, whom everybody called Bela (Fair) Itsa, got to be chased by Ottoman Turkish troops. She chose to die rather than be captured, doing so by jumping from the steep cliffs into the high waters of the river. Since then, in glory of the beauty’s bravery, the town has been called Belitsa.

The territory of the municipality is rich in monuments of ancient cultures and civilizations. The oldest traces of human presence were established in the locality of Raven, where an early Neolithic settlement was discovered. The high-mountain sanctuaries in Babiachka Chukka area, near the village of Babyak and in Tevnitsko area, north of Belitsa have been known since Thracian times. A Thracian burial mound was investigated in the area Belichka Chuka. A wooden sarcophagus that has survived the ages was discovered in it. The sarcophagus was covered with a layer of clayey soil and stones and remained preserved until present day even though it is 2 500 years old.

The history of Belitsa was turbulent and full of trials and ordeals. The name Beliche was mentioned for the first time in 1576 in Turkish tax documents. In the 17th century two neighbouring villages, Beliche and Byala, merged to form one village, from which emerged the present-day town of Belitsa. In 1666 the village was burnt down to ashes by the Turkish troops. Part of the population was forced to convert to Islam, the rest escaped by taking refuge in the mountains.

The people of Belitsa were bright and eager to learn, an evidence of which is the monastery school that exists since early 18th century. Belitsa took part in the struggles for liberation of the Bulgarian peoples from the Turkish rule. A revolutionary organization was established in town. Volunteers form the village took part in the Russian-Turkish war in 1877/78 but the long-expected liberty for Belitsa did not come. The people of Belitsa did not despair but continued their struggle. They participated actively in the uprising of Kresna and Razlog. The majority of the rebels were either put in prison, or forced to leave the village, yet the people of Belitsa fought again joining this time the Ilindensko-Preobrazhensko Uprising. For edification Belitsa was burnt to ashes. More than 475 people died in the fire, and over 120 men, women and children were killed. It was only in 1912, as a result of the Balkan war, that Belitsa was liberated.

Indisputably, one of the most important institutions for the Belitsa community is its chitalishte (local educational and cultural centre). It was founded in 1885 by volunteer-soldiers after their return from the Russo-Turkish war that brought liberation to Bulgaria. They brought books from liberated Bulgaria and from Russia. The activists of the educational centre disseminated knowledge among the people of Belitsa, aroused their patriotism, encouraged them to fight for their liberty. The Turkish authorities closed the chitalishte, but people kept its riches – the books. In 1908 the chitalishte resumed its activities. Since then its mission has been to document local traditions and to keep alive the folklore of Belitsa. Its libraries are treasuries of knowledge available to any citizen or visitor of the town. A Historical Museum, attached to the chitalishte, exhibits valuable findings discovered in the region remains from past ages and cultures. The rich ethnographic collection displays the characteristic for the region traditional culture. There is also a standing exhibition and bazaar of articles made by local craftsmen. The chitalishte is the heart of the town’s cultural life where new ideas emerge and where the civil initiatives of the people of Belitsa are born.