BERKOVITSA

The town of Berkovitsa is situated in the Northern part of Western Stara Planina mountain, 23km away from the town of Montana, and 50km away from the town of Vratsa.

Berkovitsa town is a resort of national importance. The nature that surrounds the small town is very picturesque and it is a starting point for many tourist routes. Very close lies the highest peak in the region 0 the Kom peak, 2016m high. Another interesting destination is the Klisura monastery, founded in 1240.  Outside Berkovitsa is Kaleto hill, where some remains of ancient fortress and town have been discovered. They show clearly that there used to be life in the region from about the 4th century. During the “Vidin kingdom” – the second half of 14th century there used to be a huge frontier fortress here. So, besides unique natural sights, Berkovitsa has enough common, historical and spritual heritage.

Berkovitsa town hosts a lot of traditional feasts and events with international participation, namely: the International folk fair "Ashiklar sings and dances"; "Polish shoes" - International arts festival for children; Berkovski Balkan (the mountain of Berkovitsa) feast; International open-air feast of wood-plastic arts; Berkstock - Rock feast at the end of July; Feast of the strawberry; Feast of the raspberry; The Birth of the Holy Virgin Mary - feast of Berkovitsa town.

Besides unique natural sights, Berkovitsa has enough common, historical and spritual heritage. Interesting places to visit are:

• The Clock Tower, which is the most famous architectural monument in the town center - it is the symbol and emblem of the town; built in 1764 and is 21m high.
• The Birth of Virgin Mary Church
• St. Nicholas the Thaumaturge cathedral church
• The Town Art Gallery
• Ivan Vazov house museum
• The Ethnography Museum
• The Klisura Monastery "St.St. Cyril and Methodius"

SOZOPOL

Located 34 km South from Burgas, Sozopol lies on a small rocky peninsula in the farthest southern part of the Burgas Bay. A one hundred-metre long strip of land connects it to the mainland. From 1925 on, the town has expanded in the direction of the Harmanite Area (the so-called ''new town''). It is one of the oldest Black sea coastal towns.

The earliest settlements in the area belonged to the Thracian tribes of Nipsei and Skirimian. In the 7th century BC Greek colonizers settled there and called the town after their god of Apollo, Apolonia. To the honor of Apollo, the construction of a thirteen-meter high bronze statute of the god was carried out by a sculptor named Kalamis. Apolonia developed mainly as a trading center for honey, wax, corn, wine, olive oil, olives, textiles, jewellery, and pottery. Apolonia was frequently in economic and political disputes, including occasional wars, with the Doric inhabitants of Messembria (present-day Nessebar).

Apolonia was included in the territory of the Macedonian State at the time of Alexander the Great. It was frequently subject to, but warded off, invasions of Nomads. The town fell under Roman domination in the 1st century BC after it was severely ruined by the armies of Marcus Lucul. The latter sent the famous statute of Apollo to Rome as a symbol of his victory. Yet Romans quickly restored the ruins, built new temples. Already in the 6th century BC Apolonia minted coins of its own. The high level of cultural development of the town at that time is testified by items found in its necropolis - ceramics, vases made of Egyptian glass, silver and golden decorations. The upturn of the town was so great, that Sozopol managed to establish its own colony, Anhialo (present-day Pomorie).

Today, this charming place is a popular tourist resort best known for its casual ambiance, sandy beaches and distinctive 19th century stone and wood houses.

Here you can see a complete list of the hotels in Sozopol, with a special section - hotels recommended by The Bulgarian INSIDER.

VELIKO TURNOVO

The town of Veliko Turnovo is situated in the central part of Bulgaria in the foot of Stara Planina Mountain, over the river Yantra. The town is about 240 km away from the capital – Sofia and 230 km the so called “sea capital” Varna.

This is one of the most beautiful towns in Bulgaria. It is full of priceless monuments of history and culture.

The preserved remains of old castles, palaces and churches are a witness of the history of Bulgaria – they have faced both the triumphal times of the country and the fallen under Ottoman rule. The town is first capital of the Bulgaria after the liberation from the turks.

The streets are covered with stones cobbles, many houses have perverted the unique Bulgarian style.

Veliko Turnovo is also called “Staroprestolnia grad” – “the old throne’ town” – since it was the capital of Bulgaria during some of the most glorious periods of Bulgarian history.

Here you can see a complete list of the hotels in Veliko Turnovo - with special section - recommended by the Bulgarian INSIDER.

BELENE 

Population: 9 500

The town of Belene is located  in the Pleven district – North Central Bulgaria. The town lies on the right bank of the Danube River, 20km away from the town of Svishtov, and 60km away from the town of Pleven.

An interesting period was the beginning of 11^th century when a group of people, called “Pavlikiani” came on this lands, and later adopted a religion that we now refer to as “Catholicism” (by comparison – the most of Bulgaria is Orthodox country). Then same the Turks and occupied the Bulgarian Kingdom for almost 5 centuries. In the end of the 17^th century, from the nearby region of Vlashko (nowadays Romania) came yet another group of people – orthodox Christians and settled on these lands. These are the three main groups of people that at some point formed the three main quarters in the town – orthodox (Vlashka), catholic and Turkish. By now there are 2 Roman Catholic and 1 Orthodox Church in the town.

Belene is best known for the former prison on the Belene Island which was used by the ex-Communist government to imprison the so called “political prisoners”.  The other important fact about the town is that here is located the second in Bulgaria nuclear power plant.

• The Catholic Church “The birth of the Mary” – the church of the first Bulgarian announced a saint by the pope John Paul II – Evgeni Bosilkov
• The Catholic Church “St. Antoinne from Padua”, built in the beginning of 20^th century, with 2 bell towers
• The “Persina” Natural Park – one of the 10 natural parks on the territory of Bulgaria and part of the “green corridor” to the Danube river; it is unique for the country and the only natural park down the Danube river; its emphasis is on the preserving the natural islands down the river among which is the largest island in the territory of Bulgaria – the Persin island.

DOBRINISHTE

Population: 2 800

Dobrinishte is located within 6km from the world famous ski resort of Bansko, and some 40km away from the town of Gotse Delchev. It is among the youngest towns in Bulgaria.

The town lies to the North-East of the Pirin Mountain in the Razlog hollow. The river of Desilitsa crosses Dobrinishte.

The history of the settlement goes back to the Stone Age. A lot of remains from the Roman and Thracian civilizations have been found, including some coins from the time the Roman Emperor Nero. It is known that during the centuries 7^th and 14^th, Dobrinishte was a town-castle, which several times stopped the attacks of the Byzantine Empire and its claims to pass through the Mesta River gorge and enter the Bulgarian Kingdom. The town lost its importance after the fall of Bulgaria under the Ottoman yoke. The first school here was built in 1846 by a number of patriots. The sons of the town participated actively in the April Uprising in 1876 and the further struggles for Liberation.

Nowadays, Dobrinishte is probably the second in importance ski center in the Pirin Mountain. This is mainly because of the building of the ski lift to the “Bezbog” chalet and the good condition for ski tourism (ski slopes with combine length of almost 7km). 

Another important fact for the town is its richness of mineral water springs - more than 15 by now. The total capacity of the water is 18 liters per second and the temperature – 30-40 degrees. The water is very limpid and delicious to drink. It is useful for kidney, stomach troubles and diseases and of the upper respiratory organs.

Interesting place to visit is the Church “St. St. Peter and Paul” situated in the center of the town. It was built in 1835 and declared a monument of culture.

 

SEPTEMVRI

Population: 8 600

Septemvri is a town in South Bulgaria located about 20km away from the district center - Pazardjik, and 15km away from the town of Belovo. The town is situated some 82km away form the capital – Sofia. Septemvri lies very close to both the Sredna Gora Mountain and Rhodopi Mountain slopes.

Among the most popular citizens of the town are Zdravko Lazarov – a Bulgarian National Football Player, also known as “Elektrichkata”; and Georgi Murkov – An Olympic Gold medal winner in wrestling – Graeco-Roman style.

GURKOVO

Population: 2 800

Gurkovo is situated in South Central Bulgaria, Stara Zagora district, in the East part of the Valley of Roses, only about 2km away from the town of Nikolaevo, 35km away from Kazanlak and 40km away from Sliven.

The settlement is named after the Russian general Gurko. Before that it was called Hainito and Kolupchii. It was declared a town in 1974.

Little is known of the history of the settlement. The few preserved remains of the past show the presence of the Thracians. There are also remains from a city wall which defended the settlement from the attacks of the Turks. The local legends say that there was an antique consecrated ground here and also a Christian monastery, which was destroyed by the Turks.

One of the best preserved remains of the past is the fortress “Hasara”, located to the south-west of the town.

An important moment in the new history of the town is the building of the so called “Pass of the Republic”, in the years 1946-47.

The region of Gurkovo is very nice – with green meadows, Rose and Lavender plantations, rivers, dam-lakes. There are several historical places nearby that have been declared monuments of the culture – the “Manastira”, “Bilchin Dol”, “Iurtishtata”, “Tredata”, etc.

One of the main attractions of the region is the annual “Bio Rally Gurkovo” – a donkey-driven cart racing. The racing was held for the first time in 1971, and the tradition was renovated in 2005 after a 15 years break. The race is an interesting moment and a lot of people from the whole region meet here, as well many foreigners.

 

Other interesting places to visit are:

• The church “St. Dimitar” in Gurkovo – more than 140 years old, with precious mural paintings and icons, typical for the end of 19^th – beginning of 20^th century
• “The Holy Trinity” church in the nearby village of Konare
• The church in the village of Panicherevo

RILA MONASTERY

The Rila monastery is located in a deep gorge in the heart of the majestic Rila mountain, about 1150m above sea level. It is situated about 120km away from Sofia.

This is the most popular tourist site among all monasteries in Bulgaria equally for its size, natural surroundings, architecture, wall paintings and ancient history. The building is one of the symbols of Bulgaria in the face of the world.

The highest peak in the Rila mountain, Musala (2925m – the highest in the Balkan peninsula) lies within 8 hours’ walking distance. The monastery offers a great view to the surrounding mountains and is a fully developed tourist sight with all the accompanying facilities including souvenir shops, restaurants and hotels.

For centuries the monastery has played an extraordinary role in the Bulgarian history and spiritual growth.

It is believed that the monastery was founded by a hermit, Ivan of Rila, around the 10th century, during the reign of the Bulgarian Tsar Peter (927-968). St Ivan of Rila, whose relics are exhibited for pilgrims in the main church, in fact lived in a cave about half-an-hour walk away from the present-day monastery complex. The monastery itself is considered to have been built by his scholars, who came to the place to be taught by him.

The monastery was highly respected ever since it was established. Every Bulgarian tsar from Ivan Assen II (1218-1241) to the fall of Bulgaria under Ottoman rule at the time of Ivan Shishman (1371-1393) made generous donations to the monastery. This support helped the monastery turn out into a cultural and religious center of its time.

The current outlook of the monastery dates back to the 19th century. The residential buildings, which form a closed irregular quadrangle, started in 1816. In the center of the inner courtyard rises the oldest building of the complex - an impressive stone tower, built by the local feudal Sevastocrator Hreliu in 1335. A small church, which is just a few years younger stands next to the tower. In more recent times, a belfry was added to the tower (1844). Around 1834-1837 the monastery’s main church, “the Nativity of the Virgin” was built as well.

The entire complex is quite impressive. The 4-floor residential part includes about 300 monks’ cells, 4 chapels, an abbot’s room, a kitchen, a library and guestrooms for tourists.

Like a lot other Bulgarian monasteries that survived during Ottoman rule, the Rila was a center of spiritual and cultural life for the Bulgarian nation.

In 1983 the monastery was included in UNESCO’s list of world heritage.

 PANAGYURISHTE

Panagyurishte is situated in a small valley in Sredna Gora mountain. It is located about 100 km from Sofia, to the east, and 43 km north of Pazaradjik n both banks of the Luda Iana river. Its name has a Greek origin and means a fair venue (PANAGYUR is a synonim of PANAIR, the local word for fair). The town become the symbol of the Bulgarian striving for freedom during the Ottoman yoke.By then it received a special status by the governors (a military town) and had special privileges - right to relative self government and freedom from some taxes.

• The Oborishte historical site
• Krassen Fortress - a military, administrative, economic and spiritual center of the Panagyurishte region in the late Antiquity and the Middle Ages (c. 4-14 AD), situated 5 km southwards of Panagyurishte.
• The National Revival houses
• The house-museum of Raina Kniagina
• The Apriltsi NationalMemorial Complex
• The Panagyurishte Gold Treasure

DRYANOVO

The town of Dryanovo is situated 24km away from Veliko Tarnovo and about 25 km from Gabrovo on the magnificent Balkan slopes covered with shady woods - amphitheatrically along the two banks of the Dryanovo River, a tributary to the Yantra River. This is the birthplace of Bulgarian construction genius Nikola Fichev - Master Kolyo Ficheto, 1800-1881Byzantine chronicles mention the settlement first in 1186, at the end of the Byzantium rule as a castle on the Strazhata plateau. At that time the Assen brothers dynasty lead the Bulgarians for a revolt (1185-1187). The name of today's town comes from the cornel tree /dryan in Bulgarian/ - as sturdy as the mountaineers themselves. In 1430, it is written in some Turkish registries as Diranav. Like all Balkan settlements, Dryanovo reaches its bloom at the time of the Revival. In 1883 it is announced a town. Masons and woodcarvers spread the fame of the town throughout Bulgaria and far away in the Turkish Empire. People call Dryanovo "A town of centenarians" for the healthy climatic conditions prolong people's life

Interesting places to visit are:

• The museum Kolio Ficheto
• St. Nikola church - built up by the master Kolio Ficheto
• The church Holy Trinity with the magnificent wood – carved ceilings
• Dryanovo Monastery - national monument of culture, built in 12 century
• The Bacho Kiro Cave in which were discovered the oldest traces of life on Balkan Peninsula- proofs for human presence from paleolithic epoch. Some levels of the cave are up to 3 km long. The route for tourists with a guide is electrified and its length is 0,5 km.

ARBANASSI

The village of Arbanassi is situated less than 5 km away from the former capital of Bulgaria, Veliko Turnovo, perching on a high plateau overseeing the Trapezitsa and Tsarevets hills. The settlement was founded in the 13th century by prominent Bulgarian bolyars. Its bloom was in the 17-18th century when it grew into a wealthy crafts and trade hub. It was during that period that most of its gorgeous houses were constructed. The oldest houses of Arbanassi are made entirely of stone and resemble minor fortresses on the outside – something that cannot be seen anywhere else in Bulgaria. These houses have high, solid walls and heavy gates, internal staircases and small windows with metal bars, which strengthen the impression of fortress-like constructions. They are spacious and comfortable, richly decorated and furnished on the inside.
In 1921, the village was declared a holiday complex via a royal decree, while since 2000, it has been recognised as “a historical village” of national importance. The architectural museum that the entire Arbanassi represents has 144 renovated houses, 5 churches with rich internal decoration and 2 monasteries 9St. Nikola and The Holy Vigin). The oldest of Arbanassi’s five churches is The Birth of Christ ( 1637 - 1649), dug into the ground without a belfry and with hidden cupola, but hiding a genuine art gallery with over 3 500 stunningly realistic figures and Biblical scenes, painted by unknown artists throughout the ages. Apart from the abundance of tourist sights, the village also offers plenty of hotels and nice restaurants to its visitors.

 ZHERAVNA

The village of Zheravna is situated about 15 km south of Kotel. It is one of the cultural and architectural pearls of Bulgaria. Every building in the village is a unique cultural monument. It has been preserved almost of its authentic appearance and atmosphere.

Interesting places to visit are:

• The House-Mouseum of Roussi Chorbadzhi
• The House-Mudeum of Sava Filaretov
• The House-Museum of Yordan Yovkov (that is the native home of the great Bulgarian writer)
• St. Nikolai Church – one of the remarkable ensembles of Revival town lay-out and architecture.

 KOPRIVSHTITSA

Koprivshtitsa is hidden among the foothills of the Sredna Gora mountains some 100 km east of Sofia. The settlement preserves more in the way of traditional Balkan architecture than anywhere else in the country. Enriched by the proceeds of the local wool industry, Koprivshtitsa’s nineteenth-century merchants employed Bulgaria’s best painters and woodcarvers to adorn their houses, turning the village into a focus of the cultural upsurge known as the National Revival.

Koprivshtitsa’s charm and ancient spirit has hardly any rivals in Bulgaria, probably except for the seaside town of Sozopol. Yet the two towns’ similarities end with their narrow and steep cobbled streets. Koprivshtitsa’ old (but renovated) houses are all painted in different vivid colors (yellow, orange, red, blue, green) with their stone walls rising high above the ground. Walls were built thick and high for purely practical reasons - i.e. during the Ottoman rule, this was done in order to prevent Bulgarian women from being beheld and possibly hurt by Turkish soldiers. The walls’ height was also ensuring that any plots or revolutionary gatherings against the Turkish authorities were not to be heard or seen by the latter.
As being one of richest villages in Bulgaria by the time of the Ottoman domination, Koprivshtitsa was also a key center of political resistance to Ottoman rule, and it was here that the ill-fated April Uprising broke out on April 20 1876. The Rising was put down with savagery by the Ottoman authorities, but Koprivshtitsa has occupied a special place in the Bulgarian psyche ever since.

Once being a crafts and trading center, at present the town of Koprishtitsa lives primarily on tourism with most of its houses being turned into cozy family hotels with welcoming taverns and restaurants on their ground floors or in their cellars.

Interesting places to visit are:

• Oslekov House-Museum. Built for a rich trading family in the 1850s, this is one of the finest National Revival houses in Bulgaria. The façade, held up by cedar-wood columns, is an artwork in itself, painted with floral designs and fantastical cityscapes. A wooden staircase leads to the huge first-floor hall, flanked on either side by reception rooms opulently furnished with carpets, fitted couches and brass charcoal braziers.
• Dimcho Debelyanov House-Museum. This more modest, low-ceiling dwelling was the birthplace of Dimcho Debelyanov (1887-1916), whose symbolist poems achieved posthumous fame after he was killed on the Macedonian front during World War I. Upstairs, there’s a display of manuscripts and photographs.
• Todor Kableshkov House-Museum. The organic, wavy lines of this house’s ochre façade is Koprivshtitsa’s most famous visual trademark. Inside lie luxuriant nineteenth-century interiors, and displays devoted to rebel leader Todor Kableshkov, who launched the April Rising ahead of schedule upon learning that the Ottoman authorities were about to arrest him.
• Bridge of the First Shot. A few steps downhill from the Kableshkov house, this petite stone bridge marks the spot where the Rising began. With the stone houses rearing up on either side, it’s one of the most appealing spots in the village.
• Liutov House-Museum. Koprivshtitsa’s interiors don’t come more sumptuously decorated than this, with colourful murals depicting the European cities that local merchants visited with their caravans. The house now harbours Koprivshtitsa’s ethnographic collection.
• Georgi Benkovski House-Museum. Marking the southern end of the museum trail, the birthplace of local tailor and rebel commander Benkovski (1844-1876) houses the banners, uniforms and weapons secretly manufactured by the villagers in the months prior to the Rising.
• Lyuben Karavelov House-Museum. Local boy Lyuben Karavelov (1834-1879) spent much of his adult life in exile lobbying for support for Bulgarian independence. His birthplace is decked out in kaleidoscopic woolen rugs and antique domestic utensils, although most impressive of the exhibits is the huge cast-iron printing press.

ETARA

Etara is an ethnographical open-air museum, situated in a