Guide TRAKIA-TOURS - page 5

The Shiroka Laka Architectural and Folklore Reserve is one of the most unspoiled villages in the Central Rhodope Mountains in respect to the houses as well as the almost untouched network of streets. The authentic houses are situated as if they make up an amphitheater on both sides of the Shirokalashka River. They are grouped in a few naturally seperate groupings -Sgurovski, Tsarkoven, Charshiyska Street, Kupishteto and Karovski. Outside of these, there are individual architectural monuments - houses, bridges, churches and chapels. The earliest houses are Capt. Nikola's (1802) and Vladishka ... more

One of the most beautiful towns in Bulgaria is situated on both banks of the Cherna River, in the most picturesque part of the Rhodope Mountains. It was formed by the union of three villages - Smolyan (Ezerovo or Pashmakla), Raykovo and Ustovo, which are its separate present-day quarters.The earliest archaeological evidence in the region dates from the end of the Bronze Age - 13th century B.C. Thracians, Slavs and Proto-Bulgarians lived in these lands. Because of its geographic location Smolyan was successively under Byzantine, Ottoman and Bulgarian rule. The Slavic tribe of Smoleni gave it it ... more

Sopot is situated in the shadow of the southern slopes of the Troyan region of the Balkan Mountains, on the northern end of the Karlovo plain - part of the famous Rose Valley.This is one of the oldest towns in the valley of the Stryama River. It existed a long time before Bulgaria fell under Ottoman rule under the name of Byala Cherkva (white church), which was replaced by the Turkish translation - Akche Klise. The Bulgarian poet and writer, Ivan Vazov, popularized the name of Sopot in his novel Under the Yoke, considered the first novel of Neo-Bulgarian literature. During the Revival, as with ... more

Stara Zagora is situated at the foot of the Sarnena Sredna Gora, in the heart of Southern Bulgaria.The city emerged during the 6th century B.C. Its long historical existence, marked by the presence of Thracians, Romans, barbarian tribes, and Turks, is also marked by a large number of names -Beroe, Augusta Trajana, Vereya, Irinopolis, Boruy, Eski Zagra, Zheleznik, and Stara Zagora, as well as many variations on these names. During the National Revival era its population took active part in the enlightenment movement and the struggle for national liberation. Stara Zagora is renowned as the city ... more

Bulgaria's southernmost town is situated just 2 km from the border with Greece and 50 km from the Aegean Sea. It is situated in the valley of the Varbitsa River, on the border between the Western and the Eastern Rhodopes - literally on the last ridge of the Rhodope Mountains, after which the Aegean Plain begins.It is believed that the modern town is the successor to the medieval Bulgarian town of Belovidovo. After the Liberation, which came for the principality of Bulgaria in 1878, it remained in the Ottoman Empire until 1912. The 20th century was a time of flourishing for Zlatograd. During th ... more

Aytos is situated on the southern foothills of the Eastern Balkan Mountains, in the valley of the Aytos River.The settlement was founded by the Thracians. The remains of three towers of the Aetos (gr. eagle) Fortress constructed between 650 and 750 are evidence of the presence of life also during the Middle Ages. The first Bulgarian ruler of Aytos was Khan Tervel. The Crusaders destroyed the fortress in 1206. It grew once again into a fortified town known as Chengis in 1488, and later, during the National Revival era, as Orlovo or Orlovets (from the Bulgarian word for eagle, orel). It made a n ... more

The town of Elhovo is situated amid a fertile plain along the Lower Tundzha River.The stone and copper work instruments and manually processed ceramics uncovered prove that there was human life here as early as the Neolithic Age (6-4th millenium B.C.). The first settlement, founded by the Thracians, was called Oruditsa. Remains of a fortress, settlements, burial mounds and megalithic tombs (dolmens) have been preserved from their culture. In 72 B.C. the region came under Roman rule. The Romans fortified the town, converted it into a roadside station between Kabile (modern Yambol) and Adrianopo ... more

The town of Karnobat is situated on the Upper Thracian Lowlands, north of the Karnobat Highlands.The history of the region, situated on the southern approach to the Rishki and Varbishki passes, dates back to the Neolithic Age. The settlement and mounds yield evidence of life from the Eneolithic (Copper) and Iron Ages, and a busy village life from antiquity to the Middle Ages. Since the 15th century, the town has continually been an administrative, commercial and trading centre (including a traditional annual fair) according to historical sources. In Ottoman documents and travelers' notes it wa ... more

Kotel is situated on a picturesque plain amid the Kotel Mountains (Eastern Balkan Mountains), which is where the name comes from. It is surrounded by ridges and chasms that are very difficult of access.At the beginning of the Ottoman rule, many Bulgarians, fleeing from the destruction brought by the Turks in the surrounding villages, found refuge here. The first settlers in Kotel were derventdzhii (protectors of the Balkan passes) and livestock traders. This provided the town with relative independence - municipal self-rule, relief from some taxes, ban for Turks to move in, etc. These privileg ... more

Malko Tarnovo is the only town in the Bulgarian part of the Strandja Mountain.The remains of dolmens and necropolis mounds prove the existence of a Thracian settlement on the site of the present-day town. During the Roman period a roadside station, Utsurgas, was situated here. During the 16-17th century, settlers from the surrounding villages began to establish themselves near the Golemia Vris Spring, which still exists today; they founded a new settlement whose name is explained by the abundance of prickly thorns in those parts. It becomes clear from travelers' descriptions that during the 18 ... more