When you travel by car in Bulgaria the landscape is changing every half an hour. The Black Sea coast with its sunny sandy beaches is followed by vast fields and plains, surrounded by high mountain ranges.Bulgaria has an area of 110,000 sq. km, 37 mountains tower in her territory. Òhese are Rila mountain including the highest peak of the Balkan Peninsula – Musala at 2,925 meters (9,596 ft); Pirin mountain is noted with its virgin beauty, and with its three peaks higher than 2900 m.
32 peaks higher than 2600 m. and 40 peaks higher than 2500 ì. The Balkan Peninsula derives its name from the Balkan or Stara Planina mountain range. The Balkan range runs 560 km from eastern Serbia eastward through central Bulgaria to Cape Emine on the Black Sea. The other 34 are smaller mountains crossed by fields and valleys, each of them having specific character, geographic features and spirit.
Across these lands, situated at crossroads, between two continents, on the border between the North and the South, the West and the East, so close to the Mediterranean and the treasures of the East have been travelling Byzantines and Romans, Arabs and Cumans, Celts, Goths and Avars, Slavs and Bulgarians, Turkish and crusaders.
The vestiges of this turbulent past -vestiges of the creation as well of the destruction are preserved until now. In the Bulgarian museums are kept the oldest treasure in the world, Varna Necropolis found near the town of Varna; Panagyurishte treasure; Vulchitrun treasure; The Rogozen treasure. They have been shown in the world’s museums. In the Rhodope Mountain, the birthplace of mythical Orpheus, teams of Bulgarian archeologists have been making phenomenal discoveries- traces of the most ancient Thracian civilization. For Thracians Herodotus who is regarded as the "father of history" reported that they were one of the most numerous people inhabiting these lands with own high developed material and spiritual culture. The archeologists keep excavating new settlements, Thracian tombs, necropolis and sanctuaries, ruins of Thracian rulers’ palaces. A sensational discovery is the discovery of the ancient city of Perperikon, where the scientists have found proofs that the famous sanctuary and oracular shrine dedicated to Dionysus of the Bessi were situated there.
The Rhodope Mountain compare to Rila and Pirin mountains resembles a sea of dark-green hills merging into one another; it is cozier and more graceful with its green peaks and calm valleys. But just here you can admire the austere and magnificent beauty of the Trigrad Gorges that will offer you breathtaking scenery. And if you like adventures you should by all means go down the abyss of the cave called, not without reason, "The Devil’s Throat. The Devil's Throat cave is 300 000 years old cave. Its total length is 1km, and the length of the improved route is 350m. In this cave you can find the biggest cascade of waterfalls on the Balkan peninsula, with a total height of 60m.. A lot of myths and legends have been associated with that macabre cave .According to the legend this is the place where Orpheus went down into the kingdom of the specters, in search of his beloved Euridica. Near The Devil’s Throat is located another famous gorge-this of Yagodina. Yagodinska Cave is located 3 km south-east of the village of Yagodina. It represents a three-level labyrinth of total length of 10km and is one of the deepest caves in Bulgaria. A walk along the well-lit tourist trail (1100 m.) reveals impressive rock formations of stalactites and stalagmites, as well as other shapes resembling stone curtains and cave pearls. Archeological objects dating from the 4th and 5th centuries BC have also been discovered there. Another nearby attraction is the Canyon of the Arda River, called the Devil's Bridge.It has unforgettable beauty and is one of the most favorite places for visit by all tourists.
One other river whose upper reach is situated in the northern slopes of the Rila Mountain is Iskar River. It passes through Sofia and flows in Danube River. When Iskar River reaches The Balkan Mountain, forms The Iskar Gorge - as it is commonly known - a true pearl in the tourist necklace of Bulgaria. It is a natural miracle carved out of the stone breasts of the Stara Planina. For thousands of years the waters of the Iskar River have dug their way into the rock, carving out forms of incredible shape, which have impressed every visitor.
North of the Balkan Mountain near a lake of Karst origin is located the Cave Magura- a fantastic underground world of rare in beauty and variety natural phenomena. The Magura was inhabited by humans as far as the prehistoric era. Its first inhabitants have left material traces of the earliest periods of the human civilization, including the Matriarchate, and have turned the cave into an original gallery of prehistoric art.
The drawings on the walls of the cave are true masterpieces and are the only ones in South-eastern Europe. They date from the beginning of the Bronze era. In later periods the Magura served as a shelter of Manush chieftain. The name of the cave is a part of many tales about mythical dragons and legendary heroes, about treasures hidden there from the time of tsar Ivan Shishman which in the past often stirred treasure-hunters’ passions.
The mountains in Bulgaria and their feet are the places where have been preserved the nation's values during difficult times and have been kept up the Bulgarians' spirit and self-consciousness during 5 centuries of Ottoman domination. These places are the Bulgarian Monasteries. One of the most famous is Rila Monastery. The Rila Monastery has an unique architecture. Outside, the monastery looks like a fortress. It has 24-meters stone walls which forms irregular pentagon. That’s why when some tourist enters in the monastery’s yard from some of the two iron gates he is surprised by its architecture: arches and colonnades, covered wooden stairs and carved verandas and the 300-400 monastic cells. The Hreliov’s tower and the main church “The Nativity of the Virgin” cohabit at the center of the yard.
The monastery is one of the Bulgarian Landmarks in the UNESCO List with other 8 landmarks. These are: Ivanovo Rock Churches- a rock monastery compound of the Holy Archangel Michael, with partially preserved churches. The murals in the Church of the Holy Virgin have been described as some of the most significant achievements of 14th century Bulgarian medieval art. The churches are located about 20 km away from the city of Rouse, east of the village of Ivanovo, in the rocks of the Rousenski Lom Nature Park; Nessebur, the old part of the town. An architectural, historical and archaeological reserve at the Black Sea coast with valuable archaeological relics from different periods, original churches from the 5th to the 17th century and authentic National Revival Period houses; Kazanluk Tomb. A Thracian tomb, dated to the late 4th-early 3rd century B.C. The murals in the burial chamber and in the corridor are of exclusive artistic value. The tomb is located in the Tyulbeto Hill near the town of Kazanluk as well as Sreburna Reserve- a biosphere reserve in the valley of the Danube, including the Sreburna Lake and its surroundings. It has been established for the preservation of rare plant and animal species. It is 16 km west of the town of Silistra. Parangalitsa, declared back in 1933, is the second oldest Bulgarian reserve. Its name is derived from the Greek parangalos, meaning ‘forbidden,’ or ‘off limits.’ The Reserve occupies part of the southwestern slopes of Rila Mountain, covering 1,509 hectares. It contains some of the oldest spruce forests in Europe—the average age of individual specimens is 200 years or older. The forests provide favorable habitats for the 290 higher plants and numerous animal species protected by law and listed in the Red Data Book of Bulgaria. Parangalitsa Reserve has been listed on the UNESCO List of Biospheric Reserves under the Man and Biosphere Program since March 1977.
Mountains, forests, vast valleys, old towns, archeological discoveries. Authentic monuments of the traditional Bulgarian architecture, natural phenomena and 4 seasons, changing the illumination and the light upon this unbelievable beauty- hot summer, winter storms and snow, covered with flowers glades, melancholic and humble autumn.
All this is Bulgaria- the exact term for her is “beautiful Bulgaria”. She always astonishes the foreigners.
