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 Perperikon (or Hyperperakion) is situated in the Eastern Rhodopi Mountain range, some 10 miles from the town of Kurdzhali.The roads from Sofia, via Asenovgrad or Parvomay, are good and well maintained. Perperikon is situated on a rocky peak at 1,400 ft altitude above sea level guarded by the village of Gorna Krepost [high castle]. The gold-bearing river Perpereshka flows nearby forming a valley some 7 miles long and 2.5 miles wide. This fertile sheltered place had attracted settlers from ancient times, and today. Dozens of sites clustered around the natural hub of Perperikon reveal layer upon layer of archaeological remains. Just a little further downstream, the Perpereshka flows into the artificial lake of Stouden Kladenets on the river Arda. Where the two bodies of water meet, is the village of Kaloyantsi, a scenic place with some tourist facilities. "In the Eastern Rhodope, near the town of Kurdzhali, a bare rock rises. Legend has it that in the remote past, the peak was called 'the rock home of the Sun God.' Ancient historians claim that somewhere around, high in the mountains stood the shrine of the Thracian God Dionysus—the site where two major prophecies were made that were to leave a mark on world history." This excerpt comes from a promotional DVD produced by ING on one of the most valuable archaeological sites in Bulgaria, the ancient city of Perperikon. more info |
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 Gorni Voden Monastery - St. St. Kirik and YulitaIn the beautiful Thracian valley, hidden in the outskirts of the Rhodopi Mountains and about two kilometers southwest from Assenovgrad lies the Gorni Voden monastery “St St Kirik and Yulita”. The date of the monastery’s first opening is still a mystery. Yet it is believed that before the monastery was built, there had been some spring which water cured deceases. It was destroyed for the first time in the 17th century during the Turks invasion in Bulgaria. In the late 17th century, however, the church was rebuilt on the same place and named after St Petka and consecrated on October 15, 1850. Some years later, the old monastery “St St Kirik and Yulita” was also restored next to it. In 1810, both the monastery and the church were set on fire and destroyed by the local thievery bands: so-called Kurdzhalii. It took 19 years to rebuild the monastery: from 1816 to 1835. Than again the monastery was taken over by the Greek Church in the middle of the 19th century. It was returned to the Bulgarian church not until 1930. The monastery was seriously damaged by a fire in 1924 and again by an earthquake in 1928. During the 20es and 30es of the 20th century, “St St Kirik and Yulita” hosted a religious school. During the period: 1943-1944, it had been used for a concentration camp during The World War II. After September 9, 1944 when the communist party took over the leading in Bulgaria, the monastery was abandoned. Later on it had been transformed into an institution for mentally sick people. In 1981, the Union of Architects in Bulgaria received the authorities’ formal consent to restore and adapt the monastery for secular needs. In 1982, a team of architects and engineers headed by architect Lyubomir Shinkov elaborated a project on the restoration of the monastery and its adaptation as an international architectural academy. Between 1983 and 1987, the monastery was reconstructed by the engineer Hristo Radev and on September 25, 1987.It was reopened by the Head of Union of Architects in Bulgaria: Georgi Stoilov. At present days the monastery represents a three-star hotel opened to visitors all over the world. The monastery represents a complex: church and massive two-stored residential buildings around it. The monastery church “St Petka” is a large, three-nave and single-domed pseudo-basilica with a narthex. The big Bulgarian painter Alexi Atanasov painted most of its frescoes. The entire iconostasis is still preserved, including icons painted by the great Bulgarian master Zahari Zograf. About 500m to the southeast of the monastery one can see the monastery’s holly spring with its chapel dedicated to St St Kirik and Yulita. The chapel still keeps some fragments and frescoes. |
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 Plovdiv, Bulgaria's second most important city, preserves the undying values of its six millenia long history. With the name of Philippopolis the city celebrated the conquest of Philip II of Macedon, but it was classical Trimonium which left indelible marks of its grandeur, still visible today scattered on the six hills of Plovdiv. The most remarkable of them rising above the city is the Antique Amphitheatre built by Emperor Mark Avrelii during the II century A.D. Its magnificant arcade adorned with marble statues is simply breath-taking. Theatre and opera performances are still staged here on warm summer nights. The Roman Stadium is also constructed during the II century and reproduces the layout in Delphi, Greece. Within the centre of the ancient major town of the Roman province of Thrace remains of stone paved streets, foundations of buildings and columns and ancient fortress walls and gates reside. The Old Plovdiv nowadays is an original living museum, an architectural phenomenon with many of the houses of those times' most prominent bulgarians turned into museums, galleries hosting various art exhibitions, festivals and biennials, and even tourist dormitories. Djumaya Mosque, dating back to 14-15th century, the "Holy Mather Of God" church constructed during the age of Sultan Murat in 1844-6, the"St. Constantine and Elena" Church dating back in 1856 and the "St. Marina" Church from 1856 with its wood-carved iconostasis represent only a small part of the city's spiritual heritage. The Etnographic Museum in Plovdiv is one of the most interesting museums in Bulgaria. Its exhibits are on show in a beautiful house, which is a fine example of the Bulgarian Baroque architecture of the National Revival Period. It was built in 1847. The principal facade of the house faces west, giving onto a spacious and well-kept garden. It consists of two clearly differentiated bodies: middle part projecting far forwards, and side wings drawn back. After restoration of Bulgarian country in 1878, this beautiful house was used for various purposes: as a girl's boarding school, then a millinery factory and a tobacco warehouse, while in 1943 the exhibition of the Municipal house was opened in it. Collecting the ethnographic materials now housed there was begun in 1951. more info |
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