A presentation devoted to beautiful and interesting places in Bulgaria, yet not well-known and popular.

1. Bulgaria through the eyes of
travelers
By
Elena Ivanova & Dario Dionisi

2. Highlights
• Who are we?
• In short about Bulgaria
• Top historical sights in Bulgaria
• The most beautiful natural landmarks in Bulgaria

3. Who are we?
• Association of the owners of tourist
online media;
• A.K.A Bulgarian travel bloggers;
• We strive to help our members and
partners with information, advice,
networking and educational events;
• We greatly appreciate sustainable
travel and local initiatives and
businesses;
• www.astom.org

4. Who are we?
• Elena Ivanova: a web developer, an
avid tourist, a travel blogger;
• 5 years ago I created the blog Друми в
думи (roughly translated in English as
Paths in words);
• I present there mountains, waterfalls,
cities, historical places, mostly in
Bulgaria;

5. Who are we?
• Dario, travel blogger at Exploring
beyond Sofia;
• Nature lover;
• Always getting lost while travelling
(definitely no the best partner in crime);

6. In short about Bulgaria
Prehistoric Times
• The earliest traces of human activity - Neanderthal remains - in the region dating to
around 150,000 years ago.
• The Copper Age (fifth millennium BC): the oldest processed gold in the world was
found in Varna, Bulgaria. There, in 294 graves were found 3000 gold objects dating
back more than 6000 years.
Antiquity
• The Thracians, one of the three primary ancestral groups of modern Bulgarians,
appeared on the Balkan Peninsula some time before the 12th century BC.
• About 15,000 Thracian tombs were discovered in Bulgaria.
• The legendary Thracian singer, Orpheus, spent his life in the current land of Bulgaria.

7. In short about Bulgaria
Middle ages
• Bulgaria is the only country in Europe that has not changed its name since the year it
was established 680 AD.
• The Cyrillic alphabet was developed in Bulgaria in 9th century AD by St. Clement of
Ohrid and St. Naum and replaced the earlier Glagolitic script developed by the
Byzantine theologians Cyril and Methodius.
Modern times
• Bulgaria was one of the few countries that protected their Jewish inhabitants from
being sent to the Nazi concentration camps.

8. In short about Bulgaria
Nature
• Almost one third of Bulgaria is covered in forests.
• Musala peek, standing at 2,925 m, is the highest point in the Balkans.
• Bulgaria is the second country in Europe after Iceland by the number of sources of
mineral and spring water.
• The roses grown in Bulgaria’s “Rose Valley” produce 70% of the world’s rose oil – a
component in most perfumes.

9. Top historical sights in Bulgaria

10. Gradishte Historical Park, Dolno Dryanovo
• It is a prehistoric rock sanctuary
occupying a high ridge accessible only
from the northwest;
• The site is located in the Gradishte
area next to the village of Dolno
Dryanovo;
• Archaeological studies have found
cultural traces of the prehistoric and
ancient times;
• In addition: beautiful panoramas and
several waterfalls;

11. Temple-well near the village of Garlo
• Dated 12th–10th century BC;
• Was discovered in 1972 but it is still
not organized to be easily visited;
• Not well known and popular for visit
which makes the place even more
interesting;
• Not easy to reach, so your visit can be
seen as a adventure from Indiana
Jones movies;

12. Dolmen in Nuchevi Chairi area near Hlyabovo
• The Dolmens are megalithic facilities of
the Bronze and Early Iron Age;
• Dolmens are like a “trademark” of the
Sakar Mountains in Bulgaria;
• It is one of the largest, best preserved
and studied dolmens in Bulgaria;

13. Deaf stones
• Cult-funeral complex;
• It is a system of four huge rock blocks
with numerous shapes cut into them;
• Also 2 tombs there;
• Dated back to the Early Iron Age (1200-
500 BC);
• It was also used in Antiquity and the
Middle Ages;

14. Karadzhov stone
• High rock plateau in the Rhodope
Mountains;
• It was Thracian sanctuary;
• You can climb on the plateau, but it is
quite extreme;
• The views on the plateau are amazing
and in all directions;

15. Thracian Tomb in Mezek
• One of the largest on the Balkan
Peninsula;
• Orientated to the east-west axis, the
entrance is from the east;
• It consists of a corridor, two chambers
with a rectangular shape and a round
tomb with a dome;
• Its total length is nearly 30 meters, only
the corridor is more than 20 meters
long;
• It was built at the end of the 4th
century BC and was used until the
middle of the 3rd century BC;

16. The Mishkova niva Sanctuary
• The Mishkova niva sanctuary is one of
the oldest Thracian sanctuaries in
Strandzha region;
• It has unique architecture and it is one
of the most important monuments of
the tomb building in Thrace;

17. The Thracian chariot in the village of Karanovo
• Dated to the middle of the 1st century;
• Because of the rich gifts found there, it
is believed that a notable Thracian
aristocrat was buried there;
• The village of Karanovo is located in
the municipality of Nova Zagora, Sliven
region, about 260 km east of Sofia;

18. Stara Zagora: Ancient Forum Augusta Trayana
• It is an ancient roman amphitheater;
• Located in the heart of the city of Stara
Zagora;
• There you can walk through a fully
authentic Roman street which is 2,000
years old;

19. Rila Monastery
• The largest, the most famous and the
most visited in Bulgaria;
• Located in Rila Mountains, ~ 120 km south
of Sofia;
• Founded between 927 – 941 year by the
hermit Ivan of Rila;
• Thus the name: Monastery of Saint Ivan of
Rila;
• The Monastery houses a wooden cross
with 140 microscopic scenes from the
Bible featuring more than 1,500 figures,
and the biggest one of them is smaller
than a grain of rice.

20. Chirpan Monastery St. Athanasius
• The oldest active European monastery;
• It was founded in 344 by St. Athanasius
himself, also known as Athanasius the
Great, who at that time was a Patriarch
of Alexandria;
• The monastery is situated 15
kilometers southeast of Chirpan (thus
the name Chirpan monastery) and
about 72 km east of Plovdiv;

21. Veliko Tarnovo and Tsarevets
• Тhe old Bulgarian capital;
• Тhe most beautiful place in the world
for 2016, built on steep slopes (in
Italian contest);
• 222 km northeast of Sofia;

22. Island of St. Ivan near Sozopol
• The biggest Bulgarian island in Black
sea;
• Beside the beautiful see views you can
see the ancient monastery of St. John
the Baptist;
• A marvelous relic was found there a
few years ago – a marble box with
relics of the St. John the Baptist;

23. The most beautiful natural
landmarks in Bulgaria

24. • Popular by the name “God’s eyes”;
• The longest cave passage in Bulgaria
(262 m);
• The phenomenon was featured in the
1988 Bulgarian film Time of Violence;
Prohodna cave

25. • Is the highest peak in Rila mountain,
also in Bulgaria and the entire Balkan
Peninsula, standing at 2,925 metres
(also the 4th highest peak
in Continental Europe);
• Meaning of Musala from Arabic
through Ottoman Turkish: from
Musalla, "near God" or "place for
prayer“;
• Musala is the coldest place in Bulgaria
and the entire Balkan Peninsula, with
an average annual temperature of -
2.3 °C;
Musala peak

26. • Among the most beautiful and
interesting places to see in Bulgaria;
• You can walk around them on a
relatively short eco path without much
efforts;
• ~194 km northeast of Sofia;
Krushuna Falls

27. • The site hosts over 80 bird species, as
well as amphibians, mammals and
bats, believed to be the third most
significant underground habitat for
bats in Europe;
• Devetashka cave was shown in the
action movie The Expendables 2,
filmed in 2011;
• Earliest traces of human presence
date back to the Middle Paleolithic
around 70,000 years ago;
Devetashka cave

28. • Bolata is the only reserve in Bulgaria
that includes sea area in its territory;
• This is the only approachable place
where the sea can be reached for
kilometers of cliffs spread out
northwards and southwards;
• In the area of Bolata was also found a
Maltese cross which testify to the
foreign trade relation of the Second
Bulgarian Empire with the Republic of
Venice and Genoa;
Gulf Bolata

29. • The reserve was recognized as World
Natural Heritage Site under the 1972
Convention for the Protection of the
World Cultural and Natural Heritage
and included in the UNESCO World
Heritage List;
• Many people call the lake “Eldorado
of wading birds” because of the rich
biodiversity of rare birds;
• Legends says that the name comes
from the silvery reflections on the
lake's surface during full moon;
Srebarna Nature Reserve

30. • The Dragoman Marsh is the biggest
natural karst wetland in Bulgaria;
• The marsh is a protected sanctuary
for birds. Over 200 species have been
recorded in the area. Some of them
have a high conservation status. The
marsh is also home to more than 140
plant species;
Dragoman marsh

31. • "Tyulenovo" means "Village of seals" in
Bulgarian, but seals haven't been seen in
the area since the 1980s;
• Recently near Tyulenovo peope has
discovered artifacts from the Durankulak
Eneolithic settlement, belonging to one of
the world's earliest civilizations;
• settlement was founded in the Ancient
period, probably by the ancient Thracians
and in the next periods was part of the
Roman, Bulgarian and Ottoman empires;
Tyulenovo

32. • The Iskar Gorge is the longest and
most impressive gorge in Bulgaria
with a length of 84 km and an
average altitude of 362 m;
Iskar Gorge

33. • The Seven Rila Lakes are a group of
glacial lakes. They are the most
visited group of lakes in Bulgaria;
• The lakes are situated between 2,100
and 2,500 meters elevation above sea
level;
Seven Rila Lakes

34. • The Belogradchik Rocks are a group of
strangely shaped sandstone and
conglomerate rock formations;
• The Rocks are under consideration as
a Geopark in the European Geoparks
Network and the UNESCO Global
Geoparks Network;
• In 2009, the Belogradchik Rocks were
named as Bulgaria’s nomination in
the campaign for the New 7 Wonders
of Nature;
Belogradchik Rocks

35. • The Stob Earth Pyramids are rock
formations, known as hoodoos (is a
tall, thin spire of rock that protrudes
from the bottom of an arid drainage
basin or bad land), situated at the
foothills of the Rila mountain;
• The rock formations are up to 12 m
high and up to 40 m thick at the base;
• Their shape is mostly conical to
mushroomlike. Some of the columns
are topped by flat stones;
Stob Earth Pyramids

36. • Raysko Praskalo"Heavenly Sprinkler",
124.5 m in height, is the highest
waterfall (full time annually
working)in Bulgaria and the Balkan
Peninsula;
Raysko praskalo

37. • The "bridges" were formed by the
erosive activity of the once larger
Erkyupryia River. It transformed the
marble clefts into a deep-water cave;
• The larger one (upstream) is 15 metres
at its widest and 96 metres long, and
shaped by three vaulted arches, the
largest of which is 45 metres high and
40 metres wide;
• The adjacent area is wooded, with
century-old conifers, mainly spruces.
Marvelous Bridges

38. Merci pour votre attention!
Elena Ivanova
Drumi v dumi
drumivdumi
wwww.drumivdumi.com
Dario Dionisi
Exploring beyond Sofia
legenddario
www.beyondsofia.com
#ExploreBulgaria