BULGARIA SOUTH (Plovdiv, Kyustendil, Stara Zagora, Haskovo) May 2-3 2019
After Shipka Pass and Monument, I descended on the other side of the mountain and Central Balkan National Park into Bulgaria South.
Shipka Monastery of the Nativity of Christ, Shipka. Built in 1902 by Russians to commemorate the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-88, this is a fairytale church of gold onion domes, columns and geometric design on the façade. The interior is totally covered in frescoes with 18 large marble slabs listing the war dead of the war. There are fantastic brass and silver filigree icons. The crypt has several graves and some exhibits from the war. Free
Interestingly, Google Maps had the name in Cyrillic so I did not know what I was going to see.
Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak. A WHS declared in 1979, the visit sees a replica of the actual tomb that lies nearby and is closed to prevent deterioration of the paintings inside. I arrived just after a tour and had a long wait. The tomb was discovered accidentally in 1944 by soldiers digging trenches in a flat field. The tomb was built in the 3rd century BC and had been raided in ancient times and contained fragments of relics.
Enter through a triangular limestone opening into a corridor pre-grave (1.12m wide, 1.96m long and 2.25m high room with a triangular roof and some frescoes depicting battle scenes). The burial chamber is a 2.65m diameter and 3.2m high bell-shaped entered through a small rectangular opening originally closed by a metal door. There is a lovely funeral scene of the king receiving gifts. 6 BGN
STARA ZAGORA. A NM “European City”, there is little to distinguish it from any other Bulgarian city of Soviet-era apartment blocks.
Museum of Neolithic Dwellings. A tentative WHS (01/10/1984) this dates from the end of the 7th to the beginning of the 6th millennia BC. The two-story dwelling with walls of stakes entwined with poles and covered with a clay/straw mixture was destroyed by an enemy raid and the second story had collapsed into the first. It is completely excavated in the museum with an excellent guide to its contents. Downstairs is a museum with the findings: copper tools, flint, stone axes, bone digging implements, bone needles, and awls, utensils and several pots and cups completely preserved and of superb craftsmanship. There are also several other Neolithic sites from the 6th to the 4th millennia represented.
The museum is an obscure location. 5 BGN, 2 reduced
Thracian Tomb with Wall Paintings beside Alexandrovo village (Thracian Art of the Eastern Rhodepes). A tentative WHS (14/09/2004), this is actually in Bulgaria – Black Sea Coast. In a lovely new building with superb displays, it shows many Thracian sites in this geographic area but highlights the tomb in a nearby tumulus (15m high by 70m diameter) discovered in 2000 that is closed to preserve it. It dates to the 2nd half of the 4th century BC. Several displays have wonderful Thracian jewelry and other artifacts, none from this tomb that was raided in ancient times. Several large pictures detail the inside of the tomb, a replica of the original. A stone block corridor leads into a rectangular burial chamber with a domed roof and wonderful hunting scenes of 2 wild boar and a deer being attacked by dogs, men with double-headed axes, and spear-wielding men on horses.
Dimitrovgrad Planetarium. Dimitrovgrad. This is in a very obscure location reached down a one-way dirt road going the wrong way.
Haskovo. A NM “European City”, it had little that was in interesting.
Asen’s Fortress, Asenovgrad. Sitting on a high rocky ridge high above the nice city of Asenovgrad on the left bank of the Asenitsa River at 279 metres (915 ft) above sea level. on the edge of the south Balkan mountains, this fortress dates to the 13th century and the Second Bulgarian Kingdom when the Asen dynasty was in power. The fortress was conquered by the armies of the Third Crusade. It was considerably renovated in the 13th century (more precisely 1231) during the rule of Bulgarian tsar Ivan Asen II to serve as a border fortification against Latin raids, as evidenced by an eight-line wall inscription. The foundations of fortified walls—the outer ones being 2.9 metres (9.5 ft) thick and preserved up to a height of 3 metres (10 ft), originally 9 to 12 metres (30 to 39 ft) high—a feudal castle, 30 rooms and 3 water repositories have been excavated from this period.
The best preserved and most notable feature of Asen’s Fortress is the Church of the Holy Mother of God from the 12th-13th century. It is a two-story cross-domed single-naved building with a wide narthex and a large rectangular tower and features mural paintings from the 14th century. The conservation and partial restoration works on the church were finished in 1991 (the whole fortress was left to decay after the Ottoman conquest in the 14th century and only the church remained standing in its original appearance as it was used by the local Christians) and now it is in regular use as a Bulgarian Orthodox church.
The town of Asenovgrad takes its modern name from the fortress, formerly named Stanimaka.
Bachkovo Monastery. A tentative WHS (01/10/1984), this monastery is 7kms from Asenovgrad up a lovely canyon with a rocky creek. The main church, the Church Dormition of the Holy Virgin, was founded in 1083 by two Georgian brothers, destroyed by the Turks in the 15th century and restored in the 17th century. It has the best frescoes I have seen in Bulgaria, painted by Zachary Zograph in 1830 with incredible detail and covering the entire interior and entrance. The main object of devotion is the miraculous icon of the Holy Virgin originally placed in the monastery in the 11th century, covered in gold and silver jackets in 1311, hidden in the 14th century and rediscovered in the 17th century. The image is so faded, I could not make out any of her features. There are several very nice chandeliers and an enormous gilt altar screen with at least 100 icons.
I arrived shortly after a tour bus of old women in long dresses and kerchiefs all patiently stood in a long line to rub their keys on the icon, kiss the icon and cross themselves several times. While a priest did the typical chant, another priest lowered a brass cup from the ceiling and proceeded to put oil into tiny plastic bottles for all the women who then rubbed the oil on their faces and hands. They were almost in a frenzy. A priest then swung a censor around. All the women bought bottles of water with the image of the miraculous icon of the Holy Virgin and then ran down the hill to catch their bus.
One wall of the monastery courtyard is painted with several icons, has several fountains with animal head spouts, and a wonderful dawn redwood (water fir) tree that was thought to be extinct but rediscovered in China in 1944. There are also several other churches, an ossuary, and a refectory in the complex all ignored by the women. Free
Buried here are Patriarch Kiril and Exarch Stefan who prevented the export of many Jews to Nazi concentration camps.
PLOVDIV
The old part of the city is cobbled and much of it difficult to drive with narrow one-ways and little parking. Part of it has a large vehicle tunnel.
Aviation Museum. Near the Plovdiv Airport south of town, this is an open-air museum with many tired Soviet planes and helicopters. 5 BGN, 2 reduced
The Ancient Plovdiv is a tentative WHS: (14/09/2004). The Roman city of Philippopolis has now been almost completely overlain by the modern Plovdiv but some parts are exposed in lovely ways to be incorporated into the streets. The stadium was 240m long and sat 30,000 – one end is exposed and has a bar. There is also a Roman forum, Odeon,
St. Konstantin and Helen Church. With no dome but a wood ceiling, the highlight is the carved marble columns and cut glass chandeliers. As is usual, the portico and inside is completely frescoed.
Regional Ethnographic Museum. With the usual ethnographic material, come here for the gorgeous 1847, 4-story house with painted designs on the outside. The inside has remarkable wood ceilings.
Bulgarian Revival Museum of History (Georgiadi House). This unremarkable house was actually the office of the Union of Sciences in Bulgaria and was closed to the public. A restaurant is in the back and tables front of the house.
Other houses that are well-known include.
Balabanov’s House. It is a representative of the development of the symmetrical Plovdiv house and is one of the most lavish examples of a house. The house was built in the early 19th century by Hadzhi Panayot Lampsha, a rich trader and usurer. Today the house bears the name of its last owner, the tradesman Luka Balabanov. 546 m² of built area. A large glassy saloon has a decorated wood-carved ceiling.
The house was unfortunately demolished in the 30s and reconstructed in the 70es, based on photographic material and schemes.
The ground floor features a permanent exhibition of modern Bulgarian art. The second floor, once having served for inviting guests, exhibits the Revival period interior and serves as a popular venue for the holding of cultural events. There are two halls in the basement area, serving for the organization of temporary art exhibitions. 4 BGN
Stepan Hindliyan’s House. Built in 1834-35 by unknown master builders, it is one of the few symmetrical houses in Plovdiv, preserved in their original condition and the most opulent house in the Old Town. Stepan Hindliyan is known as the founder of a wealthy Armenian family in Plovdiv. He was a famous merchant, whose business frequently sent him as far as India, which is how he earned the nickname of Hindliyan.
It’s located right next to the Balabanov house and is well known for its artistic and decorative ornamentation. It has a fully restored bathroom from the period. The spacious hall on the second floor features a fountain that poured rose water and still works today (and fills the house with an amazing scent!). The wall decorations abound in intricate geometrical, architectural and floral motifs and landscapes with some of them depicting views of Saint Petersburg, Stockholm, Lisbon, Athens, Venice, Alexandria and Constantinople. 4 BGN
Modern History Museum (Museum Centre of Contemporary History). There were no exhibits pertaining to contemporary history, but there was an American expo dedicated to innovation that was children oriented. 2 BGN
Natural History Museum. All the stuffed animals were in reasonably nice dioramas with lots of birds and snakes including a huge stuffed anaconda. Downstairs is an aquarium unfortunately all in Latin and Cyrillic Bulgarian, but it has a crocodile, snakes and spiders. The exhibit on live butterflies was extra. 5 BGN
The Planetarium of Plovdiv is in the Natural History Museum and shows regular movies. 10 BN
Dzumaiya Mosque. Dating from 1435, it has 9 domes and a brick checker minaret.
Marmalad. This high-end bar/restaurant has a live stage downstairs with karaoke on Friday nights.
Alyosha Monument. On the highest hill in Plovdiv, this monument is to the Unknown Soviet soldier dating from WWII with a large, stone Russian soldier. Come up for the panoramic views. Can drive up or walk. Free
Church of the Holy Mother of God.
PAZARDZHIK
Pazardzhik History Museum. In the middle of the center of the city, this is on 2 floors and presents little of interest and is only in Bulgarian. Of note, I learned nothing about Pazardzhik. There was some unremarkable sculpture on the 2nd floor. Not surprisingly, I was the only visitor. 3 BGN
Rila Monastery. Declared a World Heritage Site in 1983, don’t miss this one, even though it is a 31 km drive up a narrow valley into the Rila Mountains. In 865, King Boris I converted Bulgaria to Christianity and made it the country’s state religion. The ascetic Ioan Rilska (876-946) became a monk at age 25 and years later came to this secluded area to live in complete solitude. He lived out in the open for 7 years and in a cave for 25 years. A large brotherhood of monks gathered around him. His relics are a major source of healing and miracles. The monastery was the Bulgarian Jerusalem for the 500 years of Ottoman rule from the 14th to the 19th century and a source of spiritual teachers, icon makers, wood carvers and mural painters.
Enter the stone-walled monastery through an arch and enter a huge courtyard surrounded by the 3-story monastery, all fronted by porticoes, great arches, and wood balconies.
The portico of the church has 13 arches and domes all painted in intricate frescoes, the most prominent is of Rilsky and many show the devil at work. The high ceiling interior has dark frescoes with gold halos and 3 huge altar screens all gilt and jewels, many brass candle holders, an elaborate chandelier and intricate wood icon stands. One icon is a silver book that closes with the bones of 32 saints in tiny windows. No shorts are allowed inside. Free
This place was packed with tours and guides and 21 bicyclists had made the journey up here. Park down below to save parking fees.
MELNIK
The town of Melnik and the Rozhen Monastery. A tentative WHS (01/10/1984), Melnik is known for its Bulgarian Revival Architecture. The main street running east off the highway has many attractive houses of this type. The first stories are stone, often with decorative plaster around stones. The white plaster top floors overhang all supported by rough wood beams. The multiple clear windows have dark brown trim.
The landscape is unique: yellow sedimentary cliffs (dirt and gravel) form pinnacles in places.
Kordopulov House. The very top house at the end of town, it was built in 1754 by a wealthy merchant. The bottom floor is a huge wine cellar with 200m of tunnels hewn in the rock. The second floor has a huge dining room with a sauna and secret cupboard, a large living room, a 90 sq. m guest room with 2 rows of windows – the top lovely geometric stained glass and the bottom clear and painted wardrobes. All have white fireplaces and ceilings of decorative red and green wood with central geometric designs. 3.5 BGN, 2 reduced.
Rozhen Monastery. About 7kms above Melnik, the quaint 2-story monastery tightly surrounds the church – the oldest parts date to the 12th century and some to the 14th and 16th. The dark frescoes date from 1597, 1611 and 1662 when a fire destroyed the library. It was restored in 1715. The unique stained glass windows are small panels of pretty flowers and small glass bubbles, the oldest in Bulgaria. The iconostasis is gilt and carved wood. A 300-year-old grapevine covers a large part of the rough stone courtyard.
I observed the baptism of a lady in her 30s – she stood in a metal tub of water and had water poured over her head three times while the priest continued his chant. Then he painted crosses all over her face in 10 places.
BLAGOEVGRAD
Historical Museum. All in Bulgarian, this has the usual ethnographic material: costumes, guns, swords, jewelry and a lot of documents. 2 BGN reduced
Church of the Virgin Mary. Built by 200 families in 1844, the lovely outside is black patterned blocks and the portico frescoed. Inside, the frescoes are dark and it has a huge intricately carved altar screen.
Pirin National Park. A World Heritage Site, the park encompasses the larger part of the Pirin Mountains in southwestern Bulgaria, spanning an area of 403.56 km2 (155.82 sq mi). It is one of the three national parks in the country, the others being Rila National Park and Central Balkan National Park. The park was established in 1962 and its territory was expanded several times since then. Pirin National Park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. The altitude varies from 950 m to 2,914 m at Vihren, Bulgaria’s second-highest summit and the Balkans’ third.
The park is situated in Blagoevgrad Province, the nation’s southwesternmost region. There are no populated places within its territory. Two nature reserves are located within the boundaries of Pirin National Park, Bayuvi Dupki–Dzhindzhiritsa and Yulen. Bayuvi Dupki–Dzhindzhiritsa is among the oldest in Bulgaria, established in 1934 and is included in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves under the UNESCO Man and Biosphere Programme. The whole territory is part of the network of nature protection areas of the European Union, Natura 2000.
Pirin is renowned for its 118 glacial lakes, the largest and the deepest of them being Popovo Lake. Many of them are situated in cirques. There are also a few small glaciers, such Snezhnika, located in the deep Golemiya Kazan cirque at the steep northern foot of Vihren, and Banski Suhodol. They are the southernmost glaciers in Europe.
A temperate broadleaf and mixed forest, forests cover 57.3% of the park’s area and almost 95% of them are coniferous forests. The average age of the forests is 85 years. Bulgaria’s oldest tree, Baikushev’s pine, is located in the park. With an approximate age of about 1,300 years it is a contemporary of the foundation of the Bulgarian state in 681 AD. The fauna of the Pirin National Park is diverse and includes 45 species of mammals, 159 species of birds, 11 species of reptiles, 8 species of amphibia, and 6 species of fish.
I crossed the Bulgarian/North Macedonian border at 17:30 on May 5, 2019. It was painless on both sides. N Macedonia is easily the least problematic border to cross in the Balkans.