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REGION
SMOLYAN
• Area Smolyan
• Mogilica
• Yagodina
• Trigrad
• Gela
• Shiroka luka
• Area Chepelare
• Pamporovo
• Area Devin
• Area Banite |
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SMOLYAN
Location and transport accessibility:
The town of Smolyan (850 to 1050m above the sea level)
is scattered in the narrow gorge of the river Cherna, in
the most beautiful part of the Rhodopes. It is about 260
km away from Sofia, 103 km from Plovdiv, 46 km from
Devin and 16 km south of the resort Pamporovo.
In 1960 the three neighbouring villages of Smolyan,
Raikovo and Ustovo merged in a town, which was named
Smolyan.
“Smolyan” Residential area (the highest) is the
successor of the vanished village of Ezerovo, which was
situated 3 km above the town, amidst the Smolyan lakes .
There are regular bus lines to Sofia, Plovdiv (each
hour), Kardjali, Devin, Assenovgrad, Chepelare,
Pamporovo (each hour).
Bus stations:
Bus station “Smolyan”– Bulgaria Blvd, phone: 0301
34251
Bus Station “East” – in Ustovo, phone: 0301 45161
Bus Station “South” – phone 0301 45826.
One can find on 20km far away from Smolyan, in the
Valley of Arda River, the little village of Mogilica.
The small village of Yagodina is situated in the West
Rhodope Mountains not far from the border between
Bulgaria and Greece.
The road to Yagodina runs through the precipitous Buinov
Gorge, past the mouth of a side-canyon that's great for
hiking and caving. Only 2km long and 2-4m wide, the
Haidushki dol (Outlaws' Ravine) ascends in cascades to
its watershed between two peaks connected by a natural
rock bridge called the Devil's Bridge , after a legend
that only he can cross it. The countryside is famous for
its more than 120 caves and that is the reason why
speleological expeditions are carried out every year.
The village of Trigrad is situated in the Western
Rhodope Mountains not far from the border between
Bulgaria and Greece. It is lies 26 km south of the town
of Devin , and 40 km west of the town of Smolyan.
The numerous remains found in cave dwellings from the
Copper-stone Age, as well as from the Thracian period
show the old origin of the village. The village is
believed to be composed of 3 smaller settlements and
that’s why is called Trigrad (three settlements).
The Muslim and Christian culture and traditions have
become interwoven in the village. Here in Trigrad you
can see a Christian church and a Muslim mosque built
side by side.
Shiroka Luka (population 850 inhabitants) is a village –
museum, an architectural and ethnographic reserve, well
known for its original Rhodope architectural style,
musical traditions and history.
Gela is situated at 7km from Shiroka luka. There is an
asphalt road to the village 1 km on the right after the
village of Solishta. Perched on the foothills of the
mountain Karluk, Gela is like a jewel generating a
feeling of joy as soon as one catches a glimpse of it.
Gela is one of the oldest settlements in the Rhodopes,
with a history of over 3300 years. Nowadays the
population there is not much. A legend says that the
village is the birthplace of the mythical singer
Orpheus. Near the village can be found archeological
remains from the Thracian period as well as remains from
a Roman road. There were found a lot of funeral marks of
over 20 Thracians. According to the archeologists it was
a ritual funeral of an eminent Thracian leader.
CHEPELARE
Location and transport accessibility:
The town of Chepelare (6067 inhabitants, 1100 m above
sea level) is situated in the heart of the Rhodope
mountain, in a small valley, along the two banks of
Chepelarska river.
It is 222 km from Sofia, 72 km from Plovdiv, 53 km from
Assenovgrad, 30 km from Smolyan and about 10 km from
Pamporovo resort.
Chepelare has Bulgaria's only ski and snowboard
equipment factory, which turns out some 15,000 pairs a
year for domestic and international customers.
The town became famous as the birthplace of the
Bulgarian Olympic champion of the biathlon from
Nagano'98n - Ekaterina Dafovska.
This is the town, situated at the highest altitude in
Bulgaria. It is a typical resort centre, mostly winter
resort.
The only transport available to Chepelare is by bus.
There are regular bus lines to Plovdiv, Assenovgrad,
Sofia, Smolyan, Pamporovo resort, Devin, Shiroka Laka
and other smaller villages.
The bus station is located on the left bank of the river
– Chaya Str., phone: 03051 2023.
1.5 km south of the town, near the road to Smolyan and
Pamporovo is the bottom station of the two-chair rope
lift. It is 2471 m long, its transportation capacity is
600 persons per hour and it takes the skiers and tourist
within 17 minutes to the Chala peak (1873 m), where the
starting points of the ski runs are located.
10 km south-west of the town is one of the largest and
most famous winter resorts in the country – Pamporovo.
At a road distance of 15 km southeast of the town, high
on top of Mechi Chal peak the Rozhen Observatory is
located, which is opened for tourist visits. There is no
regular transport to this place, but one can climb up
from Chepelare to the observatory within about two and a
half hours.
PAMPOROVO
Location and transport accessibility:
Pamporovo is a modern ski resort in the heart of the
Rhodope mountains.
It is the sunniest Bulgarian mountain resort with
wonderful snow throughout the whole season. The specific
combination of natural conditions makes the resort
beautiful in winter as well as in summer.
Pamporovo is situated on 1650 m above the sea level at
the foot of peak Snejanka (1926 m). It is 260 km far
from Sofia, 85km from Plovdiv and 35km from Narechen.
Pamporovo has an exclusive climate featuring a soft
winter with about 120 sunny days during the skiing
period .Ňhe skiing season starts from mid - December to
mid - April. Due to the influence of the Mediterranean
climate the temperature in the resort have small daily
variations. The average air temperature is - 3 ° C. The
surrounding high peaks keep it from the winds and in
winter preserve the snow cover.
Most of the ski runs start on top of peak Snejanka. They
are located between 1926 and 1450 m above the sea level.
The Emergency SKI PATROL service is available 24 hours a
day. Ambulance and clinic (with doctor and nurse) are
available, as well as first aid, on all ski slopes.
Fully equipped and functioning hospitals are available
in Smolyan and Chepelare. Highly qualified dentists are
available at Pamporovo or Chepelare.
DEVIN
Location and transport accessibility:
The town of Devin (710m above the sea level) is situated
on the two banks of the Devinska River, in a small hilly
gorge in the very heart of the Rhodope Mountain. It is
196km southeast of Sofia, 46km northwest of Smolyan,
respectively 57km and 82km south of Krichim and
Pazardjik. The town is a well – known balneology resort.
As long ago as the remote past the region and town Devin
are famous with a wide variety of curative mineral
springs. According to the specialists the mineral waters
are suitable for different kinds of diseases.
The only public transport available in Devin is the bus
transport. It has regular bus to Pazardjik, Plovdiv,
Smolyan, Pamporovo, Shiroka laka. The bus station is at
the very entrance of the town, 24 ”Osvobojdenie” Str.
The village of Banite is situated in the heart of the
magnificent Rhodope Mountains, in the eastern part of
Smolyan district, in the valley of Malka Arda River, 750
meters above the sea level. The holiday village is
located 60km west of the town of Smolyan, 125km south of
Plovdiv, and 270 km southeast of Sofia. The village of
Banite is a spa resort. A warm mineral spring has been
found in the center of the village, which according to
legends dates back to 2-3 century. Around the spring
there have been discovered remnants of an ancient bath
that is an evidence for the prosperity of the settlement
in the past.
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