The administrative center and second largest city in the Stara Zagorsk region. The city is comfortably located in the center of the Valley of Roses and Thracian Kings, which cannot but make it an attractive place for tourists. Kazanlak is geographically located in the center of Bulgaria.
Kazanlak city,
Map of the city of Kazanlak
Climate in Kazanlak
The climate is moderate, with many sunny days. Winter in Kazanlak is mild and snow is rare. Summers are warm and precipitation is infrequent. The average January temperature is above 0 degrees, and the average July temperature is above 25 degrees Celsius. The population of the city in 2010 was 54,357 people. The city's unemployment rate is 7.14%, which is lower than the national and regional averages.
History of the city of Kazanlak
The first settlement on the territory of the modern city arose in the Neolithic era. In the V-IV centuries BC. Thracian city I became the capital of the Odrysian kingdom - a rich civilization in the valley of ancient Tonzos (Tunzha River). Today the city is located under the waters of the Koprinka reservoir, 5 km west of the city.
Modern Kazanlak was founded at the beginning of the 15th century. The Kazanlak region is known for its centuries-old tradition of producing not only rose oil, but also other essential oils - lavender, mint, basil and calendula.
During the Russian-Turkish war of liberation, the outskirts of the city were the center of fierce struggle. After liberation, the textile industry developed in the city. On the territory of the city there is a military plant "Arsenal", as well as a plant for aircraft parts, "Caproni" - 1930 to 1945 (from 1961 to the present - a plant for hydraulic gear pumps). Kazanlak is a city of artists and performers of national scale - P. Velkov, M. Penkova, T. Mazarov, St. Getsov, L. Davidova, L. Kabakchiev, V. Daskalov and others were born here.
Kazanlak at present
Kazanlak is the second largest and economically important city in the Stara Zagorsk region. There are 328 manufacturing enterprises in the city. City guests interested in the history of rose production can visit the one-of-a-kind Rose Museum. Now it is located at the exit from the city towards Shipka, but will soon take a central place in the Rosarium Park in the very center of the city.
Kazanlak from a bird's eye view
Sights of Kazanlak
Damask rose or oil rose is the most important wealth of the Kazanlak region. It was brought to Bulgarian lands from Asia many centuries ago. Today, the rose is the symbol of Bulgaria. Under the influence of unique climate and soil conditions, the rose grown here gradually turned into one unique species; Kazanlak rose oil differs from rose oil grown in other countries in its unique composition and aroma. At the beginning of the 19th century, it received the name “Kazanlak Oil Rose”, and the south of the Balkan Valley is now called the Valley of Roses.
A unique Thracian tomb, the Kazanlak Tomb, was found and preserved in Kazanlak. UNESCO has taken it under its protection; residents and guests of the city can see its exact copy in Tyulbeto Park. 5 km. from the city itself there are the ruins of the ancient capital of the Odrysian kingdom of Sevtopolis and the Valley of the Thracian Kings. Kazanlak is located at an altitude of 350 m above sea level in the Kazanlak depression, in the very center of Bulgaria: 194 km east of Sofia, 185 km west of the city. Twenty kilometers from the city is the Pavel Banya National Resort. Kazanlak is an important industrial, historical and cultural center of Bulgaria.
Every year, a rose festival takes place in the heart of the Rose Valley. The holiday was first celebrated in 1903; since then, every year for 110 years, the first week of June is immersed in the aroma of roses and various festive events are held in the valley for the whole month. It is in the month of June that Kazanlak shows itself in all its glory.
Rose Festival in Kazanlak
Also in the city you can visit the Iskra Historical Museum with more than 50,000 exhibits, a rich art gallery, the Chudomir Literary and Art Museum, the Buzludzha National Park Museum, and the Thracian Tombs of Kazanlak.
Virtual walk around Kazanlak
Reviews about Kazanlak
Lidiya Atanasova
Rating: 4
Advantages:
Convenient geographical location - in the center of the country, and good transport links, good ecology, beautiful nature, ancient history and attractions.
Flaws:
The condition of some residential areas and streets leaves much to be desired.
The city of Kazanlak has 54,021 inhabitants and is located at an altitude of 350 m above sea level. The city is located in the center of a valley bearing the same name, the eastern part of which is known abroad as the Valley of Roses. The city is located at a distance of 200 km. from Sofia, 55 km. from Karlovo, 48 km. from Gabrovo, 75 km. from Sliven, 35 km. from Stara Zagora and 108 km. from Plovdiv. Kazanlak is an important industrial, historical and cultural center. The main wealth of the city is roses - rose oil, which is known far beyond the country's borders.
The first settlement within the city arose in ancient times during the New Stone Age. In the 4th-3rd century. BC. The lands along the upper reaches of the Tundzha River belong to the kingdom of the Thracian ruler Seuthes III and occupy an important place in the historical development of Thrace in the Hellenistic era. During the 5th-4th century. BC. it was the Thracian city of Sevtopolis, bearing the name of the Thracian king Seuthes III. The Koprinka reservoir has now been built on this site. During the construction of the Koprinka reservoir, the Thracian city of Sevtopolis was excavated and fully studied.
More than 12 graves have been discovered there, the most important of which is undoubtedly the Kazanlak grave, which provides information about the life of the ancient Thracian city.
Since 1370, the Kazanlak region has been under Turkish rule. In the first decades it was a military fortress. Later they began to develop: furrier's craft, coppersmith's craft, jewelry making, cooper's craft and, of course, rose production. Exported from India through Persia, Syria and Turkey, the oil rose found favorable conditions for growth - suitable temperature, high humidity and light sandy-chestnut forest soils. In 1820, the first rose trading house of Doncho Papazov was created in Kazanlka.
By the end of the 19th century, Kazanlak became famous for the production of rose oil, coarse homespun woolen fabric and outerwear. Since the 19th century, Kazanlak has become the center of Bulgarian rose production.
During the Russian-Turkish War in 1877-1878. The Kazanlak region becomes the center of military operations. After liberation, the textile industry developed there.
Kazanlak is a city with established traditions in cultural and educational terms. In 1883, a pedagogical school was opened, which created an army of well-trained teachers for the entire country. Kazanlak is a famous city of artists and artists with established names of national scale - Porfiry Velkov, Mara Penkova, Todor Mazarov, Stefan Getsov, Luna Davidova, Lyubomir Kabakchiev, Vidin Daskalov and others.
Kazanlak is an important transport center. It is located on the Sofia-Karlovo-Burgas branch and is connected to the corresponding railway line from Ruse through Veliko Tarnovo and Gabrovo in the direction of Stara Zagora, Plovdiv and Haskovo. A regular bus line connects the city with Gabrovo, Stara Zagora, Karlovo, Plovdiv and Lovech.
Kazanlak is the natural geographical center of Bulgaria, where domestic and international tourism routes intersect. The nature of this region combines the beauty and grandeur of the Balkan with the fertility of the river valley. Tundzha. The climatic conditions and soils here are especially favorable for growing oilseed roses, mint, lavender, basil, and marigolds. Thus, the geographical center of Bulgaria is turning into a center of ethylene oil production. And the Kazanlak rose is one of the symbols with which people of various regions associate the name of Bulgaria. In her honor, every year in the first week of June, when this rose blooms, the city holds the Rose Festival, which has turned into the most colorful event for both local residents and visitors to the city. The festive program includes the selection of the Queen of the Rose and the traditional rituals of “gathering roses” and “rose brewing”. An authentic atmosphere is created with fun, songs and dances. The city's guests are fascinated, so most of them come back for this holiday next year.
The Thracian domed tomb is unique for its murals. It is the only completely preserved monument of painting from the early Hellenistic era /4-3 centuries/ in Bulgaria and is protected by UNESCO as a monument of world significance. In fact, it is a masterpiece of Thracian architecture and painting. The grave is located in the north-eastern part of the city, in Tyulbeto Park. A special protective building with a climate installation was built for it, which provides conditions for preserving the murals. An exact copy of it was built close to the original, which is open to visitors. The ornament in the corridor is very interesting. Very beautiful frescoes that characterize that time. In the center you can see images of warriors in their attire and weapons. The main part of the composition is the description of the funeral. Another notable tomb is the tomb at Muglish, located 3 km away. from Kazanlak. It dates back to the 3rd century BC and is 23 meters long.
The next attraction of the city is the historical museum "Iskra". It was founded in 1901 and is one of the first provincial museums in the country. It was opened by a resident of Kazanlak, Petr Topuzov, by decision of the leadership of the science-loving squad "Iskra". After his death, the famous writer, artist and local historian Dimitar Chorbadzhiyski - Chudomir became the director of the museum.
There is a very rich art gallery in the city, which presents paintings by Dechko Uzunov, Nenko Balkansky, Ivan Milev, Chudomir, who were born there. The collection of the Iskra Museum preserves more than 50,000 exhibits that reveal the history of the Kazanlak region from ancient times to the present day.
Of great interest is the Rose Museum with its traditional Rose Festival, which is held annually in early June.
The Church of St. John was built in 1844, but most of its frescoes were destroyed. Artists Stefan Ivanov, Nikola Marinov and Dechko Uzunov restored them in 1936. Of interest is the Church of Elijah the Prophet, built in 1866, in which in 1877 armed volunteers of Pasha Suleiman’s army killed more than 200 citizens of the city who took refuge in the church .
The national park-museum "Shipka-Buzludzha" was founded in 1956. It includes the temple-monument "Nativity of Christ" near the town of Shipka, located 12 km. from Kazanlak, Shipka National Park, Victory Monument near the village. Sheinovo and Buzludzha National Park.
The temple-monument "Nativity of Christ" was built near the town of Shipka on the southern slopes of the Stara Planina mountain in memory of Russian soldiers and Bulgarian militias who died in the Russian-Turkish liberation war of 1877-1878. The gilding of its domes and the multi-colored decoration of the facades stand out against the background of the mountain and from afar attract the attention of those passing through the Shipchensky Gorge. The temple-monument "Nativity of Christ" was built according to the design of the architect A.Y. Timoshko in the style of Russian church architecture of the 17th century with characteristic arches, friezes, pediments, and gilding of details. On 34 marble slabs along the walls of the temple-monument, the names of the Russian regiments and their victims and dead Bulgarian militias are engraved. In the temple you can enjoy Slavic sacred music and an exhibition of icons and church utensils. The temple-monument was opened on September 27, 1902.
Shipka National Park is located on the site of the theater of military operations. It covers historical sites associated with the defense of the Shipchen Gorge during the Russian-Turkish Liberation War. It is a complex of monuments, restorations of positions, batteries and dugouts. The dramatic struggle for the gorge inspired the national poet Ivan Vazov and he wrote the immortal poem “Opolchentsite na Shipka” /Defenders of Shipka/.
The Monument to Freedom rises as if from the chest of a rock on the top of Shipka. It was built with the free donations of the Bulgarian people, inaugurated in 1934. The exhibition is located on the floors of the monument, it tells about the heroism of Russian soldiers and Bulgarian militias during the five-month defense of the gorge. From the last half of the area there is a panorama of restored details of the battlefield, monuments and mass graves that have preserved memories of the heroic deeds and sacrifice of the heroes.
In the east of Shipka, another historical peak rises - Buzludzha, at the foot of which the governor Hadji Dimitar died, who fought an unequal battle with his small detachment against a large enemy on July 30, 1868. A monument built there in 1961 reminds of their feat. The names of the fallen soldiers are written on the blocks.
An interesting attraction is the Church of St. Paraskeva in the village of Enina, located 4 km away. from the city. It was built during the reign of King Asen II /1237-1238/ and is considered the oldest in the area.
The Koprinka reservoir is located 6-7 km away. from the city. A great place for relaxation, entertainment and tourism.
Mineral baths are located 5 km away. from the city, in the valley of the Tundzha River. A mineral spring with healing properties has been discovered there.
Excursion “Kazanlak and the Valley of Roses - Shipka - Ethnographic Museum Eter”.
Excursion “Kazanlak and the Valley of Roses - Shipka - Ethnographic Museum Eter”
Starts at 6.30, ends at ~ 21 o'clock (for Sunny Beach and for our hotel). Price – 89 leva.
I’ll write right away that the excursion was wonderful. But it was not without adventure. Knowing about the upcoming trip, I ordered a packed lunch at the reception in advance instead of breakfast for 6 am. In the morning I got up without an alarm clock - I just looked at the time in the dark and turned off this function on my phone - I didn’t want to wake anyone up. Shivering and yawning, I quickly got dressed, slipped out the door and rushed to the reception. They looked at me strangely and said that the rations were not ready yet, but the restaurant was already open and I could have a quick breakfast there. “Here are the goats! - I was mentally indignant, - I have absolutely no time for their breakfasts, everything is scheduled down to the minute, I might be late!”
I rushed into the hall, quickly grabbed myself sausages, bread, tomatoes and apples, took a pack of napkins, threw everything into a bag and ran out of the hotel. It was pitch black outside. “These goats,” I cursed again, “they’re completely stunned, I still have 10 minutes to go before the stop, it’s scary, they schedule excursions at such a stupid time.” Completely dissatisfied with everything, I hurry to the stop. Finally I got there. It should be noted that there are quite a lot of people on the street - apparently they are returning from discos, and there are also a lot of open working bars. But I’m standing at the bus stop all alone, not far away the taxi drivers are already interested in my silhouette.
Night. The black sky and the Muslim crescent moon with a star are waiting for the bus with me. Which, by the way, is late. I’m spinning in place with righteous indignation, “What goats, what goats, they’re late!” I take out my phone, look at the time and continue to fume: “It’s already 5.30, and these goats are still not there, here are the goats...” - then an electric impulse hits me. What else is 5.30, I have an excursion at 6.30... Oh God, they're not the assholes! It's me wolverine! I have Moscow time on my phone! I got the time wrong!
In general, where should I go, there’s no point in going back to the hotel, I’ll have to hang around here and wait. So I walked back and forth along the Bulgarian street for more than an hour, looking at cafes, reading advertisements on a closed but well-lit stall where Bulgarian real estate was sold, and, watching the sky - how the blackness became dim, my month with the star began to disappear, like the first The rays of the sun began to push away the dark clouds.
It should be noted that the day when I was going to Shipka turned out to be the coldest during our entire stay here. Therefore, even though I put on everything relatively warm, namely long pants and two thin blouses with long sleeves, by the time the bus arrived I was already quite stiff. I shyly pulled my toes from my sports flip-flops, red from the cold, into the closed part of the shoes. It was a couple of degrees warmer on the bus than outside. I had no choice but to sit down, tucking my legs under me in order to somehow warm up.
An unprecedented wind blew up outside, ruffling the silk strands of roadside willows and bending the rose bushes to the ground. An hour later we stopped at some small cafe, but I still remember with pleasure the cup of scalding hot coffee we drank there. And then the driver himself probably froze and decided to turn on the interior heating. I immediately felt comfortable. But judging by the cloudy weather, one had to assume that today was an extremely bad day for a trip to Shipka.
In some review I read that on such days Shipka is covered with clouds and covers the entire panorama. I was about to be very upset, but then I saw a rainbow! Such a huge, simply incredibly large, ideally shaped, one end of which was on one side of the road, and the other on the other. Our bus seemed to be heading through such a rainbow gate. And I immediately realized that everything would be fine, since my beloved rainbow was coming with us.
I’ll say right away that Bulgaria has incredibly beautiful and eco-friendly landscapes outside the window. It would seem that I needed to close my eyes and take a little nap, since I got up so early, but I didn’t want to do this - it was impossible to take my eyes off the vineyards, peach orchards, lavender fields, sunflower thickets, mountain ranges that freely spread outside the bus window. The guide Nona tells us a little about the regions of Bulgaria that we are passing through.
Pomorie – the famous cognacs “Pomorie” and “Black Gold”, and the famous brandy “Sunny Beach” are made here.
The city of Karnobat is full of grape plantations, viticulture is developed here and many famous Bulgarian wines are made.
Burgas is a famous Muscat wine.
Sliven - Peach Valley, there are continuous peach trees here.
Kazanlak/Kazanlak – the capital of the Valley of Roses, where the famous oilseed roses - Damask - are grown. It turns out that rose oil cannot be obtained from all roses, but only from a certain variety, which was brought to Bulgaria from Syria, from Damascus 350 years ago. In general, oil roses have a different number of petals - from 5 to 45, and here in the Rose Valley they grow 30-petal roses. Roses are picked from 4 to 9 am so that as many dew drops as possible remain on their petals, which help to squeeze out more rose oil (it is believed that after full sunrise, the oil in the petals begins to evaporate, i.e., goes into the air - can you imagine how worth the sweet aroma?).
Rose oil is distilled in rose factories. Damask roses bloom once a year - this is the end of May and the beginning of June, and on June 2, Bulgaria celebrates an important national holiday - Rose Day. To see this unusual and fragrant holiday, excursions are organized for tourists who came to Bulgaria at this time, but departure in this case is around 3 o’clock in the morning, precisely in order to arrive as early as possible.
We drove ~3 hours to Kazanlak. We pass through pink fields - this is the Valley of Roses, a unique climate, but not a single, not even the tiniest rose is visible. Well, it’s necessary, but I specifically asked Iva about this, and she said evasively, “Well, the roses have already bloomed, but a little, you’ll see.” Unfortunately, I didn’t “see” anything. But Nona tells us that now we will arrive in Kazanlak and stop at the ethnographic museum, where we will try rose liqueur, rose petal jam, but we most likely will not go to the store where all their famous pink cosmetics are sold, because it will take a long time were going. I'm shocked.
By “it took a long time to get ready” we mean the moment when we were transferred to another bus for half an hour because of two new tourists. Let's also add a half-hour delay. To come to the Valley of Roses and not buy pink cosmetics - in general, well, not goats..., I’m still silent and silent. The city of Kazanlak itself is similar to the Moscow district of New Cheryomushki, only with horses grazing, and the gray five-story buildings are surrounded by wooden private houses in flowers.
In general, women had to take the initiative into their own hands. Ethnographical museum, by the way, very mediocre. I’m a fan of such exhibitions, but it’s really very small, you can’t get into the rooms - they are blocked off with a rope, and the guide Nona, although a nice woman, talks unbearably slowly and boringly.
Therefore, after listening to a small part of the speech about the red and white martenitsa balls that Bulgarians tie on tree branches with the onset of spring, and nostalgically remembering how in childhood, when corresponding with a Bulgarian girl, I received such funny thread decorations in envelopes, I , walking backwards, she separated herself from the crowd, walked up to the table and, like a spy, tried a glass of pink rose liqueur - very tasty, she always adored the smell of roses, and now she also appreciated the taste; I took a sip of the grey-pink jam with a spoon – it was sweet; I caught some museum Bulgarian by the sleeve and asked to show me the shop. He showed, showed, and I rushed inside.
The first impression is disappointment, I thought there would be mountains of everything here in the Rose Valley, and the choice is very small and modest. I wondered what to buy. Due to my sociable nature, I immediately chatted with the saleswoman, and she told me and advised me a lot of interesting things. She immediately said that what she likes most is using rose water. This is a tonic, but it consists entirely of natural ingredients - only distilled water and rose essence, so it can be used as cosmetics, and even as a general tonic - drop it, for example, into a spoon for a cold and drink it, or as a flavoring additive for food, baked goods, drinks.
She recommended “very fresh, just delivered” pink, very beautiful pieces of handmade soap. She categorically advised me not to buy rose oil, which I had my eye on back in Nessebar. This oil - one in a beautiful tiny metal flask with leather applique and the other in a traditional wooden case with burning - was expensive, ~20 leva, and sealed with a miniature wax seal. But it turns out that oil of such a rich concentration should never be applied to the skin, only to clothes. It is diluted with alcohol and thus obtained as perfume. I was immediately puzzled - where would I get such pure alcohol and why would I need it, I’m not an alchemist.
Seeing my disappointed eyes, the friendly saleswoman advised me to buy real perfume with rose oil “you won’t find anything like it anywhere” - and she pulled out several boxes to choose from. In her opinion, they were breathtakingly expensive - ~40 leva, but they were worth it. I was pumped when I saw the truly luxurious bottle! - I already take it without looking. And when I arrive home and apply a drop behind my ear, I smell not only the whole day, but several days. The aroma is so persistent that you are amazed. But again, this is for lovers of the pink scent.
In general, thanks to this grinder, I made wonderful purchases, although it should be noted that everything except perfume can be found in Nessebar. But I didn’t calm down there. I rushed back to the museum courtyard, where our group was still listening to the slow story about the martenitsa, monitored the situation, slipped through the gate and rushed to the next street, where we saw a large souvenir and cosmetics store. There, I also quickly bought all sorts of fragrant small things, and, satisfied and calmed down, I ran back to this museum.
I don’t think I missed out on anything valuable, because I visited all the moderately interesting rooms of a Bulgarian house together with a group that had just tasted liqueur and jam. I also walked along some Kazanlak street and went into a beautiful church, waiting for our group, like Halley’s comet, to rush into this shop and create a wild stampede there. My personal opinion is that this is not possible - and all these are the consequences of improper organization of the excursion. People have a natural desire to buy something in the Valley of Roses, but how can this be done calmly when a group of 50 people was “kindly” given 10 minutes of free time “for souvenirs”.
5 minutes from the museum there is a Thracian, or rather, Thracian tomb where we're heading. The F/Thracians are ancient Proto-Bulgarians; to a person far from the details of the historical life of Bulgaria this means little, but as soon as it is said that Spartacus was a F/Thracian, the clouds over the intellect immediately disperse. F/Thracian culture is unusually interesting, sacred and deep, and as a visual illustration, the guide constantly shows us small mounds in the fields at the foot of the mountains that we pass by. These are the Thracian tombs. They are mirror reflections of the constellations (!) in the sky. The Thracian rulers were literally covered with gold when they went to heaven, so excavations and hunting for these mounds were and are being carried out very actively and not only by Bulgarian archaeologists.
The F/Thracians loved gold, but not with a greedy and base love, but with a sublime and deified love. They did not fall under the low vibrations of this yellow metal, but cast sculptures, dishes, and jewelry of incredible beauty from it. It is worth seeing a massive fragment of such ancient gold sculpture to understand that gold only had cultural power over them. Actually, the tomb itself in Kazanlak is closed to visitors; there is a very strict regime there, which allows the preservation of unique paintings. But nearby, an almost similar copy-museum was built for tourists, even with frescoes reproduced exactly. Where we are going.
The boring excursion drags on again, first everyone stood at the stands with photographs and other antiquities, then dived through a narrow passage into the crypt itself, carved into a giant granite block, the dome of which is painted with frescoes. It’s interesting, but personally, I felt very uncomfortable and wildly uncomfortable there - this is a very small room and the ancient builders (and, accordingly, modern copyists), possessing sacred knowledge, specially created a space in which the energy is simply absorbed and sucked out of you. I jumped out of there with my head buzzing, and I didn’t like it.
After the museum and the tomb, we were taken for lunch to a restaurant, which turned out to be quite tasty (lunch) and decent (establishment). Interestingly, we went straight to a wedding. That is, our bus arrived at the same time as the wedding cortege celebrating the event in this very place. True, the wedding was not Bulgarian, but Turkish. It's interesting to watch our group. Russians individually merge with the crowd, but together they form a single monolithic group that cannot be confused with anyone - Russian people from the provinces.
We ate, let's move on. Now they are taking us to the mountains - take a look Church-monument of the Nativity of Christ, its golden crowns can already be seen sticking out from the curly green slope of the mountain. The bus begins to climb the narrow and very steep streets of the small mountain town of Shipka. Finally, we enter the bus area, unload, drink the purest mountain air and go to the temple. From a distance it looks very similar to our church in Kolomenskoye with its cone-shaped spire. This Russian temple was built in memory of the victory of Russian soldiers over Turkish troops in the Battle of Shipka Pass, with Russian money from the mother of hero general Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev.
The defense of Shipka took place in the winter of 1877, and construction of the church began almost 20 years later - in 1896. There are 34 marble slabs with carved names of Russian soldiers who defended the Bulgarian land and their Russian honor. The bells were cast in Russia from 30 tons of spent cartridges. Half of the temple is painted with Russian isographs, the other half with Bulgarian ones. The icons were brought from a Russian monastery on the Greek island of Athos. But still, this is not quite a Russian temple, because there is much more Greek here than ours.
Inside, the temple itself is quite dark, and from somewhere above a male choir sounds, threateningly, singing in Greek. Bulgaria has very beautiful icons, not like ours. They are either carved wood or very colorful and can be decorated with a sprinkle of sand or shells. Here they are sold both in the temple itself and in a shop on the street.
Our guide tells it in such a way that I want to run away in 5 minutes. In general, I have a peculiarity - if something is not interesting to me, I turn around and leave, and will look for more attractive activities. So here, I realized that I would definitely read this entire memorized pattern in any guidebook, so it’s better for me to wander around the temple and around it myself, read the inscriptions, look.
I walked around the church, clicked the camera, saw a Bulgarian monk with a gray beard and bought a bag of dry lavender. (I have already written about lavender fields; in addition to cosmetic and pharmaceutical benefits, this plant also protects the soil from erosion). It should be noted that a miraculous transformation occurred with the weather. From windy, cold and cloudy it became windy, deceptively warm and sunny.
Finally we are sitting on the bus again and we're going to Shipka! This is very high, the monument itself has already flashed somewhere far, far away under the clouds at the very top of a huge mountain. The road to the Shipka Pass is a mountain serpentine, amazingly beautiful. Finally, the most long-awaited part of our excursion comes - we were dropped off in front of a huge stone staircase, the end of which is not visible. We need to climb it. There are groans, oohs and aahs. But the athletes from our group were already actively rushing to the top. Among them is me. After about 10 minutes I realized that I needed to take a break. I took a break and rushed upstairs again, but it was a bit difficult. The staircase is incredibly long - 894 steps, of which ~700 steps are the first staircase, and the rest are the main staircase, up to the tower monument.
But the reward for sweaty and flushed tourists is the amazing, fantastic view that opens from the very top of the mountain. I am standing on a large platform in front of the tower, where ancient cast-iron cannons are placed in the corners, aimed at the clear blue sky and the neighboring curly mountain peaks. What a pity, what a shame that we don’t know our history at all. For some reason, we only learn about the feat of Russian soldiers here at the Shipka Pass in Bulgaria.
In general, this mountain that we have now climbed is not Shipka. Shipka is a small town in the mountains, where we saw the church and it is also a mountain pass through the Balkans or Shipka Pass, and the mountain itself is called Stoletov. Adjacent to this mountain is a completely rocky and steep ledge - the Eagle's Nest. The Russian-Turkish War lasted only one year - from 1877 to 1878, and the defense of Shipka lasted five months and was the culmination, catharsis and key significance in the history of this war. Occupying the pass, the Russians completely shackled the entire strategic initiative of the Turkish army and 5 thousand Russian soldiers took on the blow of the 40 thousand strong Turkish army. The names of two brilliant Russian generals are Nikolai Grigorievich Stoletov (43 years old) and Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev (34 years old).
What did Turkish dependence mean for the Bulgarians? For 500 years, Bulgaria was not on the map as a separate state, it was simply part of the huge Ottoman Empire. Bulgaria was drenched in blood and tears. The Bulgarians were taken into slavery, forced to convert to Islam, killed, abused, and subjected to a “blood tax” - the best boys were taken from their mothers and subsequently formed into Janissary corps.
But Russia started a war against the Turkish Empire. First. Why? For what? The fact is that in 1876, another Bulgarian uprising was again brutally suppressed by the forces of Turkish mercenaries - the Bashi-Bazouks. Most cruelly. They cut them out again, burned them, suppressed them, plundered them, washed them with blood - the experience accumulated over five hundred years. But time has changed, after all, the 19th century, and the methods of exterminating the Bulgarian population outraged all of Europe. While Europe was indignant and shook the air in the stands, Russian Emperor Alexander II decided to declare war on Turkey. Russian troops fiercely, slowly but successfully began to knock the Turks out of Bulgaria.
The defense of the Shipka Pass is the peak of the entire war. The Turks had to break through the Balkans to help their own in the besieged Plevna, the Russians had to prevent the Turks from breaking through and hitting them in the back, to hold at all costs the defense area, a small piece of mountainous land 2 km long and 1200 m wide , which blocked the Turks’ path through the pass. The detachments of Russian soldiers and Bulgarian militias were led by Stoletov, the Turkish troops by Suleiman Pasha.
Stoletov reported on the situation: “The entire corps of Suleiman Pasha, visible to us in full view, is lined up against us eight miles from Shipka. The enemy’s forces are enormous, I say this without exaggeration; We will defend ourselves to the utmost, but reinforcements are urgently needed.”
The defense of the pass can be divided into 2 stages - summer and winter. In the summer there was continuous, incessant artillery shelling of Russian positions. The Turks attacked from everywhere, even capturing the Eagle's Nest. But the Russians knocked them out hand-to-hand, with almost bare hands, throwing stones - there were no cartridges and the bodies of their killed comrades.
The Bulgarians, poor peasants, helped the Russians in any way they could. They dragged barrels of water up the mountain on their backs and on donkeys - the only stream was captured by the Turks. The Bulgarians said: “Brother, brother, water!” The Bulgarians gave the wounded Russian brothers water mixed with wine, and after washing their wounds with it, they took them down.
But the worst thing began in winter. A complete lack of warm clothes and wild frosts and snowfalls. The military artist Vereshchagin has a cycle of three paintings: “Everything is calm on Shipka.” In the first, a soldier in a gray overcoat stands knee-deep in snow at his post. On the second, the snow was already up to his chest. On the third, only a snowdrift and the tip of an overcoat are visible.
The expression “Everything is calm on Shipka” is taken from the reports of staff careerists to the emperor. Healthy, strong soldiers simply froze quietly, and in the command reports “to the top” day after day one could read the same phrase, which has now become a symbol of hypocrisy and disgust. The soldiers were practically naked in -20˚ frost. The sheepskin coats sent were not fastened and burst at the shoulders due to their small size, warm boots were ripped open with a knife for the same reason - they did not fit anyone, the size was for children. The “Shipka seat” is the most terrible period of defense. The most terrible. Next to the Russians, Bulgarian militia soldiers fought shoulder to shoulder, suffered from thirst, and froze - several Bulgarian squads were part of Stoletov’s detachment.
No matter what, Stoletov defended the pass until the general offensive of the Russian army, which unfolded after the capture of Plevna (November 1877). After this victory, Skobelev’s detachment moved into the mountains, bypassed Shipka from 2 sides, and Stoletov moved from defense to attack, forcing the Turks surrounding Shipka to put down their weapons.
In December, the Russians liberated Sofia. War is over. Bulgaria was liberated.
For this reason, Bulgarians have always treated and continue to treat Russians well. The Bulgarian flag, due to the fact that Russia has always supported the Bulgarians in their quest for independence, adopted a tricolor almost identical to the Russian one, with only one difference - the color of the blue stripe was replaced by green - the color of freedom, Bulgarian forests and the banner of the Haiduks. Therefore, a grandiose monument to the Russian Emperor Alexander II, the Tsar Liberator, was built in Sofia, and the central streets of many cities are named after him. Many Bulgarian streets and squares also bear the name of the Russian General Skobelev, and the name of the valiant General Stoletov is the mountain on the Shipka Pass.
But the wildest and most incomprehensible thing is the result of the Russian-Turkish War of 1887-88. Russian soldiers who drove the Turks out of a country they had held for 500 years, who stormed Plevna three times, who did not give up Shipka, who stopped one step away from Istanbul - could hardly imagine that the European powers, frightened by the growing influence of Russia in the Balkans, would in some cunning way will shake up the results of the peace agreement and place a German prince on the Bulgarian throne... By the way, only ~40 years remained from this victory to the Red Revolution in Russia. Also in the Russian Empire in Moscow on Tverskaya Square until 1918. there was an equestrian monument to General Skobelev.
To a huge extent Freedom Monument- the same majestic tower that crowns Stoletov Mountain also has long and steep high steps. We defeat them too. We wait a little for the whole group to gather and rise and we are launched inside the tower. I thought it was just a museum. It turned out - not only. Along an extremely narrow spiral metal staircase, in single file, one after another, we climb to the very top - there is an observation deck. God, what a BEAUTY! I have nothing to compare what I saw with - I can’t find any analogues. The main thing is the weather – sunny, dry, clear.
From four sides of the tower you can see almost all of Bulgaria, or rather, its different parts. The view of the neighboring curly mountain giants, the high sky and the bizarre, barely noticeable haze of clouds spreading across it is incomparable. At the top - both the mountain itself and the tower - the heart is sweetly tugged with delight. Below, the loops of the mountain serpentine are clearly visible, as if a long gray snake is crawling and writhing. The gaze falls on a rocky, treeless palm-ledge, covered in crosses. This is the Eagle's Nest... Shipka is an amazing place. You feel strange here. Quiet sadness. Unprecedented pride. Majestic joy. The beauty of the place disperses the tears coming to the heart. On one of the memorial plaques it is written: “Sleep well, Russian eagles, descendants honor and remember your glory...”.
We were given 15 minutes to descend all the stairs. We're flying down. Going down is not going up, although the descent seems endless. The only thing is that I really wanted to warm myself up with something hot, the wind was too piercing at the top. Therefore, having already gone downstairs, I run to some tent and buy a glass of boiling coffee water. And this picture is still before my eyes - green Shipka, bathed in golden sun, high, high in the sky - a tower that already seems like a toy, and I am below, in a tiny parking area, sitting on the street and enjoying small sips of hot aromatic coffee.
We descend from the Shipka Pass, the bus crawls along mountain loops and this time there is a cliff on my side. A couple of times I shuddered and instinctively clung to the seat with my hands - when the bus was pressed very close to the flimsy curb that bordered the dangerous edge and when, at a sharp turn, we passed an oncoming long, clumsy truck.
It’s interesting that when the movement of our bus down the serpentine road slowed down due to another slowly puffing truck, it politely gave way to us, stopped at a special area on the side of the road, and allowed itself to be overtaken. What politeness on the roads, you have to. And in the mountains there is no other way to overtake - a narrow road and continuous blind loops and turns. But in general, the mountain serpentine is very beautiful - the sun was shining on us through the lace of leaves, and the slopes were all red because of the fallen needles.
Then we are taken to craft museum in the open air in the town Eter, which is located near Gabrovo. This museum complex is located in a very beautiful place - at the very foot of the mountains, in a natural corridor sandwiched between them. Today is Saturday, so there are a lot of visitors here, both foreigners on buses and Bulgarians themselves in cars. The museum itself is a complex of buildings stretching for ~ a kilometer. You can go into the houses, there are either restored or preserved interiors, or shops, and their owners are the craftsmen themselves.
There is a blacksmith in your presence, blowing up a furnace and rattling a hot piece of iron with a hammer, a woodcarver carving boxes, a tanner making musical national instruments, a jeweler soldering silver lace, a straw craftswoman weaving baskets, etc.. The only time we went to quite a large territory of this museum, we stopped in front of a barn with carts and our guide again started a very slow story, I realized that we had to run away immediately, because for the entire hour that we were allotted for inspection, we would stand in front of the barn. Therefore, I again quietly separated from the group and rushed forward.
Eter (I repeat) are mixed museum buildings (houses with interiors, barns, mills, workshops, etc.), small waterfalls on the sides and a river in the middle of the complex, rows of tents selling folk Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Romanian crafts, cafes, a confectionery etc.. I walked to the very end, looked at what was being sold in the tents - Trojan ceramics, wooden boxes, carved watches, embossing, embroidery, silver jewelry, musical instruments. Then she turned back and stopped near a funny man in an incomprehensible (most likely Romanian) national dress, who was playing long trumpets, and marveled at a real blacksmith, at a woman weaving straw trays.
There are a lot of people - a dense Saturday crowd. I went to a small herbal pharmacy and bought tea from rose petals and various other herbal infusions (3 leva each), because everyone knows what fragrant herbs grow under the hot Bulgarian sun. I wanted to buy the freshly baked pretzels advertised to us by the guide - there was a wild queue for them. I also wanted to drink, on the advice of the guide, the “best here” Turkish coffee, brewed on the sand - there is also a tail behind it.
I bought only different sweets - cockerels on a stick, caramels, lollipops, nougat, kozinaki, candied nuts, lumps of shiny sugar. I saw an interesting sweet, sold by a man in Bulgarian clothes on trays - red baked apples doused in syrup on a stick. While I was thinking, they were instantly snapped up, but I heard delights from gnawing sweet tooths about their taste. Then I looked at my watch - that’s it, 5 minutes left, I need to run to the bus.
To be honest, I really wanted to go home, that is, to Sunny Beach. There are many impressions and they are all different in emotional strength. Actually, before (I read) travel agencies offered one excursion - “Shipka - Veliko Tarnovo and Arbanassi”. That is, after the powerful Shipka they were taken to the most beautiful city in Bulgaria - Tarnovo, and then to the surrounding monasteries. And then they took this full-fledged version and divided it into two commercial parts. They made a separate Shipka with an absolutely weak ethnographic museum in Kazanlak (it would be better to take them to the pink factory), and, in general, a little better Eterom. And they take you on a separate excursion to the monasteries and churches in Tarnovo and Arbanasi.
The journey back brought great joy. By the way, since we are talking about the quality of roads in Bulgaria, it is simply excellent. We raced back into the setting sun and enjoyed the scenery non-stop. On one side there are stunning mountains (the Balkans), on the other there is land combed with grapevines, and above them hangs the fluff of the clouds. And most importantly, all this natural splendor is bathed in the soft dimmed golden-bronze light of the setting sun. The mountains change, at first they are bald, then astrakhan, and then completely shaggy.
Some mountain ranges are shaped like upside-down women's bras, and there are also mountains wrinkled like the feet of a hippopotamus, or like the paws of an invisible monster - the head is somewhere there, probably in the sky, and the paws are here on the ground. We see traces of fires on the mountains - such red-black spots, as if autumn had come in the middle of summer. In general, Bulgaria, with the exception of large cities, is a large village. It's a compliment.
I was at the hotel exactly at 9 pm.
A little about other excursions. Routes.
“In Vanga’s footsteps”/2 days.
1 day. Departure at 6.00. 10.00 – Arrival in Plovdiv – the second largest in Bulgaria, ancient Philippopolis. Inspection of the Church of St. Constantine and Helena, a Roman amphitheater of the 1st century, visit to the Ethnographic Museum in the house of a wealthy merchant. Lunch and departure to Strumyani (near Sandanski). Dinner and overnight.
Day 2. Breakfast and visit to the church, grave and house of Vanga in the Rupite area. Mineral springs.
Inspection of the Nativity Monastery in Melnik, walking tour, lunch and wine tasting in a wine cellar in the ancient town of Kordopula. On the way, dinner in Stara Zagora. Arrival at 22.00.
“Sofia – Rila Monastery”/2 days.
1 day. Departure at 6.00. 10.45 – Arrival in Plovdiv (see above). Sightseeing. 11.45 – Lunch. 19.00 – Arrival at the ski resort of Bansko.
Day 2. 7.30 – Breakfast. Visit to the Rila Monastery. 13.00 – Lunch. 15.00 – Arrival in Sofia, visit to the temple-monument of Alexander Nevsky and the collection of ancient Bulgarian icons in the crypt of the temple.
"Bachkovo Monastery - Perperikon".
Our planet is covered with a network of invisible information-energy* channels or power lines. Where these channels intersected, civilizations and temples arose, and later churches. Perperikon is the sacred city of the Thracians, where Alexander the Great, having made a sacrifice to the gods, learned his fate.
* - spelling from the excursion booklet of the Bulgarian branch of Solvex.
© NataliA ( pamsik.ru). Material posted with permission of the author
Other parts of the story:
Kazanlak is a city in Bulgaria. It is located in the Starozagora region, part of the Kazanlak community. The population is 52,779 people. In the vicinity of the city there are the ruins of the ancient Thracian capital of Sevtopol. Population: 52,779 people (2010). Coordinates: 42°37′00″ N. w. 25°24′00″ E. d. Time zone: UTC+2, in summer UTC+3. Telephone code: (+359) 431. Postal code: 6100. Vehicle code: ST.
Kazanlak Map
History of Kazanlak
The first settlement on the territory of the current city arose during the Neolithic period. With the arrival of the Thracians, the village reached a new level. Scientists note significant economic and demographic growth. The Kazanlak tomb gives an excellent idea of the life of the population of those times.
At the beginning of the 15th century, the current Kazanlak arose. Until the 19th century, the city was famous for the production of rose oil, woolen fabrics and coppersmith products.
Kazanlak today
The Arsenal Ltd plant, which produces weapons and engineering equipment, is located on the territory of the city. There are also enterprises producing woolen fabrics and threads. The production of roses and rose oil is well established.
Sights of Kazanlak
A popular attraction is the Shipka-Buzludzha National Park Museum (1956). On the territory of the park there are: the Freedom Monument, the Victory Monument, the Church-Monument of the Nativity of Christ. The latter is dedicated to those who died in the Russian-Turkish liberation war. The Freedom Monument is located at the top of Stolety. To climb to it, you need to overcome 894 steps.
6 kilometers from the city in the valley of roses there is the Koprinka reservoir, which is considered the most beautiful in Bulgaria. There is a tourist base here. At the bottom of the reservoir, scientists found evidence of the existence of the ancient city of Sevtopolis.
Mineral baths can be taken 5 kilometers from the city near the Tundzha River.
A famous attraction is the Kazanlak Tomb (IV century BC), included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
There are museums in Kazanlak. The Iskra City Historical Museum is considered the oldest in Bulgaria. In the Chudomir Museum you can get acquainted with the work of Dimitar Hristov of Chorbadzhi. Every year from March 25 to April 1, the city hosts the Chudomir holidays.
An unusual place - the Oil Rose Museum. The museum opened in 1969. Every year in June the Rose Festival is held here.
Kazanlak (Bulgarian: Kazanlak) is a city in Bulgaria. It is located in the Starozagora region, part of the Kazanlak community. Kazanlak is located in the Kazanlysh Basin, which is part of the Trans-Balkan Basins. Kazanlak is located 194 km east of Sofia, 185 km west of Burgas, 36 km northwest of Stara Zagora, 114 km northeast of Plovdiv and 320 km southwest of Varna. The population is 52,779 people. In the vicinity of the city there are the ruins of the ancient Thracian capital of Sevtopol. The city is home to a plant for the production of weapons and engineering equipment Arsenal Ltd.
Not far from the city of Kazanlak in the Kazanlak Basin (Kazanlak Basin) at the foot of the Stara Planina Mountains (Balkan Mountains) is the famous Valley of Roses, which is an important tourist attraction in Bulgaria. Every year true romantics come here, eager to enjoy the charm and aroma of roses. It is also here that one of the best rose oils (Rose oil) in the world is produced and sold.
Attractions
The following attractions from the Hundred Tourist Sites of the Bulgarian Tourist Union (Bulgarian Tourist Union) are located in Kazanlak: Literary and Art Museum “Chudomir”. National park-museum "Shipka - Buzludzha". (Shipka (mountain)) Thracian tomb in Kazanlak is the best preserved Thracian tomb in Bulgaria. Shipka (mountain). Peak Buzludzha Bolshaya Kosmatka - Tomb of King Sevt "Golyamata Kosmatka" - The tomb of the Thracian king Sevt III is located in the mound "Golyamata Kosmatka", 1 km south of the town of Shipka and 12 km north of the city of Kazanlak. It was opened in 2004. This tomb was built in the second half of the 5th century. BC e. and in it were found a golden crown-bearer’s wreath, a golden kylix (wine cup), knee pads and a helmet, an appliqué for horse harness and other things presented in the Historical Museum of the city of Kazanlak. The bronze head of the statue of Seuthes III, ritually buried in front of the facade of the crypt, with many details, makes an exceptional impression. This is important evidence of Thracian Orphic rituals. A ritual bed and a ritual table were found in a rectangular chamber. They were covered with a cloth made of gold threads, after which a magnificent burial of the ruler took place. The name Sevta is written on the phial, jug and helmet, which proves that at the beginning of the 3rd century. BC Sevtus III, the famous Thracian ruler of the Kingdom of the Odrysians (tribe), was buried here. Now the capital of his kingdom, Sevtopolis, is located 100 km southwest of the tomb, at the bottom of the Koprinka reservoir. The head of the statue of Seuthes, which stood on a pedestal in the capital of Seuthopolis, is buried in the crypt. The chamber is carefully packed with personal belongings and gifts necessary for the owner’s afterlife. During the funeral, the entrance to the round chamber and vestibule was walled up, the king's horse was sacrificed, and the corridor was ritually burned. This burial is part of the discoveries in the Valley of the Thracian Kings, where the Kazanlak tomb and crypts and temples discovered in mounds were also discovered...
