The city that will make you dream
Smolyan is situated in the heart of Rhodope mountain.
After the long,
crank and full with turns road from
If you are one
of those people who like the conveniences and comfort of the city life, meanwhile
you are a keen skier – Smolyan is the perfect place for your holiday. Pamporovo
resort is situated only on 15 km from Smolyan, with its excellent ski-trucks
and there is plenty of transportation to Pamporovo.
LOCATION
The town of Smolyan (55 000 inhabitants, 1500 to 1600 mt altitude) 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.
HISTORY
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 . During the period of the attempts to convert
the native population to Mohammedanism (17 th century), some of the inhabitants
were killed, others ran to the mountains and those who adopted the Muslim
religion populated the areas along Cherna River,
where the modern residential area lies. The Turks named this new settlement
Pashmakli.
The name of Smolyan was given to this neighbourhood after the Liberation and it
came out of the name of the Slavonic tribe of Smoleni. “Raikovo” residential area
developed as a craftsmanship village. “Ustovo” residential area became an
important market centre.
LANDMARKS
Within “SMOLYAN”
RESIDENTIAL AREA: the Revival age houses of Meramovi, Sarievi and a couple of other.
The overarched bridge across Cherna River
built in the beginning of 18 th century.
The Planetarium is the biggest in Bulgaria- blvd. Bulgaria 20,
phone: 0301 23074
The Museum of the History of Mid-Rhodope
mountain possesses more than 150 000 exhibits - “New Centre”
Complex, phone: 0301 27 028 The city Art Gallery
accommodates thousands of masterpieces of artists and sculptors- “New Centre”
Complex, phone: 0301 38085
“RAIKOVO” RESIDENTIAL AREA: The Pangalova House
– valuable architectural monument of culture dating back to 1860, Alibeev Konak - an old residential and
economic activity complex. Memorial-Bone
vault was inaugurated in honour of the inhabitants of Raikovo, who died for the
Liberation. “St. Nedelya” Church
(1836) has a richly ornamented iconostasis and the Mazolevs Fountain .
“USTOVO” RESIDENTIAL AREA: Mednikarska
Charshiya – the old coppersmith marketplace The Hadjiivanovs House, which provided shelter
to the headquarters of the Russian troops in the region during the Liberation
War (1877-1878) The Sheremetevs, Òankovs, Hadjichonovs Houses are also within
this area. “St.Nikola” Church is
remarkable with its plentiful, rich wall painting and original architecture.
The Rhodope Drama Theatre is
successfully functioning - Bulgaria blvd., phone: 0301 25178.
SURROUNDING AREAS
16 km to the north,
up above the town is one of the biggest Bulgarian winter resorts – Pamporovo.
10 km west of the centre of the town is the region of the Smolyan lakes, known as the “emerald eyes of the Rhodope
mountain”. They totaled 20 in number, but presently there are only 7 lakes. The
largest one of them –the so-called “clear lake”- is also the deepest and the
most beautiful.
Chaired rope lift to Snejanka peak, passing close to some picturesque vertical
rocks. Bus ¹ 4 travels to this region.
The Smolyan waterfall is 20
meters high and is in the immediate surroundings southwest of the town.
27 km south of Smolyan, in the valley of the river Arda , is the village of Mogilitza. It has beautiful renaissance
style houses, but the most interesting building is that of the Agushev's konak, built in 1843. It has 221 windows, 86 doors
and 24 chimneys. This is a splendid piece of art of an unknown Rhodope master,
whose right hand was cut by Agush, the owner of the Konak, according to the
legend, to be sure that the master will not built another similar masterpiece
of art. This is the only preserved medieval feudal castle on the Balkan
Peninsula.
24 km from Smolyan one can find the ethnographic and architectural reserve - Shiroka Luka.
There are some 20 caves in the vicinity of the village, the most interesting of
them being the Uhlovitsa cave characterized by its miraculous cascade lakes
at a distance of 3 km east of the village. The cave is easily accessible. There
is regular daily bus from the town of Smolyan to the village.
10 km north of the town is located the village of Momchilovtsi. Its authentic Rhodope architecture, the local
historic-ethnographic museum, the interesting habits and traditions, its mild
and pleasant climate in all the seasons, the delicious local culinary gourmets,
its fantastic nature, the availability of a number of family hotels turn the
village into a special site of domestic and international tourism.
There is a regular bus line to Smolyan and Chepelare.
The Monastery “St. Atanas”
and the legendary peak of Kralyov
Kamuk are located to the south in the Rhodope ridge Kainadina.