|
|
Bulgaria in picturesA picturesque small country,Bulgaria has existed for more than 13 centuries in Europe, linking East and West. Bulgaria remembers ancient civilisations and great people that wrote its turbulent history. Situated in Southeastern Europe, Bulgaria occupies the northeastern part of the Balkan Peninsula.
http://www.senseofbulgaria.org/index_real.php
http://www.pbase.com/ngruev/bulgaria
http://georgy.photo-forum.net/
http://www.claudio-alvarez.magix.net/ --> links unter "mis albumes" -> Bulgaria
http://video.google.de/videoplay?docid=-3228186231647549628&q=visit+bulgaria |  | National Palace of Culture in Sofia
|
 | Nationaltheater Ivan Vazov in Sofia
|
 | National Gallery of Art in Sofia(Former Palace of the Czar)
|
 |
The town of Nessebar has about 10,000 inhabitants and extends over a small peninsula.The present-day town is the successor of a Thracian fishermen''s settlement named Menabryia (meaning literally ''the town of Mena''), the foundation of which dates back to the 2nd century BC. Later it remained the only Doric colony along the Black Sea coast, as the rest were typical Ionic settlements. The Greeks named it Messembria (which was later transformed into Nessabar by the Slavs), and it grew into a big and well-fortified town-state. The town benefited from natural protection from both the land and the sea. Remains suggest the existence of aqueducts, a sewerage system, fortified wails, an amphitheatre and numerous cult edifices (including an impressive temple of Apollo) at that time. The town became a popular commercial centre as a variety of goods from the Aegean and the Mediterranean regions were traded there and it also minted its own coins in the 5th century BC. Two centuries later, it founded its own colony called Navlohos near Obzor. The whole land between Nessebar and Obzor used to be a granary that supplied the two colonies with food as well as goods of exchange. In the 1st century BC the town surrendered to Marcus Lukulus'' legions and was subjected top Roman domination, during which the construction of a second colony of Messembria began and was finished. The second colony, built to the south of Nessebar, was named Anhialo (present-day Pomorie). |
 |
RILA - the most majestic Bulgarian Mountain, highest peak Moussala (2,925 m); - 219 high-mountain takes, over 2,000 plant varieties and a rich animal world; - the natural setting for Bulgaria's most famous monastery - RILA MONASTERY, and the country's oldest winter resort - BOROVETS.
The first lake - '"The Tear '" is the highest of the Rila Lakes. It is found at 2535 meters above sea level and has an area of .7 hectares. It is 4.5 meters at itsdeepest.
The 2nd - '"The Eye'" is found at 2440 meters above sea level and has an area of 6.8 hectares. It is the deepest of thelakes with a depth of 37.5 meters.
The 3rd - '"The Kidney'" is at an altitude of 2282 meters above sea level and has an area of 8.5 hectares. It is 28 meters at its deepest.
The 4th - '"The Twins'" are actually one lake nearly split into two. They are at 2243 meters above sea level and is the largest and longest of the lakes. It has an area of 9.1 hectares and a depth of 27.5 meters.
The 5th - '"Three-Lobed Lake'" has an irregular shape and steep banks and is found at 2216 meters above sea level. It is 6.5 meters deep and has a total area of 2.6 hectares.
The 6th - '"The Fish Lake'" is found at 2184 meters above seal level and has an area of 3.5 hectares. It is the shallowest of the lakes at 2.5 meters. The 7 Lakes Lodge is found at its most Northern bank.
The 7th - '"The Low Lake'" is at 2095 meteres above sea level, has an area of 5.9 hectares and is 11 meters deep. |
 |
The monastery was founded by Ivan Rilski (John of Rila) in the 10th century as a colony for hermits. It has been destroyed by fire, and abandoned by the monks. Its
presentday place, 119 km south of Sofia, is the one in which it stood during the 14th century, when the protosebast Dragovol Hrelyo settled in the monastery as an independent ruler. In 1335 he built the five-storey defence tower, topped by the Transfiguration Chapel,fragments of whose murals can still be seen today.
By the end of 14th century, the Rila Monastery had turned into a powerful feudal entity with many villages, lands and properties. Tsar Shishman alone, the last Bulgarian ruler, donated it over twenty villages in different districts. The monastery's unquestionable authority influenced the Turkish sultants who confirmed the rights granted by the Bulgarian kings by special firmans. Irrespective of this, the Monastery was devastated around the mid-15th century. It started rising again after the relics of Ivan Rilski were brought from Veliko Turnovo here in 1469 (passing through the whole of Bulgaria as a nationwide patriotic procession).
The fate of the Monastery became the concern of the entire Bulgarian nation. A new centrewas needed for the cultural life, which had declined or was transferred abroad. Many of the time's most outstanding men of letters gradually started gathering in the monasteries. The first links with Russian monasteries were established. A charter of Tzar Ivan the Terrible,kept today at the Monastery Museum, allowed the monks unlimited access to the Moscow Principality. |
 |
Rila monastery:The church |
 | Rila monastery
Rila monastery |
 |
Sinite Kamani: In the Balkans, above the town of Sliven, over an area of 7094.1 hectares is situated the marvelous Nature Park Sinite kamani (Blue Stones) bluish-grey to violet rock cliffs mounting to more than 1000 meters above the sea level the peaks Big and Small Chitalka, Kutelka, Bulgarka (the highest peak in the East Balkans 1181 m) covered with beech forests, the lake in Karandila, the rock phenomena Kuminite (Chimneys), Kuklite (Dolls), Rakavichkata (Glove) marvels which only the nature can create. |
 |
Pobitite kamani: The natural attraction Pobiti Kamuni (The Stone Forest) is located in the western part of Varna lowland and it consists of cylindrical stone columns fixed in a small desert. The stone columns have porous surface and rise to an altitude of 5 - 6 m. They are built of limy sandstones, containing many fossils - nummulites, mussels, snails. The majority have a smaller or bigger cavity, some are horizontally cracked. The cylindrical stone columns form several groups somewhere between the town Beloslav and the villages Strashimirovo, Slunchevo, Banovo and Povelyanovo with a total area of 50 km2.
The first impression is of a ruined temple but scientists have discovered that it is a geological formation of stalagmites some fifty million years old.
The largest and the best preserved is the central group of fixed stones, situated 18 km westwards from Varna along the highway Varna-Sofia. There is an exhibition area where visitors can get hold of various interesting brochures. |
 |
ISKUR GORGE- formed as a result of the cleaving of Iskur River at the time of elevation of the Western Balkan Range. A railway line and a road pass through it, connecting Northern and Southern Bulgaria. Abounding in rock formations, some of which have been declared natural sites - Kutina Pyramids at the onset of the gorge, Lakatnik Rocks, caves and rocks, Ritlite near the village of Lyutibrod. |
 |
Assenova Fortress:2 km south of the town of Asenovgrad, above the road to Smolyan stands the historical Assenova Krepost (Fortress), which had existed even during the Thracian ages, but became strategically important in medieval ages after the battle at Klokotnitsa (1230). The feudal castle of the fortress with the tower and the two water reservoirs are thoroughly studied and conserved. The relatively well-preserved building - the church Holy Mother of God from Petrich was restored in 1934 and 1985, and the restoration of the wall paintings was completed in 1991. The same year the church was awarded a statute of functioning temple. |
 |
Melnik Pyramids
The pyramids of Melnik are rocky formations (earth pyramids) in the south-westen peripheral slopes of the Pirin mountain. They are located in the surroundings of the town of Melnik. These magnificent natural sculptures are outlined in various forms and shapes, looking like haystacks, Egyptian pyramids, Gothic temples, minarets, ancient towers and loop-holes, giant obelisks, rising jumpers with incredible resemblance to colossal stone mushrooms. |
 |
Skalnite Mostove
The Rocky Rhodopean Bridges are located~at a height of 1450 m in the West Rhodope Mountains, alongside the eastern slope of the Chernatitsa hill, near the villages of Zabardo and Orehovo. The splendour of the rock phenomena, old-aged coniferous trees and soft outlines of the landscape makes the Rocky Bridges one of the most beautiful spots in the Rhodope Mountains. The biggest and most beautiful is the Upper Bridge, 96m long, 70m high and 35m wide with huge opening. |
 |
Trigrad Gorge: This impressive gorge, with its 250 m high walls, is one of the largest and most attractive karst formations in Bulgaria and serves as an inviting attraction for rock climbers. This region is home to more than 150 caves. The most famous of which is the precipitous Devil`s Throat Cave. If you want to experience something really adventurous
go for the Haramiska Cave. |
 |
The Rocks of Belogradchik are formed of versicoloured Triassic sandstones and conglomerates. These have fantastic outlines - silhouettes of people, towers, ships, mushrooms, obelisks, palaces, and animals. Most remarkable are Pine Stone, Adam and Eve, Sphinx, Schoolgirl, Nun, Bear. There one can find the fortress of Belogradchik built by the Ottoman conquerors on the remains of the Roman fortress. It was used for the last time during the Serbian-Bulgarian War of 1885. It has been restored and arranged as an open-air museum. |
 |
The Madara National Preserve is situated 17 km from the town of Shoumen. A range of cliffs show signs of human presence dating back to the III century B.C. The most famous sight here is a The Madara Horseman (Madarski Konnik) mysterious bas-relief known as the "Madara Horseman". Interesting about the relief is the fact that it is carved into the rockface at a height of 25m above the ground. The details are apparent by sunlight because the monument is so eroded. The carving is said to represent a horseman who is trampling a lion. He holds a pike in one hand and a wine cup in the other. There is a god behind the rider. There are inscriptions around the image of the Rider, which are written in old Greek language and telling about some Bulgarian rulers. The oldest inscription mentions the name of the Bulgarian Khan Tervel - probably the relief was carved in VIII c. There are different oppinions what the relief represents. The Rider of Madara is a unique example of the Bulgarian mediaeval art. It is included in the UNESCO list of cultural monuments with world significance. |
 |
Etura: The unique in south-eastern Europe open-air museum - the architectural ethnographic complex of Etura is situated at the distance of 8 km south of the centre of the town in the immediate proximity of the Etara quarter and past the Sivek River (at the distance of 3 km from the road-fork to Shipka). It is the most interesting place of interest in the town and one of the most visited site all over Bulgaria. Located over an area of 60 decares the complex lives the authentic life of a typical craftsmanship settlement from the period of Bulgarian Revival. The way Bulgarian people lived 150 years ago can be perceived and felt here. One can hear the rattle of wheels and mills moved by water, the whiz of the mills for woollen cloths and for flour. Metal ornaments, pottery articles, copper utensils, braids, hot buns and whatever else come out from the skillful hands of the masters there. The little cobblestone streets, the stone cheshmi (drinking-fountains), the gas lanterns, Sakovs house, the house with the tavern, the clock tower and a lot of other authentic details complete the whole picture. All of these is predominantly the work of the great patriot Lazar Donkov who dedicated his life to this noble cause to create this authentic ethnographic complex. |
|
|
