VELINGRAD – RUPITE – MELNIK – ROJENIAN MONASTERY – VELINGRAD

BEGINING – 8,30 a.m.

Departure to Rupite at 8.30 a.m. Rupite is a picturesque area, surrounded by a mystical halo. It is related to Prophet Baba Vanga and brings to every visitor a rich energy charge. It is situated on the banks of the Struma River, at the eastern foot of the Kojuh Volcanic Hill, just 10 km from Petrich. In Rupite there is the Vanga-built temple “St. Petka Bulgarska”, a place that brings together thousands of Christian worshippers each year. Due to big volcanic eruption in the past, in the area are formed a lot of healing mineral springs with a temperature of 75 ° C. Nearby a traveler can find also remnants of one of the largest ancient cities of Herakleia Sintikas, which existed from 4th century BC, to 6th century AD.

Thousands of people are travelling every year to this miraculous place. Established as a gallery here you can see orthodox icons, painted by a famous Bulgarian artist prof. Svetlin Rusev. Within temples garden is situated the tomb of Baba Vanga, famous blind Bulgarian mystic, clairvoyant, and herbalist. Not far away could be visited the house of the same prophetess, in which she lives during last years of her life.

LUNCH

Next tour stop at lunchtime is the town of Melnik – famous to be the smallest town in Bulgaria.

There visit local restaurant where you will taste and enjoy the traditional cuisine accompanied by fantastic red wine from the region.

Melnik delights its visitors with the landscape of the Melnik’s sandstones, magnificent historical houses with their rich architecture, beautiful nature and tasty red wine. The town is stated as cultural and historical reserve.

The first settlers on the territory of Melnik were the ancient Thracians, and more specifically the tribe of the Medis, representative of which is the legendary gladiator and leader Spartacus. Few centuries later, the area was conquered by the romans. Proves for that is ancient roman bridge which is preserved in Melnik until nowadays. When Slavs tribes settled the land, they gave the name Melnik after the nearby landmarks – the sand pyramids. The name origins from the word “mel”, which translates to white clay or chalk.

In 1215 Melnik becomes the capital of independent feudal principality, ruled by Aleksiy Slav. The remnants of his fortress are still preserved near the town.

In 1395 all Bulgarian lands including Melnik, fell under the domination of Ottoman Empire for the period of 5 centuries until 1912.

In XVIII Century, during the Bulgarian renascence, Melnik is reborn to be again rich, full of people town with big marketplace. The local tradespeople were selling their merchandise in Budapest, Vienna, Genoa and Venice. Melnik was famous in whole Europe with its fantastic wine, kept thru the ages until today.

During the Ottoman domination Melnik was a big administrative center. There was a Turkish barracks in the town, which carried out its administrative functions in the so called Turkish Konak – a police station. This building is still preserved. It is located in the center of Melnik opposite the town library.

During the Bulgarian renascence period are built some of the brightest architectural monuments, testifying to the economic upsurge of the town at that time.

ROZHEN MONASTERY

As a center of spiritual life in the region, the Rozhen Monastery is located 5 km east of Melnik. It is the largest Orthodox monastery in the Pirin region. The monastery is relatively well preserved to this day and every year is visited by many tourists from different countries. The monastic celebration is on September 8, when people from all over the region gather together to participate in celebrations.

After the visit of Rozhen Monastery we take the road to Velingrad.

END OF THE EXCURSION – around 7 p.m.

Price

The price include: Air-conditioned VAN, Guide, lunch, entrance fees