WHERE IN BULGARIA ARE YOU?

by Stamen Manolov; photography by Anthony Georgieff

You are in a small town in the Bulgarian northwest, for years one of the EU's poorest regions. It was not always so

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In Antiquity and onwards the area developed as a thriving centre for mining lead, iron, silver, gold and copper. As it happened, one of the first Bulgarian rebellions against the Ottomans originated here, in the 17th century. It was organised and led exclusively by Roman Catholics, the main religious group in the area. Today the town's main claim to fame is the local carpet weaving craft. Obviously, all done by hand using fine wool, natural dyes and upright looms, the local carpets, being on the UNESCO list of intangible heritage, are famous the world over and fetch good prices at the international markets. Many Bulgarian homes and public offices continue to enjoy their carpets, which can withstand many years of wear-and-tear.

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WHERE IN BULGARIA ARE YOU?
Cultivating the rose bushes is difficult enough, but the real challenge comes with picking up the buds: it can be done only within a few weeks in May and early June, and only very early in the morning.
where in bulgaria are you.jpg
WHERE IN BULGARIA ARE YOU?
Besides the fortress, it sports plenty of Ottoman-era heritage, including a well-preserved city wall, a post office, a cross-shaped barracks and perhaps the most eccentric mosque this side of the Bosporous.
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WHERE IN BULGARIA ARE YOU?
A successful negotiation of the cobbled streets, which can become treacherously slippery in wet weather, will open up a new world for you, both out- and indoors.
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WHERE IN BULGARIA ARE YOU?
Men and women in bathing suits partake, come rain or shine, of some hot mineral springs that flow freely through the yellowish mud. A very un-orthodox church with bold, non-Christian-like murals stands nearby.
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WHERE IN BULGARIA ARE YOU?
Come Yuletide, and the streets swarm with adult men dressed in what appears to be a combination between early 20th century gendarme uniforms and traditionally embroidered white shirts.
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WHERE IN BULGARIA ARE YOU?
A bridge spanning over a turbulent whitewater river, which was constructed in such an incredible location that it was quick to gain notoriety for being otherworldly, a structure no human hand was able to accomplish without assistance from supernatural force
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WHERE IN BULGARIA ARE YOU?
Logically, every odd rock has a story attached to it. Most of them, predictably, are macabre but all are worth listening to as they bespeak folk dreams and memories through the centuries.
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WHERE IN BULGARIA ARE YOU?
It was destroyed by the invading Ottomans, reviving itself in 1660. The compound you see today is a fine example of Revival Period architecture with a 1844 church with a fine woodcarved iconostasis.
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WHERE IN BULGARIA ARE YOU?
Many of its wooden houses are well preserved, some have been turned into museums, there are places to stay and places to eat, and the village is home to a couple of festivals one of which gathers an international crowd clad in traditional costu
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WHERE IN BULGARIA ARE YOU?
At least a dozen man-made lakes of various sizes attract many locals who come here for the serenity, the mountain air and for the angling and photography opportunities.
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WHERE IN BULGARIA ARE YOU?
First you see a pretty, almost fairy-tale, unmistakably Russian church. Soon you reach a larger-than-life equestrian statue representing a 19th century Russian monarch.
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WHERE IN BULGARIA ARE YOU?
In recent months the telltale Soviet soldier waving a submachine gun is gone and the whole compound has been fenced off. It is being protected round the clock by Bulgarian police.