1. BULGARIA sights

2. CONTENTS Nature Architecture Traditions and customs

3. Raysko pruskalo Raysko pruskalo or Kalofer’s waterfall is the highest waterfall on the Balkan peninsula. It is in Stara Planina mountain, under the Botev peak.

4. The Trigrad gorge is a ravine, which is situated in 1,5 km to the north of the town of Trigrad. Its length is 7 km, but the real gorge is 2-3 km long. It is the third in Bulgaria, after the Buynovsko gorge and the Trunsko gorge.

5. Kaliakra Headland The most popular legend is that about the 40 virgins, who tied their plaits and threw themselves down into the sea. They did not want to be enslaved. Now, on the edge of the headland there is an obelisk named the 40 Virgins’ Gate in memory of the girls.

6. Strandzha planina mountain Strandzha planina mountain is situated in the east part of the geographical region of Thrace. It covers an area of 10 000 sq. km. It is famous for its unique plant life.

7. Tsarevets Fortress The fortress of Tsarevets is situated in the town of Veliko Tarnovo. It was the main Bulgarian fortress during the Second Bulgarian Kingdom.

9. The Rocks of Belogradchik They are declared to be one of the New 7 Wonders

10. They were a very substantial fortress during the time of the Roman Empire.

11. The Rocks of Belogradchik are figures of rocks up to 200m high. They make a strip, which is 30km long and up to 3 km wide.

12. . Many rocks have fantastic shapes and are associated with interesting legends. They are often named for people or objects they are thought to resemble. The Belogradchik Rocks have been declared a Natural Landmark by the Bulgarian government and are a major tourist attraction in the region.

13. Asenova krepost The earliest archaeological findings date from the time of the Thracians.

14. “Assen's Fortress" is a medieval fortress in the Bulgarian Rhodope Mountains, 2-3 km south of the town of Asenovgrad, on a high rocky ridge on the left bank of the Assenitsa river.

15. It was considerably renovated in the 13th century during the rule of the Bulgarian tsar Ivan Assen II to serve as a border fortification against Latin raids.

16. Koprivshtitsa Koprivshtitsa is in a mountainous region. It is built in the picturesque valley of the river Topolnitsa in the heart of the Sredna Gora mountain. For its old, authentic houses and untouched by human hands nature, the town is an architecture-historical resort. It is a native home for a lot of revolutionaries, poets and writers.

17. The Covered Bridge over the river Osam in the town of Lovetch, which connects the new part of the town with Varosha architecture-historical resort, is the only one on the Balkan peninsula. It was built in 1874 by the Bulgarian architect Nikola Fichev, well-known as Usta Kolyo Ficheto.

18. Tsvetnitsa (Palm Sunday) This is a Christian moveable, religious and folk feast. It is celebrated by the Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant churches one week before Easter, after the Day of St. Lazar. At this Day they pray for health and bless with willow branches.

19. Kukeri

20. It is a winter folk custom. Young men dress themselves in these strange clothes, go out into the streets, jump and make a lot of noise, produced by big bells, to expel illnesses and evil spirit.

21. It is a traditional Bulgarian ritual to scare away evil spirits, with a costumed man performing the ritual. The costumes cover most of the body and includes decorated wooden masks of animals (sometimes double-faced) and large bells attached to the belt.

22. Nestinari dance

23. It involves a barefooted dance on smouldering embers performed by nestinari. It is usually performed on the square of the village in front of the whole population on the day of Sts. Constantine and Helen or the day of the village's patron saint. The ritual is a unique mixture of Eastern Orthodox beliefs and older pagan traditions from the Strandzha planina Mountains.

24. This is Bulgaria!

25. Thank you! Made by Temenuzhka Dobreva