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Bulgaria, Pazardzhik region, Thracian - Rhodope region

Rhodope Mountains on the border with spring – Part One

posted by Dario
Apr 4, 2017 1153 0 0
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History in the bosom of the Rhodope Mountains

Ah, the Rhodopes, this is my first thought when I know that I will take a trip to my favourite mountain. Therefore, with great joy I was off to the next adventure with the task to travel to significant places at this part of Bulgaria.

  • Fortress “Peristera”
  • Church ossuary “Sveta Nedelya“
  • Coming soon: “Rhodope Mountains on the border with spring – Part Two”

Fortress “Peristera”

Our first stop was the town of Peshtera, which is located 132 km away from Sofia. Our main goal in Peshtera was to visit the fortress “Peristera” which in Greek means “dove.”

It is located at the beginning of the city (if you are coming from the direction of Pazardzhik) on the hill “Sveta Petka“. The fortress dates back to the IV century and it is believed that it functioned until the VII century. Before being ravaged by enemies of the Byzantines. Playing the role of a citadel, which contained of inner city and defense gate with a total area of ​​about 15 acres.

Thanks to modern architecture and prolonged archaeological studies today visitors of the fortress can walk in to the completely reconstructed fortification system of the citadel of “Peristera“.

The new reconstruction is fully authentic version to the late ancient facility. At the same time you can see various open artifacts from the site, such as: pottery, used for storing food, as well as the typical of the time military clothing.

Useful information:
To reach the town of Peshtera you must take the road Sofia-Pazardjik and after that Pazardjik-Peshtera, the total distance is 132 kilometers;
Once you have reached the city there are well-marked signs that will direct you to Peristera;
The opening hours of the fortress:
May-October:
Tuesday – Thursday: 9:00 to 18:00
Friday – Sunday: 9:00 to 20:00
Day off: Monday
November to April:
Tuesday – Thursday: 9:00 to 16:30
Friday – Sunday: 9:00 to 17:00
Day off: Monday;
Entrance fee:
Entrance tax: 4 lev
For children under 18, students, seniors and adults with disabilities: 2 lev;
The place has a wonderful and rich flower garden and several pavilions where you can sit and enjoy the view to the vast Rodopi Mountains;
The staff are very nice and kind;
There is a large parking in front of the fortress, where you can leave your car;

Church ossuary “Sveta Nedelya“

After a nicely spent time in the town of Peshtera, we headed to another historical point in the area. It’s the town of Batak and its dramatic story that marked the Bulgarian history forever. We headed to the church ossuary “Sveta Nedelya“, which is located in the city center.

The structure is entirely built of stone, with oak doors and is surrounded by high stone walls. It was built in 1813 for only 75 days with labour from the entire population!
As you may know, Batak remained forever in the history of Bulgaria with one of the bloodiest events, the Batak massacre. So to this day at the very entry into the church you can feel light and oppressive coldness that is intertwined with drama and sadness on the walls of the church. A reinforcing effect of the whole atmosphere play  spots of blood on the walls and bullet holes on the stone pillars.

The church can also be seen a rutted “hole” that represented a well where mothers were desperately looked for water for their children during the three-day encirclement by the Turks.

The most defeating moment is when it comes to the two coffins filled with the remains of those Bulgarians who died in the name of Bulgaria.

All whole of this epic story demonstrates not only to Bulgarians but also to people beyond our borders that our ancestors possessed strong spirit and values ​​for which they fought at the cost of their life. This historic moment will be remembered as a symbol of rebellion and courage.

But most importantly, it will always remain the church that does not impress with its high architectural value or with murals, and has become “the little church of Batak, which you enter with your head down or the big church of Bulgaria, from which you come out with head up!“

Useful information:
The distance from Sofia to Batak is 147 km, and take the road Sofia-Pazardjik-Peshtera-Batak;
The car can be left it in the center and walk to the church;
Opening times vary between seasons:
Summer: 9:00 to 5:15 p.m.
Winter: 8:00 to 12:00 and 13:30 to 17:00
Every day;
Admission is free to all;
Ossuary church “St. Nedelya” has become a symbol of national freedom and serves to recall and prove to us and to the generations after us the strength of our national spirit;
I will allow myself with a modest request to speak to everyone reading this: at the shop on the front entrance are sold candles, buy one and light it at the temple in order to show your respect for the fallen Bulgarians in the name of freedom and values ​​of our people;

Coming soon: “Rhodope Mountains on the border with spring – Part Two”

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Rhodope Mountains on the border with spring - Part Two

About me

Travel Blogger

Dario Dionisi



If you want to know something more about me – my soul is a traveler, my origin is Italian and my true essence is a faithful friend. I am always open to new ideas and will be very happy if you want to contact me at dario@beyondsofia.com

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Dario • Exploring beyond Sofia
Grateful to had the opportunity to go to so many p Grateful to had the opportunity to go to so many places this year, sharing some of my favourite snaps of #2022 , can’t wait to see what adventures are awaiting me during 2023 🤩

#yearoftravel #europe
Oh my god, is it already the end of the year! This Oh my god, is it already the end of the year! This year was full with surprises from our beautiful planet. In this video I gathered some of my most favourite nature spots and moments that I had the luck to record. And seriously there is no better caption to describe them than OH MY GOD 🤩

#ourplanet #ohmygod #momentsthatmatter
Life edition #2022 Life edition #2022
Welcome to the Vaticans wonders ✨ #Vatican #mus Welcome to the Vaticans wonders ✨

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The eternal city slaying since 751 BC #Rome #Ital The eternal city slaying since 751 BC

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“Good afternoon passengers. This is your captain “Good afternoon passengers. This is your captain speaking. I’d like to welcome everyone on Rightwing Flight 86A. We are currently cruising at an altitude of 10.000 km above sea level at an airspeed of 645 km per hour. The time is 3:25 pm. The weather looks good and with the tailwind on our side we are expecting to land in Rome approximately fifteen minutes ahead of schedule. I’ll talk to you again before we reach our destination. Until then, sit back, relax and enjoy the rest of the flight.„

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Living the Ancient Greek way | Series two Let’s Living the Ancient Greek way | Series two

Let’s be honest, living during the ancient times of Greece was probably cool.

They had so many different and creative crafts that most of them we can witness until nowadays.

A good example for this is the new museum of the Acropolis. A modern building representing the exactly same proportions of the Parthenonas.

In the museum you can see fundamental artefacts picturing the believes and life from ancient times.

But probably the best part for me was the chance to see by myself all the perfect details crafted on different surfaces.

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Living the Ancient Greek way | Series one The hil Living the Ancient Greek way | Series one

The hill of Acropolis
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