Bulgaria Tourism

Northwest Bulgaria to a landscape that can not compare with anywhere else in the world is found. Its formation dates 230 million years ago. This amazing rocky outcrop extends along 30 kilometers long and 15 kilometers wide, It is a fascinating natural phenomenon formed through the modeling of the drops of rain and wind that made the simplest stones in splendid sculptures depicting the figure of mythological beings, people, animals and birds. But besides these sculptures, what is striking is the set of columns over 200 meters high, which has been used by man as a fortress since Roman times, for its great military power and protection.

Nature, You can surprise in many cases, but the landscape seen in the rocks of Belogradchik, evokes directly, the figure of a giant stone modeling, like a simple moldable clay it were.

The colorful figures found, already they have names like Knight, the Madona, Dervish, Adam and Eve, Fungus, the lion, Monks, Bear, Castle, the shepherd boy, but many are left to our imagination, in them we find animals, vegetation and human figures, almost perfectly sculpted, what has led to the popular folklore has created legends around.

The best known legend is that of the convent in which lived a young maiden, called Valentina, a strolling around the convent day he met a Roman military, and both fell in love without remedy, every day came to visit, until she became pregnant and expelled from convent. Such was the anger of the gods who became the convent in stone and with him all who lived in it.

Another legend is related to another set of rocks commonly known as schoolgirl, legend has it that a young girl was in love with a Herero, but the master of this, jealous of his love decided to run after the young to try to rape her, she fled but on the way a large bear found, although the young preferred to be swallowed up by the bear raped by the wild, but at that moment the sky turned gray and the three became stones.

But beyond the legends, this rocky valley has served as a fortress to different villages, an example of which was the Roman who for several years remained in that place free from the various attacks, dividing it into three parts fortress from which a complete view of the surroundings and unbeatable protection was due to natural stones formation and strengthening that got applied to the lifting of three new walls, making it practically as it is known today, "The Belogradchik fortress". This strength also gained great importance in the Ottoman conquest of Bulgaria, they needed to expand again to withstand the attacks and provide shelter for his troops. More ahead in the nineteenth century it was used by the French and Italian adapting to withstand firearms Following this time, He lost its military importance, the people making and adapts to your needs.

Today this fortress is one of the best preserved of all Bulgaria and restored for tourist use, It is one of the prime candidates to be the eighth wonder of the world, classified within 30 universal curiosities of nature.

Whether by legends, its history or simply for its beauty, Belogradchik rocks, They are a treasure that everyone should know and care.