Welcome to Velingrad

This place is like coming out of Zograph's brush. It has a cloudless sky, plenty of rivers, nature reserves, karst and mineral springs. It attracts tourists with their cleanness of air, their geothermal waters and the uniqueness of their nature. Being the name of Vela Peeva, Velingrad is located in Southern Bulgaria, 44 km from Pazardjik, 63 km from Plovdiv and 134 km from Sofia. The town was formed in 1948 when the three villages of Ladzhene, Kamenitsa and Chepino were merged. It occupies the Chepino Valley in the Western Rhodopes. The climate is mountainous with cool, short-lived summer and mild long winter. They call it the SPA capital of The Balkans, because of the many sanatoriums, medical centers, spa centers and hotels.
Its surroundings are full of history. Remains of Thracians, Romans, Slavs, Proto-Bulgarians and Byzantines tell through artifacts the past of the town and the places near it. The many mounds dating back to the 6th-5th centuries BC, necropolises, walls of settlements and fortresses prove that the Thracians, especially the Bessi tribe, played an important role in these places. There are seven of them in the Batash swamp and two in the Yundola area. The presence of the Romans is witnessed by those found in "Bolyocino dere" and "Removo" clay pipelines, pavements of roads, remains of fortifications, and finds of marble slabs and coins. In the "Pechkovec" area, at the foot of the medieval the fortress of Tsepina, once the capital of Despot Slav, were discovered by the Slavs of Dragović and Proto-Bulgarians and in the area of ​​Nikolitsa are the remains of a basilica from the early Byzantine era. It is known that the Chepino valley was annexed to Khan Malamir, and the whole area with his successor Khan Presian.
The town welcomes its guests with its magnificent Historical Museum, which has gathered ethnographic objects between its walls, exposition connected with Vela Peeva, the exhibition of "Easter written eggs" and the exposition bearing the name of the great Bulgarian opera singer Nikolay Gyaurov. This exposure is mobile and often visits abroad. A beautiful historical and cultural monument is Villa Raina. It was built in 1928 on the idea of ​​the Serbian architect Milutin Borislavlevich. Another legendary building is the Church of the Holy Trinity, connected with the liberation, and under the altar there was a hiding place for weapons. It was built in 1816 on the foundations of an old one stone church.
The city center has been renovated, sunken in greenery. Pleasant for walking and meeting friends with a cup of black coffee. The shopping street offers cozy shops cafes and benches to relax. Velingrad has mineral beaches like "Kaferinova", which is the newest and the most modern beach "Terma", with three mineral pools, one for adults and two for children, umbrellas, sun loungers and a restaurant. The city has a karting track with car rentals. The track is below the shape of eighth with a bridge and a small tunnel. It is 400 meters long. One-day, three-day and five-day hikes are hosted by horses from Sivek Horse Riding.
If you want to merge with nature, visit the place "Yundola", which is a saddle between Rila and Rodopi and is a starting point for tourist routes; the lake and the Kleptuza nature park, famous for its mineral springs, intended primarily for drinking; the area of ​​"Gergevana" with the chapel "St. George", next to it there is a fountain with spring water and a barbecue area; the rock phenomenon "Slaveevi skali" at the foot of Mount "Chernovets", standing 5.5 km. There is a large Thracian necropolis here. Socks for sacrifice and sacrificial altars, vessels, spoons were found. The route is marked and well maintained. The cave "Lepenitsa" is 7 km away. Located under the summit of Sutkja high 2186 m and has three floors. At the bottom of the underground river flows, the second one forms four lakes in rainy weather, otherwise there are only two the third is dry but inaccessible. The temperature is 10 degrees, and stalactites, stalagmites and stalactites are impressive.
Another place worth visiting is the Natural History Museum "Pliocene Park", 11 km away from Velingrad, which is very close to the village of Dorkovo. Here is the largest paleontological field in the Balkans and the second most significant exposure in Europe. At 14 km is the biosphere reserve "Mantaritsa" rich in centuries forests - coniferous, broad-leaved and mixed, whose average age is 130-150 years. 24 km east of Velingrad is Tsigov Chark - mountain resort with excellent conditions for rest both in summer and in winter. You can stay in a family house, family hotel, villa or bungalow and try the "stombe" in the local chuck. In winter, the resort features a ski slope and cross-country ski run, equipped with three ski lifts. Near Tsigov Chark is the eco-camping Batak with seats for campers and tents. Here you can organize bikes, teambuilding, fishing and water sports, horseback riding, kayaking, yoga, English lessons and woodcarving.
Velingrad resembles a picture that came out of Zograph's brush, entwined on the canvases of the cloudless sky, splashes of mineral springs, and the climbing of centuries-old branches.