Melnik

This is the smallest town in Bulgaria, with population of about 250. It’s situated in the southwest part of the country, close to the Greek boarder, surrounded by the ridges of Pirin and Belasitsa Mountains.
The town is surrounded in a valley by impressive terrestrial pyramids. It has been declared a historical and a cultural reserve and a museum- town.
the first inhabitants of these places were the Thracians. Proof to this are the architectural details, coins, etc, which have been discovered. That area was inhabited by a Thracian tribe called Meldi, which is the origin of the great Spartak. It is the Slavs who are supposed to have first given the town its present name, they settled in the Strouma river valley during 5th-6th century. In the middle of the 9th century, it became a part of the Bulgarian State under Khan Pressiyan, and within a few centuries flourished greatly. Its great location turned the town into one of the border posts near the frontier with Byzantium, that`s why a fortress around the town was erected.
Melnik thrived as a capital city of the independent domain of Lord Alexi Slav. Masons built churches and monasteries; trade, tobacco - growing and cotton - growing flourished rapidly. The town became world famous with the great Melnik wine made from special grapes sorts, imported from Syria. The Ottoman conquest ushered in a period of several centuries of decline. In the period of Bulgarian national revival, the town became again a cultural and commercial centre, with population of over 25000, 1300 houses and more than 70 churches.

 

The Town Of Kresna

The Kresna Gorge follows the banks of the Struma River in Southeastern Bulgaria. The river passes between the Pirin and the Malashevska Mountains and forms the steep and picturesque slopes of the gorge. The border line between the Mediterranean and continental climatic zones passes through it. A numbers of plant and animal species, which can be found in the gorge, are included in Red Book of Bulgaria. The latter ones are protected by the European Laws and Conventions for Preservation of the Natural Heritage. The gorge is defined as one of the most important areas for protection of the biodiversity in Bulgaria. It is of world-wide importance for the preservation of the arboreal juniper forests and the oriental plane tree forest. Less than 5% of the territory of the gorge, including its most valuable habitats, are under the protection of the Tissata Reserve and its buffer zone. Part of its territory is defined as an ontologically important place according to the Bird Life International criteria.
Kresna was declared a town in 1978 on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Kresnensko-Razlojko uprising. The place was settled after the First World War, and the station village of Pirin was established in 1934. In the town there are two small hotels, three bank institutions, a post office and a railway station. An asphalt road and the Sofia – Kulata railway line pass through the town.
The almost unknown Kresnenski mould pyramids, which are called Mello are located opposite the railway station in town. They are beautiful sandy taluses, which are to be found in the eastern part of the town of Kresna. Their origin is similar to the origin of the Melnishki mould pyramids, but their forms are not so various as the Melnishki ones are.
Another interesting sight is the “St. Ivan Rilski” charnel house, which was built in memory of the perished men during the wars of 1912-1913. It was painted in 1980.

 

Monastery of Rojhen

The "Rojdestvo Bogorodichno" (Virgin Mary's Birth) Monastery of Rojhen is situated south of the village of Rojen, in Pirin Mountains. The monastery was founded in the 13th century and is among the oldest ones in Bulgaria. The monastery is remarkable with its architectural design. The church in its current outlook has existed since the end of the 16th century. The church has three vaults, an antechamber and a small chapel in the north part.

 

There are many well-preserved chancel– screens, dating from the 16th - 18th century. The icons on the iconostasis such as the big miraculous icon of Bogoroditsa Platitera are also interesting. During the Turkish yoke the monastery became a religious and a cultural center. A transcript called "An interpretation of Jove" was created in the 14th century; it was decorated with 117 hand made miniatures. It has been preserved up to the present day in Jerusalem in the church of the holy Sepulcher.

 

 

Vlahi village

Village of Vlahi, the birthplace of Yane Sandanski, is nestled at the foot of Southwestern Pirin Mountain. It is located between the rivers of Vlahinska and Kosovska, 10 km away from the town of Kresna. In the past the village had been a large settlement – a culture center. The stock-breeding, the tobacco-producing, wine-producing and trade had been developed.
Nowadays the village is almost abandoned – only about 12 people live there. Most of the houses in the former big village are in ruins. Only stone walls are alighted on the steep rocky hills.
The most significant project in the village is the protection of the races of animals, which had been selected by the Karakachans – the karakachan horse, sheep and dog. This hard but beautiful way of life, as well as the unique nature of the region, makes everybody, who has visited the village, to come back again and again

 

The price includes: transportation , guide , picnic.