If you do not know where to travel during the weekends when being in Bulgaria, we will take care of this with some suggestions.
Today we present a short list of landmarks in Bulgaria, which are worth visiting! You can choose some of them or why not all, if you have the time and resources to visit them all. Key to travelling is creating a Travel plan. Travelling is a way of relaxing and recharching with new and positive energy! Thus, you feed your mind and soul! Some people prefer to travel alone, in small companies or loud and numerous groups of people. The number of people is not important. What matters is your comfort and pleasure. Shared travel is every travel!
1. Train station Bov /Vazov's eco path/:
The first landmark we start with is train station Bov (in bulgarian gara Bov). Train station Bov is an option with many other landmarks around the area, because it is located in the Iskar river ravine which is 10 km. past town Svoge. The actual writer Ivan Vazov finds inspirations for his poetry as "Grandfather Yotso is watching" and more. The Vazov's eco pathway starts with the house where the writer Vazov had been living during the period of 1917 - 1918. There he wrote many of his texts. The house has been a possession of Ivan Dankov. In proximity you will find other interesting places and the walk around the green forests, panoramic views and fresh air will keep you close to Vazov'z feelings and places, from which he had been finding inspirations. During that time he used to like the daughter of the host and owner of the house he stayed in (Ivan Dankov). The name of the girl had been Litsa. Ivan Vazov uses this name in his poetry and one can come across it as "Litsa The Beautiful".
Vazov's eco pathway connects railway station Bov with the village Zasele. On that road/pathway you can reach to the waterfall Skaklq. Along the way there are numerious beautiful places and landmarks that you will see when travelling to the waterfall. During winter he freezes and turns into a top place for ice climbing and during Spring and Summer when the snow is melting, it floods the beautiful land from 120 meteres height. Vazov's ecopath is located only on 50 km from Sofia and all landmarks are situated in the Iska'r river ravine. In case you are travelling withouth a car and you are comming from Sofia with a train, the trip takes about an hour to railway station Bov. That is why this destination is suitable for one day trip to the landmarks around Sofia. You can choose to stay as well.
2. Half-submurged church St. Ivan Rilski:
Our second landmark is the half-submurged church by the lake Zhrebchevo. Built at the end of the 13th century during the years of 1891-95 in the village Zapalnya. It has been named over the patron of Bulgaria: St. Ivan Rilski. Did you know, on the place where the waters of the lake are now, there has been a village under the same name as the lake? The church is the only building that has survived from the lake back then. During the year of 1895 the residents hear that on the place of the lake there will be a lake and are being forced to leave. Not long after, the library, the pub and all the houses are under water, but there have left two monumetns! The first one is the church Ivan Rilski. If you visit the landmark you will see that close to it there are some ruins of what is left from a small graveyard. This is the second monument left, which has the stone were written: "Village Zapalnya, settled down at XV century, moved out during the year of 1962"at the village Zapalnya. The lake Zhrebchevo gathers the waters of the river Tundzha and is located near Nova Zagora.
Because of the melting snow, early during Spring time the flooded church St. Ivan Rilski is halfly submurged and until summer the church stays almost the whole under water. So, now is a suitable time to visit the landmark St. Ivan Rilski, but during the Autumn and Winter you can step in the church itself. Around the lake and the church there are green meadows which makes it an amazing place for picnics. Why not sleep under the blue sky? Grab your tent with you and feel the sunset and sunrise and look at how the rays are entering the church. The history of the village and the church come alive during the St. Ivan Rilski's holiday. Unqualified to the nature's storms and climate changes - the church is a symbol of Hope and perseverance through it's longevility, a Bulgarian landmark which you need to visit.
3. Palace Krichim:
The Palace of Krichim is a hunting, extra-urban residence founded during the years of 1905 - 1936. It is located next to village Kurtovo Konare, Stamboliiski community and is a landmark and a place for picnic around Plovdiv. Built by a project of archangel George Fingov during the year of 1905 by king Ferdinand and is a finished by a project carried out by archangel Jordan Sevov and king Boris the 3rd during the year of 1936. The palace has been visited by the royal family and different important individuals from the World. The gardens of the Palace are closed and are being guarded, because are a territory which is a kennel of the fallow deer and other different, rare animal species. During the year of 1957 in the palace of Krichim the vietnamese president Ho Shi Min had stayed. Among the guests of the palace have been Fidel Castro, Yuri Gagarin, Josip Tito, Indira Ghandi and even the sheikh of Iran. After the year of 1989 here again the politicians Peter Stoyanov and the George Parvanov have stayed there. Long time the palace has been managed by UBO/NSO and the access to him is highly restricted.
This Krichim Palace has qualified among the top most beautiful places in Bulgaria. It has been an ex sultanian property, which has turned into what it is today. The green gardens are 300 acres and the view is incredible. This is one of the many landmarks close to Plovdiv. If you are look for places for picnic around Plovdiv, 50 km past the landmark is the lake Vacha.