Städte - RUAL Travel

Städte

		Velingrad
		Bulgaria

Location: Velingrad is located in the western part of the Rhodope Mountains, in the valley of river Chepino, 130 km south from Sofia and 86 km southwest from Plovdiv. Surrounded from centuries old pine forests the town is enjoying mild and sunny climate.

Population: The population of Velingrad is 25 029 inhabitants.

History: According to the legends, Orpheus lived in the region of Velingrad. Orpheus was the greatest musician and poet in Greek mythology, whose songs could charm wild beasts and coax even rocks and trees into movement. In ancient times the region of Velingrad was inhabited by ancient Thracian tribes. There are many archaeological findings from that period i.e. tombs, necropolis and remains from different fortresses. In 46 AC the Rhodope Mountains were conquerd by the Roman Empire. That was the beginning of the Thracian-Roman period, which continued untill Slavs came to power in 6th century. There are many archaeological findings from the period of Roman rule over Velingrad and the surroundings including clay pipelines that were used for transportation of mineral water. Chepino valley joined the Bulgarian state during the rule of khan Malomir in the first half of the 9th century. During the period of the Ottoman occupation, the Turks forcibly converted many Bulgarians in this region to Islam. In present day Bulgaria their descendants are Muslims - they do not speak Turk language though, but Bulgarian and have kept their Bulgarian names. The town of Velingrad was founded in 1948 with the merging of three villages – Kamenitsa, Ladzhene and Chepino who are now residential quarters in the town.

Today Velingrad is renowned balneological centre and a starting point for many field trips in Rhodope Mountains and Rila. The climate here is very pleasant with more than 270 sunny days during the year, which makes the little town one of the sunniest places in Bulgaria. There are 80 hot mineral water springs with curative and preventive properties in and around the town, with water temperature varying from 22oC to 90oC and capacity of 130 – 140 liters per second.

The mineral waters of Velingrad are recommended for medical treatment of many diseases such as stomach and gut, peripheral neural system, spinal anomalies, diabetes, obesity and many more. Thanks to the curative and relaxing properties of its mineral waters and pleasant climate, today Velingrad is one of the most visited SPA centers in the country. There are 10 public swimming pools with mineral water in the city, 43 sanitariums and recreational homes and more than 60 hotels from all categories. More of these hotels are recently build or fully renovated offering ideal conditions for relaxing stay. All these conditions attract more than 500 000 tourists every year. In 2008 Velingrad won the prize “SPA capital of the Balkans”.

Places of interest:

The spring Kleptuza as well as the two lakes and the park surrounding it are the symbol of Velingrad and one of the most visited tourist attractions here. The park is located in the Chepino neighbourhood and is one of the most beautiful and romantic places in Velingrad. Kleptusa is the biggest Karst spring in Bulgaria. It pumps 1200 litres of cold mineral water every second. Part of that water goes to the city’s pipe line for drinkable water and the rest of it goes to the rivers of Maritsa and Chepelarska.

Surroundings:

Yundola – pleasant resort – At a distance of 19 km west from Velingrad, it mainly consists of villas scattered through a pine tree forest in the gorge that splits the Rhodope Mountains and Rila.

Palaeonthological place of interest near the village of Dorkovo – That village is about 14 km northeast from Velingrad. In 1965 on the land of the village were found fossils from mastodons date back about 5 - 6 million years ago and are considered the oldest such fossils in Europe.

The medieval fortress of Tsepina is situated 18 km east of Velingrad and 6 km northeast from the village of Dorkovo. It was constructed in a cone-shape atop of a peak with the same name at an altitude of 1,136 m. During the Middle Ages that was one of the most famous fortresses in the region. In the 9th century the fortress was adopted in Bulgarian territory and was taken by Byzantium in 11th century. Liberated again by the Bulgarian forces during the rule of Tsar Kaloyan who appointed Despot Alexius Slav as a governor of the Rhodope region. In 1206 Alexis Slav married the daughter of the Emperor of Constantinople Henry I de Hainaut. After Kaloyan's death in 1207 Slav practically became an independent local ruler. Between 1246 and 1254 Tsepina was occupied by the Nicaeans but was recovered by Tsar Michael II Asen. In 1373 the fortress was captured by the Ottoman Turks in the course of the Bulgarian-Ottoman Wars and destroyed. During the archaeological excavations here, the remains of three churches were found, 4 water tanks (with depth of 10 m each), inner and outer fortress walls attracting many tourists. The outer walls are 3 m thick and are preserved up to 6 m height. Two marble reliefs were found in one of the churches with the faces of St. Peter and St. Paul and are now on display in the Hermitage museum at St. Petersburg in Russia.