The region
Smolyan and the Rhodopes
The Rhodopes – hospitality in four seasons. And Smolyan, the pearl of the Rhodope mountains, is the perfect starting point for the places you should see.
Smolyan
The pearl of the Rhodope mountains
An amazing town that combines the spirit of the old Rhodope traditions with the life of the administrative centre of the Rhodopes – the heart of the mountain. Winter here is long, with plenty of snow, yet mild under the influence of the Aegean climate; summer is cool, with many sunny days.
The town was founded in 1960, bringing together the town of Smolyan, the village of Raykovo and the town of Ustovo along the Cherna river. Today they are its largest quarters.
Smolyan keeps houses and churches from the 18th and 19th centuries – the Pangalov house (1860), the Alibey konak (1751), the Kelev house (1860), the Sgurov house (1866). In the Raykovo quarter is the architectural and ethnographic reserve Cheshitska mahala. The town has 7 old Eastern Orthodox churches, and in July 2006 St Visarion of Smolyan was opened – the largest Eastern Orthodox church in southern Bulgaria and the second largest in the country. In the centre is the Planetarium, with its star hall and telescopes for watching galaxies and stars.
- 11 kmto Pamporovo resort
- 100 kmto Plovdiv
- 260 kmto Sofia
The Rhodopes
A sea of dark-green hills
The mountain greets you with beautiful panoramas and crystal-clear air. For thousands of years people here have lived in harmony with nature, keeping wild and untouched corners with a great variety of plants and animals. The Middle Rhodopes offer excellent conditions for tourism and are the perfect mountain for a holiday.
For lovers of winter sports, Pamporovo resort, just 10 km from the hotel, offers excellent conditions. Keen anglers will enjoy a good catch in the picturesque rivers and streams around Smolyan.
Places you should visit
- Trigrad Gorge and the Devil’s Throat and Yagodinska caves
- The village of Shiroka Laka
- The Wonderful Bridges
- Uhlovitsa cave and the Agushev konaks
- The ethnographic complex in Zlatograd
- The Planetarium and the church of St Visarion of Smolyan
Nature
Birds and mammals of the Rhodopes
The Rhodopes are home to many species of birds, mammals and predators – a fine reason for hunting trips, too.
- 291bird species – 70% of Bulgaria’s birds; 115 of them nest in the Rhodopes and 97 live here all year
- 36 of 38species of birds of prey found in Europe can be seen in the east of the mountain
- 27 of 36bat species of Europe live in the Rhodopes
- 40species of small and large mammals besides the bats – 8 in the IUCN Red Book and 6 in the Red Book of Bulgaria
32 bird species spend the winter here, and 47 use the Rhodopes as a stop on their migration. The Eastern Rhodopes are one of the two natural refuges of birds of prey in Europe; the Egyptian vulture, the griffon vulture and the peregrine falcon live here. Among the mammals are the European wolf, the brown bear, the otter and the marbled polecat, and among the unique breeds of domestic animals the Rhodope short-horned cattle, the Middle Rhodope sheep and the Karakachan dog.
Come and stay with us, and let us discover together the magic of the Rhodope mountains!
Gallery
The Rhodopes around Smolyan
Bookings
“Here we welcome guests and say ‘good-bye’ to friends!”
Call us or write to us with your dates and the number of guests: we will reply with a confirmation as soon as possible.