Top ten famous tourist attractions in Bulgaria

Sofia

Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, is the national political, economic and cultural center. It is located in the central and western parts of Bulgaria, in the Sofia Basin surrounded by mountains. The city spans the Iskel River and its tributaries, covers an area of 167 square kilometers and has a population of nearly 1.2 million. In ancient times, Sofia was named Sedica, Sredtz, etc., but was finally named Sofia in the 14th century because of Hagia Sophia Church. Sofia was designated as the capital in 1879. In 1908, Bulgaria broke away from the Ottoman Empire and declared its independence, and Sofia became the capital of independent Bulgaria.

The city is roughly divided into three districts: the cultural district, in the southeast of the city; the industrial district, in the north of the city; and the commercial district and administrative agencies, concentrated in the middle. More than half of the city's workers are engaged in industry, construction and transportation. 15% of the country's large industrial enterprises are concentrated here, and its industrial output value accounts for 18% of the country's total. The main industrial projects include machinery, metal manufacturing, metallurgy, electronics, food, textiles, rubber, chemicals, papermaking, etc., and three-quarters of the country's printing industry is also concentrated here.

Sofia is a tourist destination with charming scenery and a world-famous garden city. Its streets, squares, and residential areas are hidden in lush green, and there are many tree-lined boulevards, lawns and gardens in the city. Most of the buildings are white or light yellow, reflecting the colorful flowers and trees, making them particularly peaceful and elegant. There are many flower shops and flower stalls on the street. Citizens generally like to grow and donate flowers. The most popular ones are the long-lasting bamboo flowers, tulips and red roses. From Sofia Square along the broad Russian boulevard paved with ceramic bricks to Eagle Bridge, there are 4 beautiful gardens less than a kilometer of road.

There are many hot springs in Sofia, with water temperatures around 40℃. The Balkan Inn in the center of the city also retains the remains of a Roman bathroom built in the 5th century. In addition to hot springs, there are also many sweet springs here, and drinking shops for citizens and tourists to drink water are all over the city. During the occupation of Sofia by the Ottoman Empire, the city was greatly damaged. Among the ancient buildings, only two early Christian buildings remain-St. George's Church built in the 2nd century AD and St. Sophia's Church built in the early 4th century. The city center square has Dimitrov's tomb, government building, and national gallery, and almost all streets branch out from the central square. Near the square are the Revolution Museum, Alexander Nevsky Church, etc. Next to the church is the tomb of the famous Bulgarian writer Vazov, with a bust of him standing in front of the tomb.

National Palace of Culture

The National Palace of Culture is located in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. It was officially put into use in 1981 and opened to the public. It is a building that integrates functions such as parliament, concerts, international exhibitions, etc.; the advanced technical equipment in the palace can meet the requirements for hosting international large-scale events such as concerts, conferences, exhibitions. In 2005, the Palace of Culture was rated as the best parliamentary center in the world by the International Organization of Congress Centres.

The construction of the National Palace of Culture originated from the aspiration of former Bulgarian First Lady Lyudmila Zhivkova. The main building was jointly completed by Bulgarian domestic and foreign architectural teams, while the landscape on Bulgaria Square in front of the Palace of Culture was built by other architectural teams and professional landscape designers. The entire Cultural Palace has a total construction area of 123000 square meters and has 11 floors, 8 of which are above ground and 3 floors underground. It contains 13 halls, a 15000-square-meter exhibition area, a trade center and a parking lot. A total of 10000 tons of steel, 3000 tons more than the Eiffel Tower, is one of the most magnificent buildings in Bulgaria.

House of humor and satire

Humor is an art that exists in our daily lives in many forms, as is satire. If you want to learn more about the artistic beauty of humor and satire, then Bulgaria's Humor and Satire House is the ideal place. Many people know Gabrovo as the world-famous "Capital of Humor". Humor is the biggest feature of the city, so the Hall of Humor and Satire is the most must-see place. The museum is located in Gabrovo, Bulgaria. It is both a museum and an art exhibition hall. It is a museum that specializes in collecting local humorous art and satirical art. The collections in the museum include-animations, anime books, photos, paintings, sculptures and verbal humor. Well-known master of humor and satire humor and satire elements are displayed through various forms of images, allowing tourists to taste them carefully before knowing the meaning. It is also the venue for a variety of events, including the Humor and Satire Carnival, the World Art Exhibition, the International Biennale of Humor and Satire Art, etc.

Lila National Park

Lira National Park was established on February 24, 1992 and is located about 100 kilometers south of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. It covers an area of 81046 hectares and is 2925 meters above sea level. It is the largest national park in Bulgaria. This national park is mainly established to protect the precious animal and plant resources in the park, the original natural ecological environment of the Rila Mountains, and the largest and most important monastery in Bulgaria-the Lila Monastery. Among them, Musala, the highest peak in the Lira Mountains, has an altitude of 2925 meters. It is the highest mountain range in Bulgaria and even the entire Balkan Peninsula. It is also the sixth largest mountain in Europe after The Caucasus, The Alps, Sierra Nevada Spain, Pyrenees and Mount Etna. Moreover, the mountains are rich in glacier lakes and hot springs.

The Lira Monastery was built in the mid-10th century AD and adopts a neo-Byzantine construction style. It consists of 11 churches built in different periods, 20 residential buildings built in the 14th to 19th centuries, defensive towers and a semicircular four-story building. It is not only large in scale, but also the murals, statues, and 600 cultural relics collected in the monastery are all extremely precious works of art and are included in the World Cultural Heritage List. Lila National Park is a national-level tourist attraction. It not only has beautiful natural scenery, but also has rich cultural resources. It can be regarded as a model of the perfect combination of nature and humanity.

rose Valley

Bulgaria's famous resort is also a concentrated producer of Bulgarian national flowers (roses). It includes two adjacent valleys, Kazanlik Valley and Karlovo Valley. About 40 kilometers southeast of Sofia is a long strip of land 130 kilometers long from east to west, 15 kilometers wide from north to south, and about 350 meters above sea level. In the north, it is blocked by the peak of the Balkan Mountains to block the cold wind coming from the north; the Streema River and the Densa River run through the valley; the Mediterranean Warm Current flows through the gorge river from the south, blowing in humid air, providing ideal conditions for the growth of roses. It is said that since the 17th century, roses have been introduced here since Asia Minor. At present, an average of 100 kilograms of rose petals can be produced per mu of land. About 3,000 - 3,100 kilograms of roses can be refined into 1 kilogram of rose oil, and its value is 1.52 kilograms of gold. There are more than 7000 roses in Rose Valley, but only 4 can be refined. The pink and white roses have the largest oil content.

Legend has it that hundreds of years ago, there was a beautiful woman in Kashmir who loved the fragrance of roses and sprinkled them into the pool when taking a bath. Once, there were oily petals in the rose, causing oil droplets to float on the water, and the aroma persisted for a long time. From then on, people discovered that rose oil could be refined from oily roses. It is a colorless or light yellow fragrant liquid. It is the main ingredient of high-quality perfumes and sweet spirits. It can also be used to flavor tablets. Now, Bulgaria ranks first in the world in terms of rose oil production, and its exports account for about 80% of the world market.

Rose petals can also be boiled into jam. Three-quarters of the country's roses grow in Rose Valley. From the end of May to mid-June every year, it is the rose forming season. At that time, the flowers are filled with fragrance. Flower farmers hold a "Rose Festival" in the "Rose Valley" on the first Sunday of June every year. Celebrations were held in each village and town in turn. People sang and danced in the square. Groups of "rose girls" scattered flower petals, laid wreaths and danced in the square together with masked "old people". Helicopters sprayed rose perfume on the people in the square. June 2 is Bulgaria's "Martyrs 'Day". While celebrating the Rose Festival, people also collect roses and dedicate them to the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the country.

Sofia Zoo

Sofia Zoo was founded in May 1888 and is the earliest zoo established in the Balkans. It was originally located in the central area of Sofia, but with the increasing number of animal species and the continuous expansion of the zoo, in 1982, it was relocated to about 4.5 kilometers south of Sofia. Between 1893 and 1895, the zoo also added a number of cages and built new "homes" for many birds, mammals and other animals, striving to provide animals with a more comfortable living environment.

Today, Sofia Zoo covers an area of 36 hectares and has a total of 1113 animals in 244 categories. It is the largest and oldest zoo in Bulgaria. Visitors entering the zoo can observe 20 species of herbivores including white rhinoceros, hippos, elephants, zebras, curved-horned antelope, American bison, etc., large predatory animals such as lions, tigers, leopards, and brown bears, and 12 species of primates. Animals and 60 species including waterbirds and other birds totaling 500 birds. Sofia Zoo integrates entertainment visits and animal protection knowledge promotion. While visiting, tourists also learn a lot about animal protection, which is entertaining and is especially popular among children.

devil's Bridge

Devil's Bridge is located in a picturesque canyon in Ardino, Kardjali, Bulgaria, near the Rodopi Mountains and spans the Arda River. It is a beautiful and elegant medieval arched stone bridge that connected Thrace and the Aegean Sea in ancient times. The Devil's Bridge was built by the Ottomans between 1515 and 1518. It is 56 meters long and has three arches. There are also semicircular holes between the arches for measuring water levels. It is the largest and most well-known such bridge in the Rhodopi Mountains. The bridge is 3.5 meters wide, 11.50 meters from the water surface, and has a maximum span of 13 meters. In addition, there are stone railings, 12 centimeters high, to protect passing pedestrians. It was meant as a Bulgarian cultural relic in 1984. Devil's Bridge is backed by towering mountains and is set off by gurgling streams, forming a beautiful picture. In order to facilitate tourists to visit and play, there is also a special picnic area near the stone bridge, which is very suitable for the whole family to travel.

Magula Cave

Magura Cave is located in Vidin Province in northwest Bulgaria, 180 kilometers from the capital Sofia. With a depth of 2.5 meters, this cave is the largest cave in Bulgaria and one of the most beautiful and famous caves; it, together with the nearby Rabisha Lake, the largest inland lake in Bulgaria, constitutes a magical natural landscape in this area.

Magula Cave is very magical, and many such as cave bears are found in the cave.(Cave Bear), the bones of prehistoric animals such as Cave Hyena; and the rock walls of the cave are also painted with many exquisite murals covering the late Paleolithic, Neolithic and Early Bronze Age, vividly showing the unique dances, religious rituals, prayer methods, hunting scenes and labor tools of the Balkans at that time to visitors, which are of great significance for studying the religion, culture and daily life of the time. In 1984, Magula Cave was included in the World Cultural Heritage Preparedness List by UNESCO.

Rira Mountains

The Rila Mountains are located in southwestern Bulgaria and are elevated masses composed of ancient crystalline rocks and granite. Due to the strong cutting, there are mostly towering cliffs and ridges above the valley. The highest peak, Musala, is 2925 meters above sea level. It is the highest mountain range in Bulgaria and even the entire Balkan Peninsula. It is also the sixth largest mountain in Europe after The Caucasus, The Alps, Sierra Nevada Spain, Pyrenees and Mount Etna.

The Rira Mountains cover an area of 2400 square kilometers and are rich in glacier lakes and hot springs. Many rivers such as the Maritsa, Iskar and Mesta in the Balkan Peninsula originate here; it is said that the name of the Rira Mountains originates from the Thracian language, meaning "watery mountains." It belongs to a typical mountainous climate, with abundant precipitation and low temperatures. The high places in the mountains are covered with snow all year round. The coniferous forests are widely distributed among the mountains, including fir, spruce, European red pine, black pine and other major trees. The Rila Mountains have beautiful scenery and rich animal and plant resources. Small streams gurgling among the towering ancient trees, making them extremely cheerful; moreover, there is a monastery built in the 10th century in the mountains. It is the largest and most important monastery in Bulgaria and has been included in the World Cultural Heritage List.

Mandensk Lake

Lake Mandensk, also known as Lake Mandra, is located in Burgas, Bulgaria, near the capital of the state. It is the southernmost lake of the Burgas Lakes, bordering the Black Sea. Mandensk Lake is 8 kilometers long, 1.3 kilometers wide, and covers an area of approximately 38.84 square kilometers. The lake was a saltwater lake until 1963. Later, with the completion of a dam and the continuous injection of fresh water from the three rivers Izvorska, Fakiyska, Sredetska , and Rusokastrrenska, Lake Mandensk gradually evolved into a large reservoir. Nowadays, in addition to its function of storing fresh water, Lake Mandensk is also an important protected area. Because the lake contains rich fish resources, the surrounding area of the lake is also home to many birds, and many of them have been classified as endangered species locally and internationally. Mandensk Lake has beautiful scenery, rich resources and huge tourism potential. It is gradually becoming a popular attraction in this area.