Bulgaria is one of the most beautiful countries in the world. The state has existed for more than 13 centuries and is located in the north-eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula. A little less than 9 million people live in the country. The area of Bulgaria is 110.9 thousand square kilometers. The landscape is diverse: fertile fields and mountain ranges, the forest and the Danube River, the Black Sea coast …
The country has many attractions, ancient buildings and beautiful cities.
Sofia
This city of Bulgaria is the largest and is the capital of the state. 1.196 million people live here. Located in the west of the country. It is known that on this territory people lived as far back as the 3rd millennium BC. Sofia's architectural heritage is huge, there are about 250 historical monuments in the city. However, many architectural monuments have been lost. Most of the buildings date from the period from 1878, when the country freed itself from the Ottoman yoke.
Around the old part of the city walls were preserved; they served Sofia for 12 centuries. There are traces of the ancient settlement Serdika dating from the II century. The capital of Bulgaria is famous for the cathedral of Alexander Nevsky, the Rotunda of the Church of St. George and the church of Boyan, the Bania Vashi mosque and Turkish baths.
Plovdiv
The second most populated city in Bulgaria. 340.6 thousand people live here. Located in the south of the country, on the left and right banks of the Maritsa River. The city is about 3 thousand years old. This is the largest automobile and railway junction of the state.
In Plovdiv, you can see the ancient fortifications. It is also the unofficial capital of modern Bulgarian art. The city has many galleries and art exhibitions.
Varna
In the city of Varna (Bulgaria) 314 539 people live. The village is located on the Black Sea coast. This is a very ancient city in which the Greek fortress Odessos existed in the 7th century BC. The settlement was given its modern name only in the 9th century. It was once a vibrant trading center. Today it is a Mecca for foreign tourists, where you can soak up the clear coast and see the oldest buildings. This is the Royal Palace in Balchik, the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Holy Virgin and the Aladzha Monastery. And in the museum you can see artifacts, the oldest of which date back to the 4th millennium BC.
The most popular resort towns of Bulgaria surround Varna: in the north - the Riviera, in the south - St. Constantine and Helena. People come to the city even in winter, since there are many balneotherapy rooms.
Bourgas
This city of Bulgaria is the fourth largest, with 210, 316 people living here. In the south-east of the country it is the largest settlement. The city itself is located on 4 terraces 2-3 meters high. Previously, Burgas was called Kulata, which the Byzantine poet Manuel Phil referred to. The modern name translates as "fortress." In the XIX century, Burgas was completely burned.
This city of Bulgaria is located on the coast of the Gulf of Burgas and today is very attractive for tourists. It is here that you can hear the songs of the peoples of the Balkans, see folk dances. An annual flower exhibition is held in Burgas.
Ruse
This is a small town in Bulgaria, where only 162 thousand people live. However, here is the largest port on the Danube River. The city has a road and rail crossing with Romania, this road is followed by transport to Ukraine, Moldova and Russia.
It was here that Kutuzov defeated the army of the Turks in 1811. The city has many interesting places, the old part is generally turned into a pedestrian zone. There are the ruins of the fortress of Sexagint Priest (I century AD), the Pantheon building with a gilded dome. The city is the musical capital of Bulgaria, it hosts music days in March, a folk festival and forum.
An attractive place for climbers is attractive: in the suburbs there are calcareous rocks with beautiful gorges.
Stara Zagora
The city is located between the rocks, in the Starozogorsk depression, surrounded by the parks Chadar Mogila, Ayazmo, Bedechka and Borova Gora. 135, 889 people live in it. In ancient times, there were iron mines. It has fertile lands and a temperate continental climate with an average annual temperature of +13 degrees. Unique plants grow in the city and the region - from magnolias to cypress. And 16 kilometers away are well-known mineral baths.
Pleven
The city is located on the Vit River and is best known for the liberation wars of 1877-1878. In the village there are about 200 memorable places dedicated to these events.
Pleven is surrounded by the most beautiful parks: Grivitsa, Kailika and others. The city is home to 105, 045 people.
Sliven
Located in the Upper Thracian Lowland. 100.7 thousand people live in the city. The settlement is divided into three parts by three rivers: Selishnaya, Asnovskaya and Novoselskaya.
Sliven was founded in the 7th century. There are many forests and mountains, and in the central part elm grows, which is already 600 years old. The most beautiful natural park is Blue Stones, here you can see waterfalls, lakes and unique rock formations. Mineral baths are located 12 kilometers from the village, the water temperature in the springs is always at +44 ° С. And 38 kilometers away is Aglikina Polyana, where once the haidukov gathered.
Dobrich
The small city of Bulgaria, the population here is about 90 thousand. The village is known for the fact that the Romans once lived here. The city itself was formed only in the XV century, it was originally a market settlement.
Arriving in Dobrich, you should definitely visit the House-Museum of the writer-humanist Yovkov Y. In the same museum you can see about three thousand paintings of Stoilov. In the central part there is a city park, in which trees were planted back in 1862.
Shumen
It is located in the north-east of the country, spread on two banks of the Bokludzhi river. 89 thousand people live here. The remains of the Bronze Age were found on the territory of the settlement.
The city is famous for its existing mosque, which is the second largest in the Balkan Peninsula. There are many Orthodox churches here. You should also highlight the Clock Tower (erected in 1741) and a drinking spring.
15 kilometers from the city is an archaeological reserve called "Madara". The main attraction is a rocky relief on which a horseman is visible, in the hands of which is a rod and a stick, and under the horse's hooves you can see the silhouette of a dog, a lion and a snake.
