Samokov

Samokov (Bulgarian: Самоков, pronounced SAH-mo-kov) is a town in Central Western Bulgaria, under the slopes of the Rila mountain, south-east of the capital Sofia. It's the gateway to the mountain & ski resorts of Borovets and Malyovitsa nearby, and a minor tourist destination of its own.

Understand


With a population of about 24,000 (2021), Samokov is the center of Samokov Municipality, which is a part of Sofia Province (Oblast). The ski resort of Borovets is up in the mountain, to the south-east.

Samokov lies in the Samokov Hollow, a high-altitude valley between the mountains of Plana to the north and Rila to the south. Right next to Samkov, on it eastern side, rises the relatively lower Shipochan ridge ( above sea level), a part of Western (Ihtimanska) Sredna Gora. The Iskar river - the longest river that runs entirely in Bulgaria - passes through Samokov in an almost perfectly straight line, south to north, before flowing into the largest artificial reservoir in the country, the Iskar Reservoir ( north of Samokov). Samokov's center and oldest parts are on the east bank of the river; the west bank has newer neighbourhoods and industrial objects.

Samokov's name hints to its distant past as a town of iron-workers and craftsmen - it refers to the large water-powered trip hammers that were used to crush iron ore from the surrounding mountains and then forge the refined iron into bars for trade (translated literally, samo-kov means something like "self-[moving] forger"). You can see a few of the huge hammer-heads and a scale model in the local history museum, and there's also a full-scale reconstruction of such a forge in a local park.

Zahari Zograf
Zahari Hristov or Hristovich (1810-1853) is one of the most celebrated icon-painters of the Bulgarian Revival period (the epithet "zograf" refers to his profession, from the Greek zográfos). He was born and died in Samokov, and both his father and his older brother were also painters of icons, part of an art movement later dubbed the "Samokov School" by scholars. Zahari Zograf's work can be seen in a number of churches and monasteries in Bulgaria (including the Rila Monastery, a, and the Transfiguration Monastery in Veliko Tarnovo), as well as in the Great Lavra and the Zograf (Zographou) Monastery on Mount Athos in Greece. He's also considered one of the founders of Bulgarian secular painting, as he also made pictures with non-religious subjects, including several portraits and self-portraits.

By bus
There are multiple buses daily between Sofia and Samokov, but they start at the tiny and not very tourist-friendly Bus Station South (signs are in Bulgarian, the staff doesn't speak English). The line is served by a number of small private companies, so intervals between buses can be as short as half an hour. Travel time is around an hour, depending on traffic.

By car
From the north (Sofia): head east from the city centre on the large Tsarigradsko Shose Blvd. In the city outskirts, after passing through the large junction that leads to the airport, look on the south (right) side for an exit with signs to Samokov and Borovets. Follow Samokovsko Shose Rd south-east. On crossing the Sofia Ring Road it turns into National Road 82, which will take you to Samokov after passing by Lake Pancherevo and the Iskar Reservoir. Drive carefully - it's a mountain road and rockfalls are possible. Distance is about, but it may take an hour depending on traffic and how carefully you drive.

From the east (Plovdiv and Pazardzhik): if you are in Plovdiv, your options are either Motorway A1 (Trakia), or the old National Road 8 which also passes directly through Pazardzhik - both lead to Sofia via Ihtiman (Ихтиман, from Plovdiv). If you chose Road 8, you will face another choice when you reach the small mountain town of Kostenets (Костенец, from Plovdiv) - you can either proceed north to Ihtiman, or get off onto the high-altitude Road 82 to Borovets and Samokov. In Ihtiman, the other option is Road 822, which runs at a lower elevation, merging into Road 82 north of Samokov.

From the west (incl. North Macedonia and Serbia): Road 62 connects Kyustendil to Samokov (, passing through Dupnitsa and its junction with Motorway A3 (Struma), which also provides connection to the south (Blagoevgrad, Sandanski and Greece).

Get around
It's not a large town, so moving on foot is perfectly viable. There's only one urban bus line (№1), and both its schedule and route are somewhat irregular (page in Bulgarian on the Municipality website, it runs Monday-Saturday).

See
The town itself is attractive in and around its centre but there's a few ugly tenement blocks that remind you of the communist past. The town is nicely isolated from the surrounding villages which include Dospei, Reliovo, Rayovo, Shipochene, Beli Iskar, Govedatsi and the spa village of Belchin Banya.


 * Chitalishte-Monument Otets Paisiy (right in front of the museum) - the building was built between 1919 and 1923 to house the town's chitalishte (reading room/library/community centre), but also as a war memorial for the soldiers from Samokov and the surrounding villages who fell in the Balkan Wars and the First World War. The main facade is decorated with militaristic sculptures (eagles and medieval warriors), on two of the sides there are large slabs listing the names of the fallen in the specific battles. The name ("Father Pah-ih-see") refers to the monk Paisius of Hilendar, whose Slavo-Bulgarian History marked the beginning of the Bulgarian National Revival.
 * Monument to Chakar Voyvoda (on the southern side of the chitalishte) - 19th century leader (voyvoda) of a band of haiduti (outlaws/guerilla fighters against the Ottomans) who operated in the Rila Mountain
 * West of the chitalishte, across the street is the Large Cheshma - an Ottoman drinking fountain dated to 1662. A masonry cube decorated with stone carvings, with a spout on each of the four sides. It still works.
 * Zahari Zograf Square - Samokov's main pedestrian square, surrounded by a somewhat confusing set of pedestrian streets and alleys. There's a number of monuments and the buildings of several institutions, including the Municipality.
 * Fountain
 * Monument to the Opalchentsi (Bulgarian volunteers who took part in the Liberation War - the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878).
 * Monument to Samokov's Garrison (south of the fountain) - a pair of Soviet-made artillery guns
 * Chadar Cheshma (Umbrella Fountain) - west of the mosque, a fancy Ottoman drinking fountain in the shape of an umbrella or mushroom, decorated with the same style of floral frescoes as the mosque
 * On the south side of the Bus Station, there's a small water cascade with a sculpture of a mountain goat
 * Tourist Garden Park (Bistritsa Park) - western side of Road 82 on its southern exit out of town. There's a large photo-friendly SAMOKOV sign, various playgrounds, restaurants decorated in traditional style, an open-air stage, etc.
 * Chadar Cheshma (Umbrella Fountain) - west of the mosque, a fancy Ottoman drinking fountain in the shape of an umbrella or mushroom, decorated with the same style of floral frescoes as the mosque
 * On the south side of the Bus Station, there's a small water cascade with a sculpture of a mountain goat
 * Tourist Garden Park (Bistritsa Park) - western side of Road 82 on its southern exit out of town. There's a large photo-friendly SAMOKOV sign, various playgrounds, restaurants decorated in traditional style, an open-air stage, etc.
 * Tourist Garden Park (Bistritsa Park) - western side of Road 82 on its southern exit out of town. There's a large photo-friendly SAMOKOV sign, various playgrounds, restaurants decorated in traditional style, an open-air stage, etc.
 * Tourist Garden Park (Bistritsa Park) - western side of Road 82 on its southern exit out of town. There's a large photo-friendly SAMOKOV sign, various playgrounds, restaurants decorated in traditional style, an open-air stage, etc.

Do

 * Motocross Circuit
 * Ski
 * Fishing, boating and other lake-related activities on the Iskar Reservoir
 * Play golf in Ihtiman

Hiking
Borovets is the starting point of one of the routes to Rila's highest peak, Musala ( above sea level), which is also the highest peak in Bulgaria and on the Balkans.

Buy
A daily fresh produce market and a big monday market selling clothing, hardware, bric a brac, hooky watches and designer gear are well worth going to.

Eat
The town is well served with restaurants serving traditional Bulgarian cuisine such as Kavarma which is a delicious mildly spicy meat stew with peppers and onions.



Sleep
There are a few hotels and other lodgings in Samokov itself, but the real hotel concentration is in Borovets and the other resort villages up in the mountain.

Belchin
Belchin (Белчин) is a village east of Samokov, notable for its hot springs and the ruins of a fortress. It can be reached via Road 62 - the exit is on the north side, east of Samokov, roughly halfway between Samokov and the mountain/spa resort Sapareva Banya. Alternatively, Belchin can be reached directly from Sofia - take Road 181 up the slopes of Vitosha, to Bistritsa (Бистрица), then follow the same road south through a number of villages. After Popovyane (Поповяне), the road will change number to 6205. Shortly before it merges into Road 62, there's a crossroads - Belchin is to the west. There's also a thrice-daily local bus from Samokov, starting at the bus station.
 * Right next to the parking lot is the St. Petka Church, built in the 16th century. Half-abandoned, it was restored in the 2000s.
 * Right next to the parking lot is the St. Petka Church, built in the 16th century. Half-abandoned, it was restored in the 2000s.

Go next

 * If you wish to continue exploring Rila Mountain, there's a number of towns, villages and resorts surrounding its slopes:
 * To the west: the spa and mountain resort of Sapareva Banya (starting point to the Seven Lakes of Rila), then Dupnitsa, and then to the south, Blagoevgrad. The latter two both offer transport options to the Rila Monastery, a.
 * To the east: the small town of Kostenets, then at Belovo you can take a shortcut south to Yundula, Yakoruda and the Razlog-Bansko valley between Rila, Pirin and the Rhodopes.
 * Further away:
 * To the north: the capital Sofia
 * To the east: through Ihtiman or Kostenets, Pazardzhik, little Septemvri (starting point of the Rhodopes narrow gauge railway), and ancient Plovdiv, the second largest city in Bulgaria.
 * To the west: through Dupnitsa, Kyustendil ("Bulgaria's orchard") and North Macedonia (Kriva Palanka) or Serbia (Podunavlje).