Smolyan

Smolyan is a town in the Rhodope Mountains of Bulgaria. It occupies the narrow gorge of the Cherna River in the East Rhodope Mountains, and has 34 000 residents. Once the Slavs' tribe of smolyani inhabited the area and gave the name of the settlement. The magnificent nature, mild climate, its closeness to the mountain and the Pamporovo resort attract tourists all year round. It became a town in 1960 after unifying three villages- Smolyan, Raykovo and Ustovo.

Get in
It lies 12 km from the Pamporovo resort, 45 km from Devin, 102 km from Plovdiv and 260 km from the capital Sofia.

See
Numerous houses and churches from 17th-19th centuries have been preserved up to the present day. Some of them are: "Pangalov’s house" (1860), "Sgurov’s house" (1866), "Alibeev’s town- hall" (1751), "Kelev’s house" (1860), etc.

The architectural and ethnographic reserve called Cheshitska mahala is located in the district of Raykovo.



Do
There is a planetarium and a Drama Theater

Go next
Smolyan is a starting point for many mountain routes. The Smolyan lakes and the Smolyan waterfall are located not far from the town.