Velingrad - short description:
Situated in the western part of the Rhodope Mountains, Velingrad is a small town surrounded by the beautiful mountain nature. It is located 50 km away from the town of Pazardzhik, 80 km from the city of Plovdiv and 140 km away from the capital.
Velingrad's territory was populated long time ago and the settlement probably appeared close to the mineral springs in the region. It was part of the Roman Empire. Thracians and Romans lived there, Slavs settled later on. Bulgarians were the last group to settle in the area.
During the middle ages, the settlement often changed its state belonging and was part of either Bulgaria or the Byzantine Empire. It finally became part of Bulgaria during the reign of tsar Kaloyan.
The region fell under Ottoman reign in 1373 or 1374. Some of the locals were forced to accept the Muslim religion. Yet, many Christian traditions were preserved and are still followed by the Muslim population.
In 1948, the villages of Luzhene, Chepino and Kamenitsa merged forming today's Velingrad.
Today, Velingrad has turned into one of the biggest Bulgarian spa resorts. The town has mild climate and healing mineral springs. The biggest cavernwater spring in Bulgaria, Kleptouza, is situated there.
Velingrad has developed numerous tourism opportunities. Various hotels meet the needs of the many tourist groups. Most of them have swimming pools and offer spa and recreation procedures.
The town's history museum was set up in 1951. It has more than 17 000 exhibition items.
Tsepina fortress is situated near Velingrad. The region near the town features several resorts among which Yundola, Belmeken and Tsigov Chark.
Yundola has many villas offering accommodation. Many tourism routes start there. The resort has a ski track and all needed facilities.
Take the road from Velingrad to Batak and you will reach Tsigov Chark. The resort is situated on the shore of Batak dam. Its ski track is popular among winter sports lovers. Fishermen gather there during the summer.
Belmeken sports complex is known for its nature and numerous sports facilities. Athletes used to practice and recover there. Today the resort has three hotels. The dam of Belmeken is situated nearby.
The cave of Lepenitsa is also situated in Velingrad's vicinities.
The symbol of the town is Kleptuza Karst Spring, which has been declared a nature landmark. The water of the spring has an average temperature of 8 degrees Centigrade. The Karst spring is located in "Chepino" district, which is one of the three thermal zones of Velingrad.
Yundola Mountain is a convenient starting point for Milev's Rocks mountain route. Velingrad is also close to the remains of Tsepina Medieval Fortress which are actually ruins of fortress walls and churches from the 11th-13th century.
