The Seven Wonders of Bulgaria

Foreigners usually connect Bulgaria with its’ marvelous beaches at the Black Sea or with its’ perfect ski slopes in the highest Bulgarian mountains – Rila, Pirin and Rodopi. But the real charm of my country is hiden in her over thousand years old cultural – historical heritage and her majestic nature. Founded in 681, Bulgaria is one of the oldest European countries.

Everyone has heard of the Seven Wonders of the World, but do you know which are the Seven Wonders of Bulgaria?

The Madara Rider is an archeological rock relief carved on the Madara Plateau. The relief depicts a majestic horseman 23 m above ground level. In 1979 became enlisted on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Belogradchik Rocks – are a group of strange shaped sandstone and rock formations. Some of the rocks reach up to 200 m in height. Many of the rocks are associated with interesting legends – they are often named after people or objects they are thought to resemble.
The Rila Monastery. The Monastery of Saint Ivan of Rila, better known as the Rila Monastery is the largest and most famous Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria. It is regarded as one of Bulgaria’s most important cultural, historical and architectural monuments. In 1988 it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Rock-hewn Churches of Ivanovo – are a group of churches hewn out of solid rock, located 20 km south of Rousse. The caves had been inhabited by monks from the 1220. The Rock-hewn Churches of Ivanovo were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979.
Tsarevets (fortress) is a medieval stronghold located on a hill. It served as the Second Bulgarian Empire’s primary fortress. The Sound and Light audiovisual show is an attraction carried out in the evening that uses three lasers, veriegated light, dramatic music and church bells to tell the story of the fall of Tarnovo to the Ottomans, as well as other key moments of the history of Bulgaria
Perperikon – the ancient Thracian city of Perperikon is located in Eastern Rhodopes and is the largest megalith ensemble in the Balcans. It is thought that the famous Temple of Dionysius is located at this place.
Nesebar – is an ancient town and one of the major seaside resorts on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast – often referred as the ‘’Pearl of the Black Sea’’. The ancient part of the town is situated on a peninsula. Its abundance of historic buildings prompted UNESCO to include Nesebar in its list of World Heritage Sites in 1983.