The Valley of Roses

To visit Bulgaria and not go to the Valley of Roses is to go to Egypt and not see the pyramids. The Valley of Roses is in the very heart of the country and is shielded by the high slopes of two majestic mountain ranges - the Balkan and Sredna Gora. The rose, the queen of flowers, has been focusing the attention of people since the remote past as a symbol of beauty and youth. It was the Phoenicians who organized first the feast of the blessed flower. Cleopatra chose the rose for her palaces; her bathroom and numerous cosmetic substances all had a rose smell. The ancient Greeks decorated their temples with roses. Homer described rose oil in the "Iliad" and in the "Odyssey". In his "Natural History" Pliny mentions the rose that was grown in Thrace.
Between the southern hills of the monumental Balkan Mountains range and the lower in height but vary picturesque Sredna Gora mountains, lies one of Bulgaria's true jewels - the Valley of Roses is perhaps the most over-hyped region of Bulgaria. A sunbaked and dusty place for most of the summer, in May and early June it`s magically transformed by the blooms that give it its name. The major towns of Klisura, Sopot, Karlovo, Kazanlak and Kalofer all occupy honoured niches in Bulgarian history as the scene of heroic events or the birthplace of writers or national heroes, but - aside from Karlovo - have little that`s worth seeing bevond memorial museums to local sons, captioned in Bulgarian only Chief exception to this rule is Kazanlak, which features a remarkable Thracian tomlb , and hosts the Festival of Roses in June. Within easy reach of the town to the north is the rugged Shipka Pass, heroically defended by Russian and Bulgarian troops during the 1878 War of Liberation.

ROSES - "Bulgaria ' s gold"
Bulgaria has dominated the world market of rose oil so precious to the perfume industry for many years.The rose-growing area between Klisura and Kazanlak produces seventy percent of the world`s attar - or extract - of roses. Considering that perfumiers pay more than $45 million a year for this, it`s not surprising that roses are known as "Bulgaria`s gold". Rose-growing began as a small cottage industry during the 1830s (suppos¬edly started by a Turkish merchant impressed by the fragrance of the wild Shipka rose), and initially involved small domestic stills comprising a copper cauldron from which water-cooled pipes dripped the greenish-yellow rose oil. Each acre planted with red rosa damascene or white rosa alba yields up to 1400 kilograms of blossom, or roughly three million rosebuds; between 3000 and 6000 kilos are required to make one litre of attar, leaving a residue of rosewater and pulp ` used to make medicaments, flavourings, sladko jam and rosaliika liqueur. The rose bushes (covering over 14,000 acres) are allowed to grow to head height, and are harvested during May between 3am and 8am before the sun rises and evaporates up to half of the oil. Nimble-fingered women and girls do most of the picking, while donkeys are employed to carry the petals away to the modem distilleries around Rozino, Kaniare and Kazanlak. Kazanlak also has a research institute where pesticides are tested and different breeds of rose developed; according to the director, its gardens contain every variety in the world.

The town of Shipka
The historical town of Shipka is situated in the very heart of Bulgaria, at the foot of the legendary Shipka passage. It is only 8 km away from the town of Kazanlak and 200 km away from the capital and the seaside. Shipka is close to two major roads, which connect the northern and the southern part of Bulgaria, as well as the capital with the seaside. The town of Shipka has a beautiful park, community center, schools and shops, police office, cable TV. The climate is mild with moderate temperatures; the air and the water are very clean. A small river passes through the town and makes it very attractive for tourists. Two Japanese families have already settled in the small town.

Shipka Monastery
A symbol of Bulgarian liberation and part of Bulgarian history. A symbol of an epoch-making event for Bulgaria - her Liberation from Ottoman rule, the final outcome of the 1877/78 Russo-Turkish War.
The monastery, together with an impressive memorial church, was erected near the town of Shipka, near Kazanluk, below the famous Shipka Pass in the Balkan Range, where in the summer of 1877 the Russian troops and Bulgarian volunteers achieved the break-through which brought about the victorious outcome of the war.
The means for its construction, which began in 1896 and was completed six years later, were provided by the Russian and the Bulgarian people. The Shipka Monastery is one of its exquisite, and at the same time monumental, "editions". Solemn elegance is also emanated by the carved and gilded iconostasis. It stands by no means estranged in the overall panorama of Bulgarian monasteries. Just like them, it is more than just a place of worship.

The Memorial Church

Here is situated the Memorial “Birth of Christ”, devoted to those soldiers who lost their lives in the battle for Bulgarian freedom in August 1887 and January 1878. Their names are hewn into 34 marble plates. The golden domes and the bright decoration of the church facade, as well as the iconostasis made of lime and famous for its beautiful woodcarving attract people’s attention. There are 83 icons in the church donated by the Russian monastery in Aton, Greece. The bells are 17 with the biggest one being about 12 tons.
From a stop near the corner of Sofronii Vrachanski and Rozova dolina in Kazanlak, you can catch bus #6 out to Shipka village, a rustic huddle of build¬ings a little way off the main road to the pass. From the wooded hillside rise the gold onion domes of the Shipka Memorial Church (daily 8.30am-4.30pm), built after the Liberation as a monument to both Russian and Bulgarian dead. Conceived by philanthropic Russian aristocrats and financed by public dona¬tions, the edifice was modelled on Muscovite churches of the seventeenth century. The church is a vibrantly coloured confection of pinks and greens, topped off with a fifty-metre-high spire on the bell tower. Its interior, the work of Bulgarian artists under the direction of the Russian painter Pomerantsev, is perhaps the best example of the academic realist style that flourished in Bulgaria around the turn of the century. Folk-influenced floral and geometric patterns rich in primary colours weave their way around naturalistic depictions of Bulgarian saints and tsars. Many of them are dressed in Byzantine costume, a reminder of the pre-World War I days when Bulgaria`s desire to extend its frontiers towards the former imperial capital was reflected in a passion for all things Byzantine.At the western end of the church, murals portray great figures from Russian history, including fourteenth-century ruler Dmitri Donskoi being blessed before going off to smite the Tatars; and an allegorical scene of Cyril and Methodius bringing literacy to the Slavs.

The Shipka Pass

For drama and majestic vistas, few routes in Bulgaria match crossing the Shipka Pass. Particularly at sunset, when the mountains darken and a chill wind disperses the tourists, you can feel something of the pass`s potent historical significance. Ever since Alexander the Great drove back a force of Triballi here in 335 BC, control of Shipka has been an important strategic imperative.When present-day Bulgarians think of Shipka, however, they recall the Russo-Turkish War, when 6000 Russians and Bulgarians resisted a 27,000-strong Ottoman force that had been dispatched northwards to break the siege of Plevna (modern-day Pleven) in August 1877. Snow exacerbated the hardships of Radetsky`s ill-equipped Bulgarian volunteers (many of whom had been civilians in Gabrovo just days before), and despite the local women who brought supplier the defenders` ammunition was exhausted by the third day of the battle and they resorted to throwing rocks, tree trunks and finally corpses at the Turks. The pass held, however, and in due time Plevna surrendered, whereupon the Russians reinforced Radetsky`s army and ordered it to fight its way down the snowy moun¬tainside to defeat the remaining 22,000 Ottoman troops outside Kazanlak - which it did.

Only 10 km away from the town of Shipka are located the National park “Buzludja” , which is historical reserves. Here, at the foot of Buzudja peak on the 30 of June 1868 died the hero leader Hadji Dimitar, who fought against numerous enemy. In memory of this heroism a monument was erected in 1961 – the monument of Hadji Dimitar.