Wednesday walk in Kalofer

Today I will take you on a Wednesday walk in a small Bulgarian town located on the southern slopes of the Stara Planina Mountains. Its name is Kalofer and it is an important center that protects and preserves Bulgarian crafts and traditions over the years.

I visited the town with friends on a warm June day. The streets were quiet and the Tundzha River meandered around them. In many places there were bridges built that crossed the river. There were information signs and educational boards.

In front of the houses were full of well-kept flower gardens and the trees were covered with cherries, sour cherries and plums.

We visited the church "St. Archangel Michael", which is located in the northwestern part of Kalofer. It is an impressive building with an open gallery to the west.

There are arches in its front part, and in the courtyard, in addition to beautiful flower gardens, there is a static clock built on the ground around many flowers.

The temple was built in 1869 and has been destroyed and rebuilt several time.

Walking along the streets around the river, we came to the remains of the Old Turkish Bath.

From the information board we learn that the Czech traveler Jaroslav Ireček visited the old bath in Kalofer in 1873 and described it as a brick building that was heated throughout the day to warm the stones on which one sits. The light comes from small openings in the upper part.

We continue our walk and reach the city center.

In the distance we can see the Hristo Botev Memorial Complex.

On the central square there are benches, flower gardens and monuments.

There are small shops with combined goods where you can find all kinds of things.

The Ivanka Boteva Vocational High School of Clothing, which was closed in 2017 due to the decline in the number of students.

Today, the town has a population of around 2,600 and is a very quiet and peaceful place for recreation and tourism. It is a suitable key point for many mountain routes.

sourses: bg.wikipedia.org, rnews.bg, opoznai.bg