Devin Municipality | Smolyan Province | Bulgaria

Geography of Devin Municipality

Devin Municipality is a mountainous territory located in the western Rodopi Mountains. It is the second largest municipality in Smolyan Province, with an area of 574 sq km ().

Devin Municipality has 13000 residents, divided among 16 settlements. Over half of the population, about 7000 people, reside in Devin, which is the only city. The rest of the population is spread out among fifteen villages, including Beden, Breze, Churukovo, Grohotno, Giovren, Kesten, Lyaskovo, Mihalkovo, Osikovo, Selcha, Stomanevo, Teshel, Trigrad, Vodni Pad, and Zhrebevo. None of the villages have a population above 1000.

Economy of Devin Municipality

Tourism in Devin Municipality

Devin is a fairy tale city in the heart of the Rhodope Mountains. In this wonderful and tempting corner you come to enjoy the fresh air, beautiful nature and tranquility. Devin is the place where you will feel natural by the amazing combination of majestic mountains, rivers and mineral springs.

Natural resources are a good prerequisite for the development of alternative forms of tourism. Particularly attractive for visitors is the protected area “Devinska River Valley”. It is a picturesque gorge with a characteristic landscape and remarkable rock forms and formations, habitats of rare and protected plant and animal species, whose undisputed leaders among the Edemites are the Rhodope silvryak and wild goat. The river has sculpted many beautiful meadows and meanders, reaching a depth of 2-3 meters.

To facilitate the access of tourists to the protected area, an eco-trail “Struilitsa – Kaleto – Lukata” has been built, which is extremely attractive and includes metal bridges, stairs and places for relaxation. The protected area has a separate fishing tourism area of ​​3 km in length, which provides excellent conditions for fishing for Balkan trout.

The ruins of an old Bulgarian fortress from the 6th-13th centuries are located in the area of ​​Kaleto, and a medieval settlement is established in the locality of “Lukata”. Both sites have the status of monuments of local importance and are under special protection.

Outdoor swimming pools in the Struilitsa area attract many visitors during the active tourist season. There is a therapeutic pool, steam bath, sauna, jacuzzi, and about 30 minutes walk from the parking lot in the eponymous area are the stepped waterfalls “Struilski Dol”.

The areas Lisicevo and Chural are 15 km away. northwest of Devin. The picturesque nature and the convenient asphalt road from the town of Devin are the factors that determine the Lisicevo locality as a preferred place for recreation and rest for the citizens and guests of the town.

The Trigrad Gorge protected area is also unique. It is located along the river Trigradska on the Devin-Trigrad road, about 1.5 km. from the village. The protected area covers the most picturesque part of the river canyon with sheer walls up to 300 meters high, which in some places approach each other overhanging the road, covering the sky. The magnificent views of the steep cliffs over which spruce and pine trees grow add special value to this magnificent natural monument.

One of the phenomena of the Trigrad Gorge is the precipitous Devil’s Throat Cave. The waters of the Trigradska River enter with a thunder in the cave, where they form 12 underground waterfalls, the largest of which is 42 meters high (one of the highest in Europe), and reappear after 530 meters as a lush karst spring.

There are many legends about the Devil’s Throat Cave, and locals say that nothing that has entered the underground and labyrinth is coming out of it. Of interest is the legend that tells that the ancient Thracians threw their chieftains into the abyss to make them immortal. According to another legend, this is where the mythical singer Orpheus descends into the underworld to search for his beloved Eurydice.

The territory of the village of Trigrad is the Haramiyska cave, which is also of the abyss type and offers attraction at the border of classic and extreme tourism. In recent years, the Trigrad Gorge protected area has become an increasingly popular place for the development of alternative forms of tourism, such as cave visits, hiking, bird and plant watching, mountain biking, horseback riding, rafting and more.

An extremely attractive place for tourists is the protected area “Chairite”. It is a landslide, centuries-old forest and hay meadows, located 1600 meters above sea level. Here are some outstanding natural phenomena: The Precious Stone – a natural stone arch over 10 meters high; The drunken forest with its trees, strangely distorted and sloping by the slipping of the soil layers on which they grow. The most valuable and unique natural phenomenon in the region is undoubtedly the 7 landslides that have been preserved since the Quaternary.

The mineral springs are also valuable for the development of tourism: Bedenski Bani Field – located 12 km. from the town of Devin, with a temperature of 73.50 – 76.00 C. The mineral water has an external balneological application. The main use profile includes diseases of the musculoskeletal system, gynecological diseases and skin diseases. The water is not suitable for bottling.

Devin field – located in the town of Devin, with temperature 37 – 45oC. Mineral water has the following uses:

– for drinking applications – gastrointestinal diseases; biliary disorders; renal-urological diseases; endocrine diseases

– for external use – for diseases of the musculoskeletal system; the nervous system; genital system, cardiovascular system and skin diseases;

– for inhalation use – in diseases of the respiratory system of inflammatory, allergic and toxic nature;

– for sports and prophylactic purposes and for tempering the body in indoor and outdoor pools.

The Mihalkovo deposit has a flow rate of 2.8 l / s. The water springs with a temperature of 16,00-26,00C. It is the most carbonated carbonated water in the country. It is favorable for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, diseases of the digestive system, the nervous system and for the treatment of endocrine-metabolic diseases.

Findings “Nastan-1” and “Nastan-2” – located in Nastan quarter, Devin. Water is sulphate, hydrocarbonate-sodium and is used for:

– drinking balneotherapy and balneo-prophylaxis – gastrointestinal, renal – urological and endocrine diseases;

– table purposes such as natural mineral water – at the source or bottled, including sparkling water.

Devin is suitable for holidays during the four seasons of the year, but what will remain unforgettable for the visitor is the warm hospitality of the maidens and the inhabitants of the region and the opportunity to taste the pure and natural tastes and specialties such as Rhodopean wedge, patatnik, Smilian beans and Balkan trout .

Rodopi Mountain Tourism

The Rhodopes are an exciting sea of ​​frozen ridges and peaks, and each of them has its own charm, charm, specificity. One small crease from this vast expanse is the Devin Mountain, which is part of Velichko – the Videnishte part of the Rhodopes. It is sandwiched between the deep valleys of the Devinska (Damlu dere) and Buinovska rivers, which enclose it from north and southeast to south and west reaches the valley of Borinska river, Hajdushki dol and the Katrandjidere river bed. The whole ridge has a torn ridge, which in some places descends shortly to the river valleys and forms part of the main Rhodope denudation surface, which is characterized by flat ridges, broad ridges and rounded masses, whose height ranges from 1300 to 1600 m. Known rocky outcrops are a major part of the landscape in the area surrounding the rivers that make it inaccessible. From the main watershed it was between Devinsky River and Hajdushki Dol, which starts from the Oblodnaya (1636 m.) And ends at the Nastansky Bridge locality. -small riddles. From Banski Izvor (part of the watershed ridge with the Banski Izvor peak) the Southeastern hike descends in a southeasterly direction, which at the saddle branches to the east, south and west. Some of them were short descending to the valley of Vacha and others to the Izvorska river. They bear the names Sabujalan, Hisar Tepe and Thick Forest.

To the east of the peak of the Vis Chuka stretches the watershed between Izvorska and Borinska rivers, which ends at Teshel village. It encloses from the north the Borin hilly valley. It separates the partridge ridge, which is called the Orletsky ridge south of Orlets. The Pandakli ridge separates from Orlec Peak to the northeast. The most characteristic peaks in the Devin Mountain are Banski Izvor (1686m.), Kafova gradina (1517m.), Yarebichna Peak (1507m.), Kerez (1284m.), Flat Tikla (1125m.), Koshuburun, Orelets, Lyuta Kamak, Pogorets. , Pow, Comb and many others that reveal great views. In the very heart of the mountain lies the tectonic Kastraklii valley, covered with wonderful meadows and a green wreath of pine forests, occupying the slopes surrounding it, at the Fair Pass, Otto Ridge, Bansko Spring. With Order No. 508/28 March 1968 of the Ministry of Forests and Forest Industry “Kastrakli” has been declared a reserve in order to preserve the pristine nature of the centuries-old black pine forest and beautiful natural landscape. The Orpheus tourist hut can serve as a base when visiting nearby peaks in the ridge.

The Shabanitsa (old forest) reserve in the Devin region is also maintained. It has been declared a reserve with Order No. 2245 / 30.12. 1956 of the General Forestry Office in order to protect the age-old beech-spruce forest. It covers an area of ​​22.6 hectares and includes forest areas with an altitude of 1700 to 1800 m. in the Trigrad land of Devin municipality. In this territory are two more protected areas Trigrad Gorge and Chairite, declared as such respectively in 1963. and 1973.

One of the newest protected areas in the Rhodope Mountains is the “Devinska River Basin” – by Order No. РД-618 / 08.07.2002. The Devin River Canyon is one of the best preserved ecosystems in the Bulgarian mountains with a depth of over 900m. Here are found deposits of a number of protected endemic and relict species of Rhodope silvryak, snowdrop, woolly bell, Rhodope rock dill and others. There is a wide variety of wild animals here – the largest wild goat population in Bulgaria. The area is also one of the best natural habitats of the Wound, Reindeer, and Bear. In the area you can see a lizard and a rock eagle, and on the rivers the Balkan trout and river crayfish.

Kaleto

The Kaleto Fortress is located adjacent to the present city of Devin and is associated with the dramatic events of the Ottoman era. “We climb for thirty minutes and see that the path stops at the foot of a ‘wall ….’ Then she twisted imperceptibly to the right and cut into the rock about a foot and a half, leading to the inside of the stone fort. To the left is a stone, to the right is a gulf. Hassi Shavnal – You were flying up the slope. The defenders of Kaleto did not risk that devilish path that had turned when trapped from path to trap. Turn left and up here – among oak bushes and lilacs. It is small, there are no fifty steps – and left and right, back and forth, surrounds you with a terrible abyss. From the fortifications on the top of the parts is preserved the wall from the east, made of broken stone and white mortar, wide – 1, 2 meters and high in places up to two and a half meters. Struilitsa.

Kemerovyat Bridge

According to historians, the Kemerovo Bridge has remained since the Roman era, and according to others it is the work of the Bulgarian Construction School. It is clear from the chroniclers who came to us that Alexander the Great used this time during his treks in this part of the mountain. During the Ottoman Empire, this pre-Rhodopian highway for the numerous Sultan caravans that carried taxes collected in the villages of the Thracian Plain and the Rhodopes. Not one or two are the legends and legends of the heroic exploits of the Wolf Duke, who seized the plundered gold from the rich and distributed it to the poor. Until 1912. the Bulgarian-Turkish border crossed the bridge. After the Liberation of this part of the Rhodope Mountains, the road was gradually abandoned, and today only the remains of the stone cobblestone can be seen from it. The huge stone arch of the bridge crosses the Devin River in a quiet and deserted place, close to the watershed and the Katrangji Dere. From a distance, he caught the eye of tourists and recalled that his builder was not only a good architect, but also an excellent mathematician and artist to create such a wonderful composition amongst the forest wasteland. From the rough stones without soldering is built the large bridge arch, 3m wide, 30m long, 6m high. It is an ideal semicircle, fixed on a row of stones.

The bridge has been declared a cultural monument and is protected by law.

Museums in Devin Municipality

Devin History Museum

The favorable geographical position of the Devin area has attracted settlers from the most ancient times, which is confirmed by the numerous archeological finds and discovered historical monuments during the explorations and excavations carried out within the city and the region. The collected materials and various documents laid the foundations of the Devin Historical Museum Collection, whose exhibit holds about 2000 exhibits of local and national significance, revealing the ancient history of the city and the region. Archaeological findings from the caves “Yagodinska”, “Upper Rye” and “Haramiyska” (Trigrad) indicate that people from the early Neolithic times lived here. According to archaeological studies, a Thracian settlement existed here since Thracian times, and numerous carpets of Roman domination, Slavic graves, etc. were found in the Devin area. X The objects found have found their place in the museum collection – bronze and glass bracelets, rings and ceramic vessels, which prove that there was a medieval settlement here.

Exciting pages from the chronicle and the construction of the city and the region, its heroic history, preserved in the exposition of the museum collection, continues to maintain our sense of national pride and patriotism. That’s what the strong words written in the book about the impressions of not only Bulgarians but also foreign citizens who have visited our city speak about it.

Notable People from Devin Municipality