Chepelare is located in the beautiful Rhodopi mountains in the southern part of Bulgaria. It is located 1200 meters above sea level and the winter season here provides one of the best skiing environments in Bulgaria. The rich culture and history has made this area one of the economic and cultural centers of the Rhodopi mountains. The capital of Bulgaria, Sofia is 230 kilometers away and
|
the second largest city in Bulgaria, Plovdiv is just 80 kilometers from here. The world famous ski resort of Pamporovo is just 10 kilometers down the road and is one of the reasons this area has long been one of the most popular winter tourist destinations in Europe. During the summer the beautiful Rhodopis are cool and tranquil and provide the perfect spot for relaxing, hiking, mountain biking and village tourism. |
 |
| The Municipality of Chepelare has a total population of around 8964 people with 5824 in the city itself and the rest spread out amongst 11 smaller surrounding villages. It is located 230 kilometers from the capital of Bulgaria , Sofia , 80 kilometers from Plovdiv (the second largest city in Bulgaria ) and 22 kilometers from the district center of Smolyan. The average elevation of the area is 1200 meters above sea level. |
| The area is located in the central Rhodopi mountains by the Chepelare River . Located nearby are the municipalities of Smolyan, Lucky, Devin, Assenovgrad and Rhodopi. The territory of the municipality covers 384 square kilometers of |
|
which 73% are forests, 14% are flatlands and meadows and 11% is agricultural land. On the remaining 2% of the land are located 12 habitable places of which 10 are villages, these are: Pavelsko, Hvoina, Zaburdo, Malevo, Orehovo, Bogutevo, Ostritsa, Lilikevo, Zornitsa , and Progled along with the winter resort of Pamporovo. The ratio of the population that lives in Chepelare itself to the villages is 65:35 and thousands of tourists from across Bulgaria and abroad visit the
area during the winter and summer each year. |
Climate wise Chepelare is one of the sunniest cities in Bulgaria with 270 sunny days a year and an abundance of snow in the winter. The area gets between 30 and 80 centimeters of snow annually which tends to remain for 80 to 100 days. The fall is warm and dry with the spring usually coming late and the summer tends to be cool and refreshing.
| Histoty of Chepelare |
The Rhodopi Mountains have long been full of mystery and enchantment. The mythical singer Orpheus is said to have originated here as are the clan of guards of the famous Sanctuary of Dionysus. Archeo- logical excavations have dated civilization in the area from around the 7th century BC. The remains of ancient Thracian fortresses have been found in the area which reveal a highly developed culture for the time. The fortresses were said to have |
 |
| guarded a Thracian road that ran from the town of Abdera on the Aegean Sea to Istros on the Danube River. Traces of an early metalworking industry such as goldsmithing have also been discovered here. Ore mining was prevalent during the Roman invasion and records of mining in this area are mentioned in the chapter for Mines and Miners in the Law of Emperor Valentian I (365 – 375 AD) and in the writings of Roman poet Claudius (4th Century AD). Remnants of a prosperous commercial industry from this time have been found such as the remains of glass objects, cups, belt buckles, coins and ceramics. In 1911 an exaction found traces of a Roman bath in the area, the only one in the central Rhodopis. In addition fortresses, settlements and tombs, some from Thracian times are left over from the First and Second Bulgarian Kingdoms (681 - 1393). |
 |
The modern administration of Chepelare began back in 1878. Great efforts were made to construct the road that runs from Assenovgrad to Chepelare in order to connect the central Rhodopi region with the rest of Bulgaria. A telegraph and post office were opened up in 1880 and the town was one of the first to be electrified in 1921. The area started to became popular for winter recreation in the early 20th century when in 1933 the first guest house was built in what is now Pamporovo by Nikola Chichovski. |
| This was essentially the first tourism development to take place at the resort. A tourist organization was formed in 1934 and the first ski course was organized in 1937 by a local man named Borislav Yordanov who had also been part of the 1936 winter Olympics. |
For more information vizit the official site of Chepelare.
|
Bulgarian
