ECO AND CULTURAL TOURISM IN STRANDJA MOUNTAIN

Enjoy the green walk in the heart of Strandja Mountain-only 10 km. away from Lozenets resort.

Strandja is a mountain with thousands years of history, which kept traces of all the civilizations that have inhabited these lands: the ancient Thracians and the nations from the Middle East. Artifacts show a connection, dating back to III BC, between the indigenous population of Strandja and the people of Egypt, Crete and Troy.

Most of Strandja’s territory is a National Park with 5 Nature reserves and 6 Protected areas.

Strandja is the mountain of the ancient Thracians, land of megalith dolmens, tombs and sanctuaries (XIII BC), of Roman and Medieval fortresses (2-3th century AD). The rich folklore traditions have kept some pagan elements of the past, which like a time machine take us back in the old times. The tradition of fire dancing–ancient pagan ritual, consisting of dancing barefoot on live ambers is preserved in the villages of Bulgari and Kosti.

FLORA AND FAUNA

The Nature Park occupies one of the first places among the protected territories in Europe in terms of biological diversity. Over 50% of the Bulgarian flora is represented there with a big number of endemic, relict, rare and threatened Red Data Book species.

Strandja’s rhododendron (Rhododendron ponticum), flowering with fabulously beautiful violet blossoms, is a symbol of the Park.

The diversity of the fauna is also immense. The animal world is represented by reindeer, deer, wild boars, jackals, turtles, lizards, etc.

CULTURAL TOURISM

The millennia-old human civilization in these lands has left a number of original cultural monuments: dolmens, Thracian sanctuaries and altars, burial tombs and necropolises, many chapels and sacred springs, fortress walls and ancient roman roads.

The name of Strandja Mountain first appears in the works of Herodotus, Tukiditus, Xenophon - ancient Greek historians. The ancient Thracian tribe Odrice was one of the first inhabitants of these lands.

The rich folklore traditions, the original rituals and habits of the local population have kept some pagan elements from the remotest past. Such is the spectacular fire-dancing ritual (dancing on still glowing embers by barefooted men), practiced in the villages of Bulgari and Brodilovo.