In the southernmost part of the Region of Bourgas is the Strandja mountain chain. This is the biggest natural park in Bulgaria. It has an extremely rich natural collection of flora and fauna – over 50% of the flora in all of Bulgaria!.
The park could also be termed an ethnographic reserve because on its territory we find the village Bulgari, in which the ancient Thracian ritual of fire dancing can be observed. The territory of the park is strewn with numerous archeological objects, which fascinate visitors with their mysticism and majesty.
For thousands of years Strandhja Mountain was part of the kingdom of the ancient Thracian culture. Scattered all over the territory of the mountain are ancient beehive tombs, dolmens, sacrificial altars, slab stones and statues. Here are the speechless witnesses to the ancient Thracian glory.
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Bulgaria's diverse network of 3 national and 11 natural parks, 89 reserves and 2,234 natural landmarks affords exceptional capacity and diversified tourism.
If you head for the Southeastern part of Bulgaria, to the town of Malko Tarnovo or along the sea shore to the towns of Ahtopol and Sinemoretz, you will fall in the caressing arms of the wide spread mountain chain of Strandja.
An inseparable part of Strandja is the nature park which is named after the mountain. The park was established in 1995 and covers a territory of 1,116 square km and has a sea outlet situated between the town of Tzarevo and the village of Rezovo.
You'll be fascinated by the valleys of the Veleka and Rezovo rivers, as they meander in a picturesque way through the park.
The river valleys give the appearance that the sea has flooded the mountain when you look out early in a misty morning from the mountain peaks. Near the village of Mladezko springs the river with the same name and its water has been declared a natural landmark. The healing waters are used in the treatment of cardio-vascular and neurological diseases.
The virgin nature, the unique mixture of maritime and mountain landscape and the interesting cultural and historic landscape are favourable for development of eco and cultural tourism, recreation and other leisure time activities. Numerous unique cultural monuments can be observed at the territory of Strandja Nature Park. The traditional styles of cult buildings are presented by the Orthodox temples Uspenie Bogorodichno in the town of Malko Tarnovo, St.St. Kiril and Metodius in the village of Kosti, St. Dimitar – in the village of Brashljan as well as by numerous chapels scattered all over the mountain, all of which built near a healing spring (ajazmo).
The most spectacular of all of them is the megalith consecrated ground in the vicinity of Mishkova niva, known as the Temple of God Dionysus.
In the village of Balgari you can observe the unique “nestinary” rite. It takes place June 3rd of every year on St. Konstantin and Helena’s day, considered to be patron and patroness of the nestinars. Miraculously, time has not changed much this intoxicating dance on live coals, which comes from the ancient Thracian times. The village of Brashljan has been declared a historic and architectural reserve with authentic Strandjan houses built in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.