Strelcha
Encyclopedia
Strelcha is a small Bulgaria
n town with a population of 4,858 . The town lies 13 km to the east of Panagyurishte
and 41 km to the north of Pazardzhik
and is part of Pazardzhik Province
. It is situated in the southern skirts of the Sredna Gora
mountain and huddles in a beautiful valley.
The favourable microclimate
, nature and mineral water springs
, combined with the rich history and natural sights, have turned Strelcha into a national spa resort all around the year. Even if the town's tourism industry has decayed somewhat in the early post-communist period, its tourist product has started to revive in the last couple of years.
The most important sight in the town is arguably the Bulgarian Orthodox Archangel Michael Church-Monument dedicated to the citizens of Strelcha that were killed during the April Uprising
of 1876. Their names can be seen inscribed on both sides of the church. Moreover, at night visitors can enjoy the colourful images and the music of a singing fountain in the central square of the town.
The rose gardens in Strelcha spread over 3,000 decares, as this is one of the biggest rose oil
production regions in Bulgaria. Rose oil of the highest quality possible is produced in the municipality. Besides roses, since the 1990s and 2000s Strelcha successfully cultivated lavender, from which first-class essential oil is extracted.
Outside Strelcha, the road to the town of Koprivshtitsa
(24 km) offers spectacular sights of natural rock formation
s. Three kilometres to the southeast of Strelcha one can see the famous Zhaba Mogila ("Frog Mould") inside which archeologists have found a Thracian
temple. The mould is one of the biggest in Bulgaria — its height is more than 20 m, while its diameter is about 80–90 m. The two chambers and the façade are built of large, masterly carved stone blocks, connected with iron conjunctures and covered with lead. The biggest of these blocks measures 2.6 m by 0.6 m. Their arrangement is regarded as flawless. A tunnel with a length of 75 m has been dug below the mould and is planned to be transformed into a museum. A second stone construction, believed to have served as a sanctuary
, has been found in the northwest part of the mould. It consists of three halls with a total area of 25 square metres.
2.5 km to the south of Strelcha one can see the remains of the Strelcha Fortress (Kaleto) believed to date back to the 9-10th century AD. The fortress was built on the right bank of the Luda Yana
River on a separate hill. The fortress walls surrounded a rectangular space with a length of 140 m and a width of 50–60 m. Additionally, there are some preserved remains of several other fortresses to the south and southeast of Strelcha.
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
n town with a population of 4,858 . The town lies 13 km to the east of Panagyurishte
Panagyurishte
Panagyurishte is a town in Pazardzhik Province, Southern Bulgaria, situated in a small valley in the Sredna Gora mountains. It is 91 km east of Sofia, 43 km north of Pazardzhik, and 37 km south of Zlatitsa. The town is the administrative centre of the homonymous Panagyurishte...
and 41 km to the north of Pazardzhik
Pazardzhik
Pazardzhik is a city situated along the banks of the Maritsa river, Southern Bulgaria. It is the capital of Pazardzhik Province and centre for the homonymous Pazardzhik Municipality...
and is part of Pazardzhik Province
Pazardzhik Province
Pazardzhik Province is a province in Southern Bulgaria, named after its administrative and industrial centre - the town of Pazardzhik. It embraces a territory of 4,456.9 km² that is divided into 11 municipalities with a total population of 290,614 inhabitants, as of December 2009.-History:The...
. It is situated in the southern skirts of the Sredna Gora
Sredna Gora
Sredna Gora is a mountain range in central Bulgaria, situated south of and parallel to Balkan mountain range and extending from the river Iskar to the west and the elbow of Tundzha north of Yambol to the east. Sredna Gora is 285 km long, reaching 50 km at its greatest width...
mountain and huddles in a beautiful valley.
The favourable microclimate
Microclimate
A microclimate is a local atmospheric zone where the climate differs from the surrounding area. The term may refer to areas as small as a few square feet or as large as many square miles...
, nature and mineral water springs
Mineral spring
Mineral springs are naturally occurring springs that produce water containing minerals, or other dissolved substances, that alter its taste or give it a purported therapeutic value...
, combined with the rich history and natural sights, have turned Strelcha into a national spa resort all around the year. Even if the town's tourism industry has decayed somewhat in the early post-communist period, its tourist product has started to revive in the last couple of years.
April Uprising
The April Uprising was an insurrection organised by the Bulgarians in the Ottoman Empire from April to May 1876, which indirectly resulted in the re-establishment of Bulgaria as an autonomous nation in 1878...
of 1876. Their names can be seen inscribed on both sides of the church. Moreover, at night visitors can enjoy the colourful images and the music of a singing fountain in the central square of the town.
The rose gardens in Strelcha spread over 3,000 decares, as this is one of the biggest rose oil
Rose oil
Rose oil, meaning either rose otto or rose absolute, is the essential oil extracted from the petals of various types of rose...
production regions in Bulgaria. Rose oil of the highest quality possible is produced in the municipality. Besides roses, since the 1990s and 2000s Strelcha successfully cultivated lavender, from which first-class essential oil is extracted.
Koprivshtitsa
Koprivshtitsa is a historic town in Sofia Province, central Bulgaria, lying on the Topolnitsa River among the Sredna Gora mountains. It was one of the centres of the April Uprising in 1876 and is known for its authentic Bulgarian architecture and for its folk music festivals, making it a very...
(24 km) offers spectacular sights of natural rock formation
Rock formation
This is a list of rock formations that include isolated, scenic, or spectacular surface rock outcrops. These formations are usually the result of weathering and erosion sculpting the existing rock...
s. Three kilometres to the southeast of Strelcha one can see the famous Zhaba Mogila ("Frog Mould") inside which archeologists have found a Thracian
Thracians
The ancient Thracians were a group of Indo-European tribes inhabiting areas including Thrace in Southeastern Europe. They spoke the Thracian language – a scarcely attested branch of the Indo-European language family...
temple. The mould is one of the biggest in Bulgaria — its height is more than 20 m, while its diameter is about 80–90 m. The two chambers and the façade are built of large, masterly carved stone blocks, connected with iron conjunctures and covered with lead. The biggest of these blocks measures 2.6 m by 0.6 m. Their arrangement is regarded as flawless. A tunnel with a length of 75 m has been dug below the mould and is planned to be transformed into a museum. A second stone construction, believed to have served as a sanctuary
Sanctuary
A sanctuary is any place of safety. They may be categorized into human and non-human .- Religious sanctuary :A religious sanctuary can be a sacred place , or a consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.- Sanctuary as a sacred place :#Sanctuary as a sacred place:#:In...
, has been found in the northwest part of the mould. It consists of three halls with a total area of 25 square metres.
2.5 km to the south of Strelcha one can see the remains of the Strelcha Fortress (Kaleto) believed to date back to the 9-10th century AD. The fortress was built on the right bank of the Luda Yana
Luda Yana
The Luda Yana is a 74 km-long river in southern Bulgaria, a northern tributary of the Maritsa River. It runs through the towns of Panagyurishte and Strelcha, as well as a number of villages, including Popintsi, where there are considerable driftage gold deposits. The river flows into the Maritsa...
River on a separate hill. The fortress walls surrounded a rectangular space with a length of 140 m and a width of 50–60 m. Additionally, there are some preserved remains of several other fortresses to the south and southeast of Strelcha.
Municipality
Strelcha is the seat of Strelcha municipality (part of Pazardzhik Province), which also includes the following four villages:- BlatnitsaBlatnitsaBlatnitsa is a small village in the Strelcha municipality, western Bulgaria. As of 2005 it has 232 inhabitants....
- DyulevoDyulevo, Pazardzhik ProvinceDyulevo is a village located near the town of Strelcha, western Bulgaria. The population is 305. There is an artificial pond in the vicinity where the road is raised....
- SmiletsSmilets, Pazardzhik ProvinceSmilets is a village near Strelcha, western Bulgaria. As of 2005 it has 418 inhabitants. It is named after the unsuccessful Medieval emperor of Bulgaria Smilets ....
- SvobodaSvoboda, Pazardzhik ProvinceSvoboda is a village in the Pazardzhik Province, Bulgaria. As of 2005 it has 218 inhabitants.In Bulgarian its name means "freedom". A copper mine, Mina Radka is located at 5 km to the south....