Interesting facts

One of the smallest municipalities in Bulgaria, but of great importance for the Bulgarian spirit, past and history.

Even Rome considered this place a strategic crossroads. This is evidenced by the historical hill ASARA, which rises in the northern part of the town.

Remains of the fortress, which was also used in the Bulgarian Middle Ages, are preserved on the hill. In 1988, archaeological excavations were carried out. As a result of them, archaeologists made up the following timeline, according to the chronology of the cultural layers:

• Early Iron Age 1st millennium BC

A town with rich history. The rich healing mineral springs, the favourable climate and the fertile soils have been attracting people to these lands since ancient times. The first material evidence we have of the settlement in the lands of today's Strelcha dates back to the Neolithic and Chalcolithic (5th millennium BC). The numerous mounds in the land testify to the settlement of the Thracians in the area. The most magnificent among them is the Zhaba Mogila, researched in 1976 by the archaeologist Georgi Kitov.

Sopot, one of the old Bulgarian settlements, older than Karlovo and Kalofer, was founded in the 14th century. The only written source for its earliest history is the Karlovo vakfname, the original text of which was written in Konya in Arabic. In 1847, a copy of the document was made in Constantinople and certified accordingly. It is kept in the Karlovo History Museum.

Pavel Banya is a relatively new settlement. Founded after the Liberation by settlers from the neighbouring village of Turia. The main families that have settled in the new village of Pavel are about a dozen. Along with the national treasure – the mineral water, the village is developing, some holiday bases are appearing. Since November 10, 1978, Pavel Banya has the status of a town. The settlement was named after Apostol Paul (bg: Apostle Pavel) and the youngest son of Emperor Alexander II – Grand Duke Pavel Alexandrovich.

The first chemical analysis of mineral water in Bulgaria was carried out in 1882 from five mineral springs in Hisarya. For this purpose, the government of Eastern Rumelia issued "Regulations for the operation of the Hisarya Baths." It is believed that this was the official beginning of modern balneotherapy in our country.

The earliest traces of life in Karlovo date back to the Neolithic Age /6th millennium BC/. A Neolithic settlement existed in the Yasa Tepe area west of the town. The Thracian tribes that inhabited the lands around today's Karlovo during the Late Iron Age / 6th century BC. – 1st century/, according to the researchers, they were included in the collective ethnonym Odryssae.

The town of Panagyurishte was erected on land inhabited since ancient times. Prehistoric monuments, Iron Age settlements, Thracian settlements were found here.

"Here it is, enclosed to the west and north by high hills and rocky ridges, it stands on the border between the Stara Planina and the plain, resting its back on the Balkan, facing Thrace..." (K. Konstantinov) Our ancestors created the settlement at the crossroads and this is one of the great advantages of Sliven, which played an important role in its past and present development.

The vital waters of Tundzha, the fertile soils, the wonderful climate and the large number of sunny days during the year are the prerequisites for the first inhabitants to settle here during the Neolithic /about 7000 BC/. That is why we would be right to claim that Kazanlak is one of the most ancient cities not only in Bulgaria, but also in Europe!