ABOUT CHEPELARE
The town of Chepelare (6067 inhabitants, 1100 m above sea level) is situated in the heart of the
Rhodope mountain, in a small valley, along the two banks of
Chepelarska river.
It is 222 km from
Sofia, 72 km from
Plovdiv, 53 km from
Assenovgrad, 30 km from
Smolyan and about 10 km from
Pamporovo resort.
Chepelare has Bulgaria's only ski and snowboard equipment factory, which turns out some 15,000 pairs a year for domestic and international customers.
The town became famous as the birthplace of the Bulgarian Olympic champion of the biathlon from Nagano'98n - Ekaterina Dafovska.
This is the town, situated at the highest altitude in Bulgaria. It is a typical resort centre, mostly winter resort.
HISTORY
The valley has been populated since ancient times, which was proved by different objects, considered being of Thracian origin. Some Bulgarian Christian tombs dating back to 12 th – 14 th century were found on the neighbouring land of the town.
In 1726 the newcomers bought the land and became owners of the valley and the surrounding hills. So the settlement of Chepelare was found.
In 1836 the Chepelare inhabitants built the church of
St.Atanasii and 3 stone turrets within 40 days. In 1876 a second temple
“Holy Mother of God” was inaugurated.
With the beginning of the 20 th century and especially during the 30-ies and the 40-ies, the town was turned into a resort site.
LANDMARKS
The
church St.Atanas – 5A, General Cherevin Str.
The
church “Holy Mother of God” – Chaya Str, phone: 03051 3420.
Museum of Speleology and Bulgarian Karst – 9A, Shina Andreeva Str., phone: 03051 3041, working hours – 9.00 a.m.-12.00 a.m. and 1.30 p.m. – 5.30 p.m. each day except for Mondays. It is an unique museum not only for Bulgaria, but also for the Balkan Peninsula and Europe.
Visit the
Museum of Ski sport too.
Cultural House “Rhodopska Iskra” – 21, Vassil Dechev Str., phone: 03051 2029
ACCOMMODATION
Plenty of accommodation facilities exist in Chepelare, yet throughout the winter months of January, February and March it is necessary to book in advance. The family type 2- or 3-stars hotels prevail in this small town. Almost all of the hotels have restaurants, where one may taste local Rhodope cuisine and specialties.
TRANSPORT
The only transport available to Chepelare is by bus. There are regular bus lines to
Plovdiv,
Assenovgrad,
Sofia,
Smolyan,
Pamporovo resort,
Devin,
Shiroka Laka and other smaller villages.
The bus station is located on the left bank of the river – Chaya Str., phone: 03051 2023.
SURROUNDING AREAS
1.5 km south of the town, near the road to
Smolyan and
Pamporovo is the bottom station of the two-chair rope lift. It is 2471 m long, its transportation capacity is 600 persons per hour and it takes the skiers and tourist within 17 minutes to the
Chala peak (1873 m), where the starting points of the
ski runs are located.
10 km south-west of the town is one of the largest and most famous winter resorts in the country –
Pamporovo.
At a road distance of 15 km southeast of the town, high on top of
Mechi Chal peak the
Rozhen Observatory is located, which is opened for tourist visits. There is no regular transport to this place, but one can climb up from Chepelare to the observatory within about two and a half hours.
Description
