sightseeing in blagoevgrad

Blagoevgrad is one of the cities that managed to preserve Renaissance buildings from the time of the Ottoman Empire. Varosha quarter is small, but the few streets and the big white houses with high walls and gardens are just enough to feel the breeze of the past. In the 18th and 19th centuries here was the Bulgarian hamlet, while on the other side of the river, near the mineral springs, the Turks lived. 

After the reform of 1839, which gave Christians the right to practice their religion freely, in 1840 the construction of the Church "Introduction of the Virgin" began in the heart of the old town. It was consecrated in 1844 and is a small copy of the Rila Monastery. 

Pl. Georgi Izmirliev-Makedoncheto 

26. June 1987 - on that day, the city solemnly welcomes 150 diplomates, led by the communist statesman Todor Zhivkov, to the just built new center. The building, which today houses parts of the American University, the Southwestern University and the Regional Library, was then the Party House, the Theater next door was renovated, a fountain was built on the lower level, a pedestrian area was created, a new building for the Municipality and a Post Office popped up. This was the last of the series of visits of the Diplomatic Corps to cities all over Bulgaria before the Changes, and it transformed Blagoevgrad. 

30 buildings were demolished, their owners were moved to remote neighborhoods, hundreds of thousands of people participated in the construction, which lasted less than two years. If you take a walk today on Georgi Izmirliev-Makednocheto Squere, as the square is officially called, you will surely find similarities with the space in front of the NDK in Sofia. No wonder - one of the mottos during the construction activities was - what is in Sofia, should be in Blagoevgrad. 

On sunny days, small children run around the fountains, young and old sit on the benches, in the evening the space is beautifully lit. Just a few minutes away is the City Park, bringing freshness and coolness. 

The largest park next to Blagoevgrad is a favorite place for recreation, especially in summer. Directly from the center starts the Alley of Health, which will take you to Bachinovo Park (more info here). In the center of the park there is a lake with ducks and swans, in summer you can ride a water bike. Several barbecue zones have been built along the river. 

More Parks: Love to walk in the park? Here we have selected several very pleasant parks in Blagoevgrad. 

Pl. Makedonia

Officially, the square is called Macedonia Square, however, residents of Blagoevgrad often call it simply Square before the Opera House. If you could visit the place a few centuries ago, during the Ottoman slavery, you would still find yourself in a square, but instead of the Opera House, you would see the Great Mosque, and next to it, where the City Baths and Hotel Monte Cristo are now located, the old Turkish bath. 

A year after the Liberation of Gorna Jumaya (as it was then called Blagoevgrad), in 1913 the community center Saglesie was founded. His home became the building of the Great Mosque and until 1926 the place was the heart of the cultural life of the city. This continued to be the case even after that, but already in a new building - the mosque was destroyed, and in its place a beautiful building arose, with a stage and a cinema hall, and in the newly added round part of the community center (which you can still see today) it housed the library. 

In 1929, there was still a water pump on Macedonia Square, next to it, on the site of today's monument to Gotse Delchev, a large lamp with a power of 3000 watts was installed. On a rainy autumn day, the square was full and a big public celebration was being prepared - the first lamp in Blagoevgrad lighted up. People danced under its light until late in the evening. With this, the city begann to electrify. 

The socialist regime left its mark on Macedonia Square and in the 1950s gave the community center, renamed in 1952 to the "Nikola Y. Vaptsarov Community Center" with a new look. Another reconstruction was done during the visit of the Corps in the late 1980s. The building is being rebuilt for the needs of the Blagoevgrad Chamber Opera (which until then shared a stage with the Municipal Theater). This is how you will see the building today. The Chamber Opera is housed in the front part, and the Community Center in the back. 

In the center of the square today is the monument to Gotse Delchev, and over the river stretches the Bridge of Lovers.  

Blagoevgrad is the city with perhaps the most beautiful bridges in Bulgaria! The lovers' bridge, the bridge in front of the Youth Center, the small pedestrian bridge... The cast-iron railings, the rounded shapes and the harmony between the individual bridges appeared during the modernization of the city center on the occasion of the visit of the Diplomatic Corps in 1987. You will often see art installations on the bridges and various cultural events. Sit on a bench on the Bridge of Lovers and look at the river and the peaks of Rila or the Struma valley! 

• 06.01.2023, Bridge in front of pl. Makedonia - Yordanovden

For centuries, one of the favorite places of the city's residents and guests - the City Mineral Bath - has been located here. To immerse yourself in the hot water and then feel reborn - even the Roman inhabitants of the town of Skaptopara wrote enthusiastically about the mineral springs. What her exact disposition was is unknown. During the period of the Ottoman Empire, Charshi Banya was located here, and in the 18th century, during the cherry blossom season, thousands of people came here, settled under umbrellas and tents and enjoyed the mineral springs. 

The old Charshi bathhouse was demolished in 1956, the current building was built in its place - an extensive city bathhouse with a men's and women's pool. With the introduction of more and more bathrooms in the homes of Blagoevgrad residents (in 1963, the internal water supply network of Blagoevgrad was completely built), the need for the city bath decreased. Today, the building houses the Hotel Monte Cristo and a public bathhouse with two sections - one for women and one for men, and a rehabilitation center.

The political changes bring something new, unexpected and bringing long-lasting changes to Blagoevgrad - here in 1991 the only American university in Southeastern Europe, American University in Bulgaria (AUB), was established. "AUB is a one-of-a-kind institution – just imagine a typical American university offering a liberal arts education, teleported from the United States to Bulgaria." - the university says about itself today. 

Foreign students and professors filled the city in the 1990s, and the space around the river, then dominated by dense vegetation, became an American university campus. The headquarters of the American University in Bulgaria is located in the building of the former party house on Georgi Izmirliev-Makedoncheto Square. 

Walking from the left bank of the Bistrica river, you will probably feel like a student at an American university. In the last building along the river, you can drink coffee or freshly squeezed juice in the garden or eat in the restaurant-canteen on the top floor (with a great view and a feeling of student life). 

On the other, right side of the river is the pleasant Arena Park. A great place to walk, especially on warm summer evenings, because it is well lit and full of life. 

In the heart of the former Turkish quarter is the clock tower. Built in 1876, the building is one of the oldest in Blagoevgrad. It is nearly 17 meters high and has a dial on three sides (without north). Back in the day, it heralded the beginning of the end of the craftsman's working day. Immediately next to the tower was a bath with mineral water, which was used for bathing and washing. 

Today, a friendly restaurant with a terrace and a garden is housed under the tower.

In Blagoevgrad, quite imperceptibly, from the city center you can find yourself among the pine forests of Rila. Just go against the current of the Bistrica river on its western side and you will find one of the favorite routes of Blagoevgrad residents - The Health Alley. First you will pass a few restaurants on the bank of the river, then you will pass the non-working aqua-park and you will find yourself in a forest smelling of pine, at the foot of the hills.  The path will take you to the heart of Bachinovo Park, by the lake with the ducks and swans.

Fill your bottle with cold Rila water at the fountain at the lower, northwest end of the lake. Here you can eat in the refined Royal Park restaurant or continue to the upper end of the lake, where there is a cute children's playground and a small park with animals - deer, roe deer, ponies, ducks and the Vodenitsa restaurant with traditional Bulgarian dishes and atmosphere. 

The beginning of The City Park was in 1924, when the city government expropriated several properties to endow the citizens with a park. Like the Garden of Eden, here in the beginning there was a garden with fruit trees. While walking, residents could pick an apple, pear or cherry. After ten years, the fruit trees were removed, and acacias were planted in their place.

More information will be here soon, visit us again! 

More Parks: Love to walk in the park? Here we have selected several very pleasant parks in Blagoevgrad.