Krumovgrad, Bulgaria, Krumovgrad region information

In the Eastern Rhodopes, on the border with Greece, on a territory of 843,320 sq km, is located Municipality Krumovgrad. Until 1934 the name of Krumovgrad was Koshukavak.

On the east it borders the municipalities of Ivaylovgrad and Madzharovo; on the West - Kirkovo and Momchilgrad; on the north - with Kardzhali and Stambolovo and on the south - with Greece.

The total area of the municipality is 843, 320 square kilometers, of which 48.79% are forest areas, 47.83% - agricultural areas, 2.18% are residential areas and other urban areas, 1.2% are areas with water bodies, transport infrastructure and others.

The municipality consists of 80 settlements consisting of 403 neighborhoods.

Administrative center is the city Kroumovgrad, which is 310 km from the capital and from the town of Kardzhali 48 km. The nearest land border point is Captain Andreevo, situated 130 km. The nearest water point of entry Bourgas, situated 310 km from the Municipality. The nearest railway junction is Momchilgrad, situated 32 km. The pass Makaza, where was built a border crossing point is 40 km from Krumovgrad and 18 km from the western boundary of the municipality.

The city is situated on a prehistoric settlement. In XII - XIX century it guarded the road to Mosynopolis (Gyumyurdzhina), traced back in antiquity. During the Ottoman rule there is a wooden mosque, where Friday afternoon gathered faithful citizens of the town. Formed market and later enterprising people built warehouses for storing goods they trade - fur cocoon, tobacco and etc.

The main occupation is associated with tobacco, livestock and herbs, but there were alternatives.

Here caves have their own characters. As legendary rebel priest Martin joined his detachment to Valchan leader. They crossed together the land from the river to the sea. There is huge treasure buried somewhere that still ignites the imagination of looters. Priest Martin waited in ambush near the village Stranzhevo.

Popmartinova Dupka is actually a rock Thracian tomb with an area of ​​2 square meters, which is almost inaccessible height.

Rock niches are one of the biggest mysteries left to us by the Thracians. Carved in who knows what time in the cliffs, they look like windows into another world. And maybe so it is. Whether a Thracian tribe that lived 5000 years ago, has laid in them the bones of the dead - to look at the sun, or are plopped ritual gifts? Whether a map of the gold deposits in the area? Or niches ever had doors in them are placed statues of deities? Scientists argue today.

In the area you can get information about natural attractions, to monitor the birds with a special telescope to order guide. The information center is accessible to people with visual and motor disabilities. There are specially adapted for this purpose trails. Hiking is allowed only with guides and on marked trails.

The birds of prey are 23 species, 21 are listed in the Red Book of Bulgaria and the Imperial eagle and black vulture in the category of "endangered." You can see the otter, tree frog, yellow-bellied toad, green lizard, and tortoise.

In the Eastern Rhodopes grow Orpheus flower, the flower called Phoenix - Rhodope “severliak” – it has also been called. You might herbarium it and in two years it will live again - eternal as the stone and mountain forever as the song.

Cultural heritage of Krumovgrad testify over 2000 exhibits, arranged in a museum collection with 250 square meters of exhibition space and separate departments in archeology, a new history and ethnography. The library was opened in 1971 and is housed in a building built in 1901, which was declared a cultural monument.

The existing road network in the municipality is 360.6 km long, of which 264.6 km are paved. Secondary roads are 27 km, third class - 75 km and municipal roads - 261 km. The density of the road network in the municipality is 43 km/100 sq km, which is higher than the national average (33km/100 sq. km.). Main roads are road III-509 Harmanli - Dolno Cherkovishte - Dolna Kula - Kroumovgrad - Tokachka - Makaza and road II-59 Momchilgrad - Kroumovgrad - Ivaylovgrad that pass through the municipal center Kroumovgrad and connect the municipality with neighboring municipalities, county and city national road network.

They are important for socio-economic development of the municipality as a link with the transport corridor № 9 Kardzhali - Makaza - Alexandroupolis and prerequisites for active economic development and increase the attractiveness of the municipality for the foreign business. The importance of these road links will increase with the opening of the Makaza border checkpoint and the actual operation of the transport corridor.

The climate and soil types determine the greatest plant diversity. There is more than 2000 species of vascular plants, of which 90 are Balkan endemic and highly endangered. Eastern Rhodopes formerly occupied by ponds with active underwater volcanism, so except the sedimentary rocks were formed volcanic - andesites, rhyolites, tuffs. Thus were formed the abrasive wells below the dam, reaching 10-15 m. Water and wind sculpt today whimsical sculptures as in fiction.

In Krumovgrad municipality there are many caves - different in size and complexity. In some of them there are archaeological finds. Better known are Karangin, Ekizin, Alchakin, the Bat cave, Zandana, Black Hole, Kaleto. Of particular interest is the cave Samara. It is 650 meters long callus and in places difficult to access. There lives a colony of bats. There is a large head of a bear, and in 2005 was found a royal priestly burial at 3 500 years old. Unique are the bronze double ax - labrys that was the top of the staff of a Thracian king. Most valuable is the tiny silver ornaments associated with the cult of the Mother Goddess, dating from 15-11 BC.

But one of the phenomena is the evergreen oak on the road to the village of Tokachka after the village of Surnak - old beautiful tree, which remains green during winter too.

In this part of the region near the border there are many villages. One of them is Egrek. An old Roman bridge, which survived through the ages - talks about emperors and kings, battles and caravans. The village is proud of its mills - small, hidden in the green of the trees, they come to life at the end of each summer and the song of a millstone shall not stop until late autumn.

Nature of Krumovgrad is very clean. In the basin of the area have many kinds of fish - carp, tolstolop, catfish, and perch. Hunting may encounter fallow deer, wild boar, roe deer and small game, which they call keklich. The trend is for the better development of ecological tourism.

Rhodope was once land of the Thracians. Everywhere could be found mounds, sanctuary dolmen, and etc.

In Krumovgrad there are favorable conditions for the development of rural and ecological tourism, as it has a variety of attractive tourist resources. Characteristic combination of valuable natural environment and cultural heritage, would attract the interest of the different types of tourists.