The Access To The Bulgarian Stonehenge Is Being Improved

Stroitelstvo Gradat Weekly, 18th June 2007

The Project “Common Heritage From Pre-historical Times – Means to Develop the Border Region Between Bulgaria and Greece” is financed with 254 thousand euro under the PHARE program.

The Region

The region itself is an amalgamation between cultural richness and social poverty – these words best describe eastern uplands of the Rhodopes mountain. Close to Greece and Turkey, but remaining far due to insufficient border access stations.

Because of its rich cultural and historical heritage the region is particularly suitable for development of cultural tourism. The region concentrates multiple preserved cultural landmarks, the most numerous and interesting of them being the ones left by the Thracians.

There are a total of 150 archeological, 50 architectural and 25 art cultural landmarks, representing a large resource for the development of cultural tourism.

The cultural tourism could unite the cultural routes with other forms of tourism. The ecological, hunting and fishing tourism are characteristic for the municipalities of Madjarovo and Ivaylovgrad, since they enjoy large forest massifs, eco-routes and bio-diversity, including rare animal species.

A part of the villages in the region have not only preserved the atmosphere typical of the Renaissance, but also the typical for that period stone and sun-dried bricks architecture and are especially suitable for the development of country tourism.

The Project

The “Common Heritage From Pre-historical Times – Means to Develop the Border Region Between Bulgaria and Greece” is a project financed by PHARE program – Trans-border cooperation Bulgaria-Greece 2004 – “Promotion of the Cultural, Tourist and Human Resources in the Trans-border Region”. The total project budget amounts to 254 514 Euro. The assignee is the “Alliance for Regional Cooperation and Development”. The partner from the Greek side is Sufly municipality, prefecture Evros.

Cromlech

The cromlech is a unique monument, one of its kind, preserved until now on the territory of Bulgaria.

A “cromlech” is the name used in Europe for monuments constructed from vertically erected large stone blocks (megaliths), encircling an oval-shaped space in their center. The most famous monument of this kind in Europe is the Stonehenge in Southern England.

The religious monument, unique for this territory, was found in 1998 near the Madjarovo village, one kilometer away from the village of Dolni Glavanak. It represents a cult monument, made of vertically erected stone blocks, placed directly on the rock, with no carved-in holes. The stone blocks themselves remain stable due to their suitable shape and some of them have been additionally balanced with smaller stones.

During the archeological research in 1999 it was established that the Cromlech has been constructed in the second phase of the early Iron age (VIII – VI century B.C.). The found parts of clay utensils, parts of plastering and metal object, concentrated mainly around the stone blocks are proof of the worship ceremonies that took place there.

The cultic monument remained active for a long period of time. Religious ceremonies were performed there even through the late Iron age (V-I century B.C.). Singular finds confirm the location was subject of worship during the Middle Ages too.

South of the Cromlech are located two smaller formations, made of stone blocks arranged in the form of circle. They are undoubtedly connected with the large stone circle are supposed to be part of the ritual complex. Both have shown evidence of child burials, performed through burning.

The Results

A great deal of good relations of partnership and friendship character will be established from the two sides of the border. The joint effort will be placed on the basis of a well-planned conception aiming at the preservation of cultural heritage and the development of eco-tourism in the border region. A consultative council will be created for the control of the sustainable management of the cultural and historical resources in the border region, as well as a data-base with detailed information for more than 80 cultural and historical monuments from both sides of the border.

More than 20 cultural and historical landmarks will be included in already developed tourist products. Five tourist routes will be developed and proposed to the tour-operators. More than 80 navigational and indicator signboards will be installed for the project, as well as information boards, dustbins near the tourist sites, wooden benches.

A demonstration tour is planned with the participation of 50 tour-operators from Bulgaria and Greece – a visit by 20 Bulgarian archeologists, historians and culture scientists to five cultural and historical monuments in Greece.

Advertising materials will be printed, as well as catalogues, multimedia CDs and others.

The project of “Alliance for Regional Cooperation and Development” aims at the preservation, socialization and promotion of the region’s rich cultural heritage.

The implementation of the project will also benefit from the good practices attained by the implementation of the projects already completed by the alliance: “Cultural and Historic Mysteries of the Eastern Rhodopes, “Silkworm Breeding and Silk – Means of Living For Two Close, Neighboring Nations”, “People – Friends of the Nature in the Eastern Rhodopes” and “History and Crafts of Two Different Cultures”.

View Properties for Sale in the Region.


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