2022
Kalofer is a town in southern Bulgaria. It is located in the Municipality of Karlovo, Plovdiv District. It is 156 km east of the capital Sofia, 22 and 17 km in the same direction, respectively from the town of Sopot and the town of Karlovo and 65 km northeast of Plovdiv. The town is a point from the sub-Balkan railway and the Sofia-Burgas line. Kalofer borders with the villages: Osetenovo (to the east) and Kurtovo and Vasil Levski (to the west).
The town of Kalofer is situated at the foot of the southern slopes of Kalofer mountain (part of the Central Stara Planina Mountain), in a small valley extension of the river Tundzha, which runs through the town. The average altitude of the settlement is 600 m. From the west it is surrounded by the Krаstec ridge (Straja), connecting the Balkan Mountains with the Sarnena (Eastern) Sredna Gora Mountain. To the northwest of Kalofer is the highest mountain of Stara Planina - Botev peak (2376 m). In the immediate vicinity of the town is the National Park "Central Balkan", to which it is a kind of entrance. The beautiful surroundings are picturesque and unique places like the meadows of "Chafadaritsa"; the slopes of Djendema, Kupena, and Tundja; the river "Byala" with waterfalls, among which is the highest waterfall on the Balkan peninsula - Rayskoto praskalo (124.5 meters).
Natural conditions favor the viewing of an oil-bearing rose (Kalofer is located in the Valley of Roses), lavender, potatoes, and herbs. The lush and green pastures around the countryside and the abundance of water are a good prerequisite for the development of livestock farming, which until the past was well covered.
There are several versions of the origin of the city's name. According to one, it comes from the Greek word "kalo" (good, good). But it is more important that the city bears the name of the Kalifer voivoda, which, according to the legend, laid the foundations of today's settlement.
Its historical existence, Kalofer, began in the 16th century. We find written information about it in an Ottoman tax register dating back to 1576, which is referred to as the Kauffer dervent. This document confirms that at that time Kalofer has the status of a dervent village, whose inhabitants are involved in guarding the passage.
During the Renaissance, in the first half of the 19th century, Kalofer, as well as all our sub-Balkan cities, reached its spiritual and economic growth. Travelers note that there are more than 1,000 guillotine chutes, many mosquito nets, and painters. The big economic upturn reflects the cultural life of the village in the most beneficial way.
In Kalofer he teaches a whole array of Renaissance enlighteners: Neofit Bozveli, Botyo Petkov, Hristo Botev, Ivan Vazov, Ivan Chunchev, D. Fingov and others.
The children of Kalofer are a number of eminent scholars and public figures from the Revival period: Ekzarh Iosif I, Dimitar Mutev, Elena Muteva (first Bulgarian poet), Hristo Tapchileshtov, Ivan Shopov (folklorist and first Bulgarian bibliographer) and others.
But the most famous son of Kalofer is the poet and revolutionary Hristo Botev, born on 25 December 1847 in the family of the teacher Botyo Petkov. Today, the home of the great Bulgarian in the center of the city has been transformed into the National Museum "Hristo Botev". The authentic building burned during the burning of the town in 1877 but was later restored in its original form, by the memories of the brother of the poet, Kiril Botev. The house-museum opened in the summer of 1944.
Kalofer can also be proud of his four churches in the National Revival:
The church "St. Atanasii "
The Church of St. Archangel Michael
The Church of Our Lady (Assumption) is located in the central part of the town of Kalofer. It was built in 1848 on the ruins of an existing old church.
The church "St. Nativity of Christ and Holy Martyrs Kozma and Damian "
Kalofer is also known for his old-fashioned traditions. One of the most attractive events uniting the men of the whole city is the casting of the cross in the icy waters of Tundja of Epiphany and the subsequent "male horo," which is also played in the river.
Hello my dear friend,
Bulgaria is famous for roses and rose oil and some rose products. Imagine yourself in the blossom and tender fragrance of Rose Valley.
I would like to share some photos.
Watch my album--https://photos.app.goo.gl/KFvLarRLhfj6RwrUA
Bulgarian roses.
To @Gio51x
