Travel in Bulgaria: Chirpan and Surroundings

Novinite is republishing another story by our reader Leon de Leeuw about his visit to the town of Chirpan in Central Bulgaria.

We have already reprinted his accounts on Tran Gorge, Svoge and the Iskar gorge and Lakatnik.

East of Sofia, where the Trakiya highway meets the Maritsa highway, is Chirpan. It's in the Stara Zagora province and lies southeast of the Sredna Gora mountains. The central region of Bulgaria is known for its ancient history and the name Chirpan is said to have its roots in Roman times. During the Ottoman rule, Chirpan was called the same in Turkish (Çırpan). About two hours from Sofia by car, Chirpan is easy to reach. Just take the highway past Plovdiv and the signs will guide you. In 1928, an earthquake brought severe damage to the city. Yet the center has a nice area with a square and a large town hall. The park nearby has a statue of Peyo Yavorov, one of the country's most famous poets. He was born in Chirpan.

From the town square, a sign points you to the Yavorov house and the Nikola Manev house. The houses are next to each other. Yavorov is the famous poet born in Chirpan. Mr Nikola Manev is an artist who currently lives in Paris. He renovated a house next to Yavorov's, including a large garden. He also built an auditorium. You can cross the garden to get to Yavorov's house. There's a guide who explains the poet's and the house's history into deep detail. Never had I seen such a passionate guide. Besides visiting the houses, it is nice to just walk around town. People spend a lot of time outside in summer, as it gets hot. A couple of good restaurants include Mehana Haramiite and Konska Melnitsa, on Ulitsa Ivan Vazov n.2. These restaurants are not even 50 metres from each other.

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