Devin’s eight wonders

published on 3/22/11 1:50 PM

Photo: imagesfrombulgaria.com, Nenko Lazarov

The first association that comes to mind when mentioning the town of Devin is invariably linked to its mineral springs with their fantastic curative waters as well as the region’s lovely nature. The beautiful town located at the heart of the mystic Rhodope Mountains has already earned a name as a prosperous spa center. It is mostly visited for rehabilitation of disorders of the locomotion and cardio-vascular systems. Recently however local businessmen have tried to expand the range of the tourist attractions in Devin. For the purpose the young cavers from the Crystal Caving Club have been working on a new product labeled The Eight Wonders of Devin. The latest entry in the prestigious local chart is the meteorite aged 4 thousand years. The cavers from Crystal Club came across the find all by accident. With the ambition of assembling the history of their region from the Bronze Age all the way down to the present day, they have organized various expeditions looking for artifacts that have stories to tell about bygone times. During such an expedition inspired by the legend about a secret path to the Kale stronghold near Devin, the young cavers discovered two of the wonders – the second highest Rhodope waterfall Samodivsko Praskalo (The Shower of Nymphs) at 55 m, and the meteorite.

“Scientists have confirmed that the stone is s meteorite and has extraterrestrial origin’, explains Vladimir Solakov from Crystal Club. “The metal contained it has not been defined yet. The meteorite weighs 350 g and it is as large as a medium orange. We are now waiting for the results of its research. Once it is over, we will exhibit the find at Devin’s Tourist Information Center. People who are interested in meteorites say that the chance of winning in the lottery is greater than finding a meteorite. The reason is that most of them burn out in the atmosphere and fail to reach the Earth. They are valuable as carriers of information about the emergence of the Solar system.”

The tourist package The Eight Winders of Devin will be on offer at the hotels of the region. Qualified guides will accompany visitors to each of the local sights. The cavers from Crystal Club are preparing a special sightseeing map.

Apart from the meteorite and The Shower of Nymphs one of the Devin wonders is a cave where local enthusiasts have found the remains of ancient predators. The legends about mountain lions and the precursors of the brown bear have found proof in reality. Finds in the cave include 12 cm dog teeth and thick bones from cave bear, Ursus Spelaeus. More from Vladimir Solakov:

“Archeological digs in 2007 came across unique finds from the Mycenaean Age. A tourist itinerary is now offered along which tourists are acquainted with the life of local Thracian tribes and their concept about life after death. Another of the Devin wonders is the flower Haberlea rhodopensis that grows only here. Its other name is Immortal Flower. Another interesting site is the largest underground waterfall and the biggest cave chamber adapted for tourist visits in the Balkans, the Devil’s Throat. Routes take tourists to the peaks of Golyam Persenk (2191 m), Karlak (2188 m) and Persenk (2091). They represent the earliest mainland in the Balkans.”

Translated by Daniela Konstantinova

По публикацията работи: Rumyana Tsvetkova

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Devin’s eight wonders

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