Sredna Gora Travel Video Guide

Sredna Gora Travel Itinerary

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? So, proudly you may gaze
Unto the Sredna Gora, the forest's single queen,
And hear the ring of swords, and all this song can mean ?
- Pencho Slaveykov, The Song of the Blood

The Sredna Gora or "Central Highlands" stretch from the Pancharevo defile outside Sofia almost as far as Yambol on the Thracian plain. With its forests of oak and beech and numerous caves and hot springs, the region was inhabited by humans as early as the fifth millennium BC. The Thracians subsequently left a hoard of gold treasure at Panagyurishte (since moved to the National History Museum in Sofia), and the Romans a crop of ruins at Hisar , but for Bulgarians, the Sredna Gora is best known as the "land of the April Rising", which started in Koprivshtitsa . For tourists, too, this town is the region's highlight, its peerless National Revival architecture and pastoral beauty making it a must-see.

Lying roughly midway between Sofia and Plovdiv, the Sredna Gora is a popular excursion from both towns. During the summer, a daily bus service connects Sofia

with Koprivshtitsa, although there is a more frequent train service, running along the main line between Sofia and Burgas (a connecting bus meets services). Panagyurishte is served by buses from Sofia and trains from Plovdiv, while Hisar can be reached by bus from Karlovo in the Valley of the Roses, or by train from Plovdiv. However, buses running across the Sredna Gora range are few and far between, making travelling from Koprivshtitsa to Panagyurishte hugely inconvenient.

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