Here with Kalofer, Alton Kalofer – the pearl of the Stremska Valley
Kalofer is located almost in the ideal center of Bulgaria, which makes it an extremely convenient destination to visit from any part of the country. There is a lot to see here - starting from the rich history and cultural heritage to the beautiful nature of the Stara Planina Mountains.
Around Kalofer there are also a huge number of attractions located in the nearby villages: Karlovo (17 km), Sopot (22 km), Hisarya (30 km), Starosel (50 km), AIR Svezhen (33 km), Kazanlak (39 km), Plovdiv (65 km), Zlatitsa (80 km), and Koprivshtitsa (72 km).
Kalofer is located on the southern slopes of the Stara Planina Mountain, at an altitude of 625 meters above sea level. It occupies an area of 134 hectares.
Kalofer emerged as a new town in the mid-16th century. The first records in manuscripts and old printed books mentioning the name of the settlement date back to that time. Its creation is associated with a legend, shrouded in heroism and romance, and associated with the inaccessible centuries-old forests through which the company of Kalifer the Voivode wandered.
Economic prosperity, relative political independence and, above all, the hardworking, honest and hardworking people of Kalofer turned their city into one of the centers of the Bulgarian National Revival.
Over the following centuries, Kalofer grew as an important cultural and commercial center.
In the mid-19th century, the village was relatively wealthy, which is why it was called Alton Kalofer, which means Golden Kalofer, and was known as the pearl of the Strem Valley, with most of its inhabitants engaged in the production of shayak, there were several larger merchants, and many Kalofer residents worked in Constantinople as abadjii. According to testimonies of American missionaries who visited the town in 1861, it had 7,500 inhabitants, all Bulgarians.
Kalofer experienced a real economic boom in the 19th century, when it established itself as a center for braiding and abadi making, and one of the centers of rose production in the Karlovy Vary region. Some of the most prominent merchants and craftsmen in Constantinople, Odessa, Bucharest and Vienna were from Kalofer. The wealthy families Tapchileshtov, Toshkovich, Zolotovich spread the fame of the small Balkan town.
When the next morning I looked from the south at the lovely Kalofer in the splendor of full sunlight, surrounded by the clearest blue radiant sky, with beautiful houses facing the pass and amphitheatrically located and overgrown with vines and fruit trees, and with high methos and churches with radiant domes - it seemed to me that I was looking at an Italian town.
Felix Kanitz
The increased material well-being of the population and the generous donations of Kalofer merchants and craftsmen allowed the allocation of significant funds for the development of education. The town became the cradle of new Bulgarian education.
Its undisputed fame as one of the centers of enlightenment is associated with the name of the great man of letters, brilliant translator and author of textbooks - Botyo Petkov. His was the initiative for the construction of the new Male Class School, which remained in history as the Daskal Botyo School (currently the Museum of Educational Art).
Teacher Botya stood above all the Kalofer people there, and almost all the teachers who had been there before. What's more: at that time there were rarely any teachers like him in the whole of Bulgaria.
On July 26, 1877, during the Scary, the town nicknamed Alton Kalofer, also called the pearl of the Strem Valley, was completely burned down and razed to the ground. 618 people were mercilessly slaughtered, and in the following months a total of 1,100 people died from cold, hunger and epidemics.
The forest vegetation has mercifully hidden the traces, which can still be found here and there. With each fire, people with joint efforts rebuild everything anew, carrying stones with their own hands, working at night. They usually started from the church or monastery. Over time, the people of Kalofer have developed survival mechanisms and have developed tenacity, which are characteristic of the people of this town to this day.
On the eve of the Liberation, Kalofer is a thriving town with 5-6 thousand inhabitants.
Survivors of the atrocities of the enslavers and the horrors of war return to find their hometown in ruins. And once again, the indomitable Bulgarian spirit helps them build a new city from the ashes.
But before they build their homes, the people of Kalofer are rebuilding their school and churches, because they know that spirituality is the strength that will sustain them through all their trials in the future.
The Church of St. Athanasius the Great is located near the city center. It is the only church in Kalofer, located on the right bank (south) of the Tundzha River.
The church rises on a hill, from which a dizzying panorama of the Balkans opens, and wide stone steps lead to it.
Kalofer is known not only for its nature, but also for its beautiful churches and monasteries. A small street leads to the Virgin Monastery, the successor of four convents, where the first Bulgarian teacher Anastasia Dimitrova received her monastic education. The male monastery has been operating since 1640, and the female one since 1700. Both monasteries, despite their numerous fires, are open to visitors.
In Kalofer, typical Bulgarian crafts and traditions have been well preserved over the years. Visiting the workshops for knitting the famous Kalofer lace abroad and weaving the traditional village rugs and kitenics are some of the attractions in the area. The production of souvenirs, copper attributes, barrels and wine vats, beautifully engraved knives, as well as the typical Bulgarian dishes of the hosts will leave the visitor with unforgettable memories of this region.
Most local residents are engaged in the cultivation of oil-bearing roses, which are used to produce rose oil.
The town has preserved many traditional crafts: teakwood weaving, bagpipe making, rose production. The skilled Kalofer women still weave beautiful kitenicis, rugs and carpets.
The greatest fame of the city after the Liberation was brought by a craft brought from abroad, but developed and transformed into a distinctive Bulgarian art – Kalofer lace. Called white magic, it is one of the finest women's needlework, preserved to this day, which in the past provided a livelihood for Kalofer women.
After Kalofer was burned down during the Dark Ages, the lace that the women of Kalofer made became their main means of livelihood.
In 1910, the first and only Lace School "Trudolyubie" was opened in Kalofer. About 1,800 women and girls completed the two-year training course there. In this school, they gained knowledge and skills in creating shuttle-type lace.
In Bulgarian history, Kalofer forever remains connected to its greatest son, Hristo Botev - a brilliant poet and voivode, a brilliant publicist, one of the leaders of the Bulgarian national liberation movement.
Hristo Botyov Petkov was born on January 6, 1848 (new style, December 25, 1847 old style) in one of the rooms of the old male monastery school, located near the Bulgarian National Revival church "Holy Assumption of the Virgin Mary" in the center of Kalofer.
His father was the famous teacher Botyo Petkov, and his mother was Ivanka Boteva, who contemporaries say was famous for her beauty, pride, and strong spirit.
Kalofer is home to the Hristo Botev National Museum, part of the Hundred National Tourist Sites of the Bulgarian Tourist Union.
Around the city are the meadows of Chafadaritsa and the ravines of Dzhendema, Kupena and the Tundzha Rivers, the White River with waterfalls and the four-century-old Kalofer Monastery, which has preserved the stronghold of the Bulgarian religious spirit.
The city is an important point for many routes in the area of the Central Balkan National Park - to the "Rai" hut, Botev Peak, the "Raisko Praskalo" waterfall, as well as to the "Dzhendema" reserve and many more routes.
The "White River" eco-trail was specially built for tourists, which begins shortly after the Men's Monastery and passes through some of the most beautiful and picturesque areas through the safer part of "Djendema".
From mid-May, tourists are offered participation in rose picking, welcoming the Rose Festival, as well as a walk in a rose distillery, tasting rose jam, syrup and rose brandy.
Since 1999, on August 15, an annual "Kalofer Lace Festival" - "Top Hat under the Plane Tree" has been held.
How to get to the town of Kalofer?
Kalofer is a town in Karlovo Municipality, Plovdiv District.
It is located in South Central Bulgaria near the Sub-Balkan Road*.
*The Republican Road I-6, also known as the Sub-Balkan Road, is a first-class road of the Republican Road Network of Bulgaria with a west-east direction, passing through the territory of nine districts: Kyustendil, Pernik, Sofia Region, Sofia, Plovdiv, Stara Zagora, Sliven, Yambol and Burgas.
Its total length is 508.5 km, making it the longest republican road in Bulgaria.
Kalofer is located at the foot of the southern slopes of the Stara Planina Mountain.
Kalofer is located:
156 kilometers (about 2 hours and 16 minutes by car) from the capital
66 kilometers (about 1 hour by car) from the city of Plovdiv
330 kilometers (about 4 hours and 17 minutes by car) from the city of Varna
230 kilometers (about 2 hours and 30 minutes by car) from the city of Burgas
17 kilometers (about 17 minutes by car) from the city of Karlovo
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