Smolsko Dam – quiet beauty and magnetic charm amidst the curves of Ihtimanska Sredna Gora
- Stefan Ivanov
- Nov 21
- 5 min read
Where does autumn live?
I had come across individual photographs of the place that presented its magnetic autumn charm and its magical, quiet beauty.
The authors had managed to flawlessly and accurately convey its genuine charm, and with great passion I began to yearn to visit it, to walk in the silence, and to take pictures.
I didn't just want to visit it in any season! My desire was to come here in November – to come visit in the fall!
Ah, November!
November – comforting sadness, warm crimson and silent silence
November is the time when autumn holds its breath.
What a metaphor – "Autumn holds its breath!"
Nature has fallen silent, slowed down its rhythm, it is in tense anticipation – soon the first thicker snow will fall, which will last longer, soon the prolonged cold will set in and the white silent silence of winter will come.
If the golden October is noisy and active with its autumn winds and colorful changes, November, on the other hand, is silent and restrained. Everything has somehow frozen before the great change. Like a person who has fallen silent and held his breath so as not to disturb the silence or miss a moment.
In November, the final act of autumn occurs. She holds her breath before disappearing completely and handing over the baton to winter, showing her last most refined beauty.
November – silence, anticipation and a slow rhythm before the onset of winter. Silent crimson and a final chord. In it lives the silence that descends with the early twilight and wraps the world in a soft, warm blanket.
The sun, if it shows itself at all, is pale and low. Its rays do not burn, but caress – they illuminate the wet streets with a golden-amber glow and draw long, melancholic shadows. The wind is no longer playful, but piercing, but it carries the aroma of damp earth, smoldering leaves and smoke from chimneys, which invite you to coziness and warmth.
The charm of November is in its sincerity and the soft warmth of the treetops. The earth is covered with a carpet of rotten leaves that crunch underfoot as a memory of the past summer. Every mist that descends over the field looks like a fairy tale frozen in time, and the silence gives space to hear your own thoughts.
This is the month of the warm home hearth, of hot rosehip tea with honey and lemon, of thick knitted sweaters. There is a deep, but not sad, but comforting melancholy in it that prepares the soul for the snowy splendor of December.
November is the final, most mature note in the symphony of autumn that lives here – by the mirror of the Smolsko Dam in the middle of Ihtimanska Sredna Gora.
Smolsko Dam – quiet beauty and magnetic charm amidst the curves of Ihtimanska Sredna Gora
The dam is located somewhere in the middle between the villages of Petrich and Baylovo, northwest of Smolsko.
It is surrounded by the hills of Ihtimanska Sredna Gora.
Slender green pines and majestic deciduous trees cast reflections in the water mirror of "Smolsko".
Dozens of avid fishermen seek peace and find beauty near its waters. The waters of the dam are home to bigeye trout, trout, grass carp, carp and crucian carp.
Chapel "St. Petka"
Like a wonderful autumn postcard, a small chapel stands almost centrally on the western shore.
Its name is "St. Petka".
The place is extremely photogenic, which over the years has attracted dozens of photographers to capture that elusive silence that shares a home with autumn.
How to get to the village of Smolsko?
Smolsko is a picturesque and historic village located in the heart of Ihtimanska Sredna Gora, in the Municipality of Mirkovo, Sofia Region. It is located about 58 kilometers east of the center of Sofia, nestled on the slope of Mount Voinyag (about 950 meters high).
Smolsko is located:
58 kilometers (about 1 hour and 02 minutes by car) from the capital
118 kilometers (about 1 hour and 55 minutes by car) from the city of Plovdiv
474 kilometers (about 5 hours and 36 minutes by car) from the city of Varna
352 kilometers (about 3 hours and 45 minutes by car) from the city of Burgas
The village itself, with houses that in places are almost on top of each other, due to the large slope, which makes it similar to Veliko Tarnovo, is located at an altitude of about 650 meters. It is oriented in the east-northeast direction and offers a wonderful panorama of the Sashtinska Sredna Gora and the ridge of the Stara Planina.
Smolsko is known for its Revival architecture, which meets modern contemporary villas. The streets and alleys, especially in the upper hamlet, have a striking resemblance to those of the Koprivshtitsa Architectural and Historical Reserve.
The village lies above the right bank of the Smoleshka River.
There are roads and trails for hiking and mountain biking in the area. Smolsko is a starting point for nearby attractions such as the Smolsko Dam and the Kazanite Waterfalls - a natural phenomenon of five charming waterfalls on the Bererey River (near the village of Chavdar).
The history of Smolsko is rich and closely connected with the national liberation struggles. The village played an important role in the April epic of the summer of 1876. The craftsmen who made the cherry balls used by the rebels were from Smolsko. Some of the fighters in Georgi Benkovski's Hvyrkovata cheta were from Smolsko. During the Ottoman rule, the village was burned several times by Turkish penal units.
Cherry balls are still produced in the village today, as a symbol of its vibrant history.
In the past, the people of Smolsko were known as gifted craftsmen, especially carpenters and builders, which is why they were nicknamed the carpenters.
In the village, it is worth visiting the "Vedenie Bogorodichno" church, built in 1859 and included in the list of cultural monuments.
Smolsko is the native village of the prominent Bulgarian literary historian and folklorist, academician Petar Dinekov.
How to get to the Smolsko Dam?
The Smolsko Dam is located about 2 kilometers northwest of the village of Smolsko.
The dam itself, which is hidden in the middle of the Ihtimanska Sredna Gora forest, is reached by a wide and not bad black cart road.
If you have an all-terrain vehicle, it is possible to safely drive along the dirt road to the dam itself.
For everyone else, as well as for those who enjoy walking, I suggest leaving your cars at the location shown below.
At the location shown, there is a widening area along the road where several cars can easily park.
From there, you walk along the dirt road, which in about ten (up to a maximum of twenty) minutes will take you to the dam.
Literally before the dam itself, the dirt road branches off, and since the waters of the dam are not yet visible, as they are located in the low part, it is possible to get confused, so take the right fork.
And finally, my dear friends,
you shouldn't miss checking out
the special photo album with moments –
discovered, experienced, filmed and shared with you!
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