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Central Southern Bulgaria >> Devin
It is 196 km south-east of the capital city, 46 km north-west of Smolyan, 57 km and 82 km south of Krichim and Pazardzhik respectively, and 40 km north-east of Dospat. The town is a well-known balneology resort.
History. As early as the Thracian period an ancient settlement and a sanctuary existed at that place. The ancient settlement was situated in the present boundaries of Selishte Area, on the left bank of Vucha River and was then called Diove. When the Slavs came, they gave it the name of Dyovlen, meaning most probably a small valley, narrow lowland. The village was desolated during the attempts to convert the Bulgarian population to Islam in 1666-1671. Some of the inhabitants of the old village moved to the Vlas’ huts, where they laid the foundations of the present town. A Medieval necropolis dating back to 13th-14th century was found in the centre of the town. The names of the surrounding localities and peaks prove that this land was populated by Bulgarians ever since. The most ancient document, which mentions the name of Devin, is of Turkish origin and represents a list of dzhelepkeshani (cattle breeders) in 1576. There are no other documents on the remote past of the settlement - most probably, they were destroyed during the two devastating fires, which burnt almost everything to ashes in 1904 and 1912. The town was under Turkish Rule until the year 1912. After 1912, many newcomers moved from the surrounding villages to Devin and thus they helped its economic growth. The town was named Dyovlen up to 1934. Present. There is no other town in Bulgaria and on the Balkan Peninsula with so many healing mineral springs. At the same time its microclimate is one of the healthiest climates at all – the rocky and green hills prevent the town from the strong and cold north-west winds, there is a great number of sunny days within the year, the winter is extremely mild, the summer is cool and there is not a single industrial polluter. The proximity of the beautiful coniferous forests, the rivers, exuberant in trout, the wild ghosts (a scene, quite seldom for the Rhodope Mountains) and last but least, the hospitality of the local mountain dwellers give a final touch to this favourable picture. All these predetermine the development of the town as an extremely promising balneology and mountainous resort of national and international significance. This resort is strongly popular in the Scandinavian countries. It has its balneology sanatorium and open-air mineral beach.
Landmarks: The Town Museum of History (40, Osvobozhdenie Street, in the central part of the town). St. Georgi Chapel dates back to 18th century (in the western part of the town, close to the stadium). St. Joan Rilski Church (10, Drouzhba Street, in the central part of the town).
Accommodation: Grebenets Hotel (2A, Drouzhba Str, in the central part of the town) is the largest hotel in Devin. Manolov Hotel (50, Osvobozhdenie Str, in the central part of the town). There are family type hotels in the town as well as private lodgings, available for tourists and visitors. There are also sufficient catering and entertainment facilities.
Tourist Information: Tourist Information Centre, 4800 Devin (5, Osvobozhdenie Street, tel.: 03041 4161, fax: 03041 3902). Orpheus Tourist Association (46, Osvobozhdenie Street, tel.: 03041 2751), as well as at the hotels.
Transport. The only public transport available in Devin is the bus transport. It has regular bus lines to Pazardzhik, Plovdiv, Krichim, Smolyan, Dospat, Gotse Delchev, Shiroka Luka, Pamporovo and other smaller villages within the region. The bus station is at the very entrance of the town, on the right bank of the river (24, Osvobozhdenie Street).
Surrounding areas. 22 km to the southeast is the Village of Shiroka Luka Architecture and Ethnographic Reserve (refer to the Rhodope Mountains related chapter herein). Only 8 km away from the town, in this same direction, are the Bedenski Mineral Baths - all the buses to Shiroka Luka, Smolyan and Pamporovo have stops there. 30 km south of Devin one can see a cluster of miracles of the Rhodope Mountain. Against the flow of the Vucha River one can reach the place where its two springs merge - Trigradska and Bouinovska Rivers. For million of years the two rivers had cut out some fantastic canyons, each of them "garnished" by a magnificent cave. The right tributary (viewed along the flow of the river) is the Trigradska River, which had deeply cut in the marble rocks the famous Trigrad Gorge, several kilometers long. Before entering it, the river falls into the Dyavolskoto Gurlo (Devil's Throat) - a fantastic cave, where, along the following 7000 meters, the water forms some 18 waterfalls and passing through the enormous Roaring Hall exits into the canyon. This miracle of nature is electrified and can be visited against a symbolic fee. 1.5 km south of the town is the Trigradski Skali Chalet and one can make a reservation at the Tourist Association in Devin. Visitors can use the regular bus line from Devin to the village of Trigrad, which has a bus stop close to the chalet. The other river, the Bouinovska, had created not the less beautiful Bouynovsko Gorge, and a little far above it, close to the cross-section to the village of Yagodina is the Yagodinska Cave, famous for its unique shapes - cave pearls and stony roses. The cave is electrified. For this tour, one can use the regular buses from Devin to the village of Yagodina. Within a 2-hour walk from the town of Devin against the flow of Devin River one can reach the ruins of the Kaoursko Kale - an old, inaccessible Bulgarian fortress (built in 8th-10th century), which remained unconquered for entire 40 days in the battles with the Ottoman invaders. From the kale the path goes along the entire gorge (15 km) passing close to the Minaretash - a vertical rock on the left bank of the river, with a diameter at its basement of 30 meters and some 150 meters height, and reaches the famous Kemerov Bridge. There are some fisheries and premises, and along the road passing there, one can reach the village of Borino or climb up the marked track to the Orpheus Chalet (about 2 hours). Devin serves as a starting point to other marked hiking tracks in the Velish-Videnish sub-part of the Western Rhodopes (refer to the Rhodope Mountains related chapter herein).
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Central Southern Bulgaria
Batak, Bratsigovo, Peroushtitsa, Pazardzhik, Koprivshtitsa, Sopot, Karlovo, Kalofer, Hissarya - spa resort, Plovdiv, Asenovgrad, Chepelare, Smolyan, Devin, Pavel Banya, Kazanluk, Stara Zagora, Chirpan, Dimitrovgrad, Haskovo, Kurdzhali | Southeastern Bulgaria
Svilengrad, Elhovo, Yambol, Sliven, Kotel, Karnobat, Aitos, Malko Turnovo | Northwestern Bulgaria
Berkovitza, Chiprovtzi, Belogradchik, Vidin, Kozlodui, Oriahovo, Montana, Vratsa, Mezdra, Botevgrad, Etropole, Yablanitza, Cherven bryag, Loukovit, Lom | Central Northern Bulgaria
Teteven, Troyan, Apriltzi, Lovech, Pleven, Nikopol, Svishtov, Pavlikeni, Sevlievo, Gabrovo, Tryavna, Dryanovo, Elena, Veliko Turnovo, Gorna Oryahovitsa, Byala, Rousse | Southwestern Bulgaria
Petrich, Sandanski, Gotse Delchev, Bansko ski resort, Razlog, Blagoevgrad, Doupnitsa, Samokov, Kyustendil, Pernik, Pirdop and Zlatitsa, Panagyurishte, Kostenets, Velingrad | Northeastern Bulgaria
Pliska, Shoumen, Veliki Preslav, Turgovishte, Razgrad, Toutrakan, Silistra, Dobrich, Provadia | Bulgarian Black Sea Coast
Shabla, Roussalka, Kavarna, Balchik, Albena, Zlatni Pyasutsi (GOLDEN SANDS), St. St. Konstantin and Elena, Varna, Kamchia, Obzor, Elenite, Slunchev Bryag (SUNNY BEACH), Nessebar, Pomorie, Bourgas, Sozopol, Dyuni, Primorsko, Kiten, Tsarevo, Ahtopol | Bulgarian Mountains
Rila, Rila Monastery, Borovetz, Malyovitza, Pirin, Melnik and The Rozhen Monastery, Shiligarnika, Stara Planina (The Balkan Mountain), KOM - Emine Route, The Rhodope Mountains, Pamporovo, Bachkovo Monastery, Shiroka Luka, Vitosha |
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