Bulgaria - Off the beaten track

Located on the Balkan peninsula with borders to Greece, Romania, Turkey, Macedonia, and Serbia, Bulgaria is a country of rich history. From Thracian tombs to orthodox cathedrals and communist-era memorial buildings – you will find it all in a small country. Today Bulgaria is a member of the European Union, mostly known for its coastal areas along the Black Sea. I, however, had the chance to visit slightly more unknown places (unknown at least outside of Bulgaria). From Sofia to sites like Belogradchik, Shipka, and Troyan in the Balkans to Bachkovo in the Rhodopes and into the Rila Mountains toward its famous 7 Lakes. These photos are from my first visit to this stunning country in 2018.
For more photos from the southern Bulgarian mountain regions of the Rhodope and Pirin mountains, have a look at my Rhodopean Explorer gallery.
Find the story of the Bulgaria - Off the beaten track adventure unfold on my blog

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Arch of Freedom Monument

Beklemento Pass, Beli Osam, Lovech, Bulgaria Not before long we hit the road again, this time our way leads us up to Beklemento Pass, the highest point of the Troyan-Karnara Pass with 1630 meters in altitude. Here we find the Freedom Arc, a 34 meter high monument in memory of not only the battle of Beklemento-Pass during the Russo-Turkish war of 1877/1878 but also the resistance against the alliance with the Nazis during the second world war. In the early 1940s, when it looked like Hitler might conquer the world, Bulgaria became an ally of the Nazi regime. But in 1944 the cards had turned and – as a result of the Yalta conference – Russia invaded Bulgaria. The monument was designed by a team around Georgi Stoilov and opened in 1980. The arc is decorated with statues of Russian soldiers and Bulgarian women/girls welcoming the soldiers with bread and salt, according to the Bulgarian traditions. Today the monument belongs to those reminders of the communist era that are almost forgotten, its ethereal flame has been extinct for years. uuid="E3FB768E-A73F-45EB-A723-047EA0FB504B" id="Bulgaria lilleulven.com _K3_2794.DNG Bulgaria lilleulven.com"

Arch Freedom monument Bulgaria Lovech Beli Osam www.LilleUlven.com 20180616 191030 Arch of Freedom Monument BG BGR Balkan Beklemento Pass Beli Osam Central Balkan Europe Georgi Stoilov Lovech Province Oblast Lovech Region Republic of Bulgaria architect architectural style architecture building clouded sky clouds communist design concrete structure culture decor detail element environment evening evening light event genre high mountains landscape light mountain top nature outside pass phototour season section of building sky spring statue sunlight top travel travel photography triumphal arch Област Ловеч