Contact us Български  History of Asenovgrad  Asen's Fortress  Natural landmarks and sightseeings  Religious Targets  Houses and Museums  Traditions and Holidays  Important events  Photogallery   Welcome in Asenovgrad! Asenovgrad Today The municipality of Asenovgrad occupies the southeastern part of the district of Plovdiv. It is situated in the western part of the Upper Thracian Valley, along the banks of the Asenitsa River, 169 km south-east of Sofia and 17 km south-east of Plovdiv. The municipality is located on an area of 611 962 dka and includes 29 settlements with 74 412 people living in them. Asenovgrad fascinates its visitors with the continual fresh coolness of the majestic Rhodopes, which shelter the town as if in their own fatherly arms. Here is the entrance of the most widely used passage through the Rhodopes, which connects Thracia with the Mediterranean area. Asenovgrad is known as "The Little Jerusalem" and also as "The Rhodopian Mount Athos". There are 11 churches and 53 chapels in the town. In its surroundings one can come across 4 monasteries. The biggest and the oldest monastery is the monastery of Bachkovo "The Assumption of the Holy Virgin". The "St. Martyr Nedelya" monastery, near the village of Zlatovrach, is the only one built in the fields during the Ottoman yoke. Another monastery near the Gorno Voden neighbourhood is "St. Martyrs Kirik and Julita". The only convent under the name of "The Reverend Petka of Bulgaria" is above the town. The temple of "St. Holy Virgin - Assumption", also called "Mesihora", is the oldest one here. One of the miraculous icons of Virgin Mary is in that church. There is a miraculous icon in the "St. Holy Mother Annunciation" church as well. According to the belief, Virgin Mary protects the town of Asenovgrad. There are religious festivities (called "lityini fests") which are held twice a year. A similar tradition has been preserved only in Ephes and Tsarigrad. Asenovgrad and the surroundings have 36 churches and 198 chapels. The town has the potential to become a tourist centre, because of the large number of its cultural monuments and its beautiful nature. There are many religious targets here. Here one can see the unique Paleontological Museum and many other historical and Ethnographical objects. The basic types of tourism in Asenovgrad are the following: · Religious tourism · Culture tourism · Science-cognitive tourism The climate and the natural conditions favour not only the tourist development, but also the industrial, trade and agricultural development. Asenovgrad often becomes a center of various artistic and cultural activities: concerts, theatrical performances, art exhibitions, seminars, different meetings, etc. Traditional cultural activities are: · "Triffon Zarezan" - the competition of the best home-made wines in the area; · "A week of culture" which includes the feast of Asenovgrad (the end of May). Today the centre of the town has been renovated and there one can come across many wedding shops. A lot of people know Asenovgrad as the "town of wedding dresses".   Change USD    1.248060 CHF    1.215930 EUR    1.955830 Weather   Copyright © 2004-2005 Asenovgrad.info