:: Welcome to Hotel Nic - sightseeing ::

***	HOTEL - RESTAURANT

Bulgaria, 4230 Asenovgrad, 6 Zachary Stoyanov Str.
tel.: +359 331 64 888, fax.: +359 331 64 999, mobile: +359 894 68 72 77, e-mail: reservation@hotel-nic.com

Sightseeing

Asenovgrad
Asenovgrad is one of the oldest towns in Bulgaria. It fascinates its visitors with the continual fresh coolness of the majestic Rhodopes, which shelter the town as if in their own fatherly arms.
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 5 monasteries. The biggest and the oldest monastery is the monastery of Bachkovo "The Assumption of the Holy Virgin". There is also: the "St. Martyr Nedelya", "St. Martyrs Kirik and Julita", "The Reverend Petka of Bulgaria" and the Krustova Gora "Lord's Cross".
The temple of "St. Holy Virgin - Assumption", also called "Mesihora", is the oldest one here.
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.
Here you can see many cultural monuments, to feel the beautiful nature, to visit some monasteries, churches and chapels, etc. You also can visit the unique Paleontological museum.
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".

Paleontological Museum
The Paleontological Museum is a unique museum for Bulgaria and probably for the Balkans as a whole. The museum was created on the base of the fossil collections, accumulated for several decades.
Especially attractive is the 4, 5 m high skeleton of Deinotherium, with 6, 8 m length and 10 t. weight. He is a representative of the biggest terrestrial mammals for all times. It is said that this is the only fully preserved Deinotherium in the world. The museum was opened in 1992. It has been impressing and will continue to impress all of its visitors.

The Monastery of Bachkovo
The Bachkovo Monastery is situated in the northern part of Central Rhodopes, in the Valley of River Asenitsa, 10 km away from the town of Asenovgrad. It was founded in 1083 by two brothers Georgians Grigoriy and Abbasiy Bakouriany.
The Bachkovo Monastery is the second largest monastery after the Rila Monastery.
In the middle of the yard the following churches are located: "The Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel" (from the 12th century) and "Saint Virgin Mary" built in the 17th century. One of the miraculous icons of Virgin Mary is preserved in the "Saint Virgin Mary" Church.
Here You can see a unique wall-paintings and incredible architectural ensembles.
Many worshippers and thousands of Bulgarian and foreign tourists visit the Bachkovo cloister. Pilgrims from all parts of the country come here on the two great religious holidays of the monastery - the patron saint's day or "The Assumption of the Holy Virgin" (15th August) and "Prepolovenie" (25 days after Easter).

"The Lord's Cross" Monastery (Also known as "Krastova Gora")
"Krastova Gora" is situated at a height of 1545 m above the sea level.
In the 30-ies of the past century pilgrims from the whole country started to come here, hoping to see the icon and to find healing in it.
In the end of the 80-ies of the past century, the local people initiated a subscription in order to collect funds for the construction of a new Orthodox church at "Krastova Gora". In the autumn of 1995 the building was finished.
In the following years, 12 new chapels were built near the temple with donations made by faithful Christians throughout the country.
It is said that no one ever leaves that place without a comfort in his heart. This is the only place where there is an all-night vigil and a mass carried out every Friday night, from early spring to late autumn.
A lot of Christians come here to pray for God's forgiveness and healing. It is believed that if a person stays there under the stars, be it for one night only and prays with true belief and love in his heart, he will gets the power to manage with all the hardships of life, i.e. his prayers will be heard.

Asen's Fortress
Asen's Fortress is situated 2 km away from Asenovgrad on a steep, rocky hillside, towering above the left bank of the Asenitsa River.
The most important and the most preserved building is the church "Saint Mary Petrichka" ("The Holy Virgin of Petrich"). Every single fresco, every single detail of this temple has engraved the past and tells about it in its own language.
This church dates back from the 12-th century. It is declared as a cultural monument with national importance.
Asen's Fortress is one of the most interesting and often visited medieval monuments in Bulgaria. It is a symbol of Bulgaria and it is woven into the town crest.
Today, the church "Saint Mary Petrichka" is a marvelous monument of the Old-Bulgarian architecture. Because of that a large number of tourists visit this beautiful fortress.

Created by TURBINO