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Melnik

Melnik

Melnik, Bulgaria’s smallest town (208 persons), lies nestled on the south slopes of Pirin, amidst bizarre sand pyramids. It is located in the Sandanski Municipality, Blagoevgrad county, 175 kilometers north of Sofia and barely 30 kilometers from the Greek border. Antiquity artifacts uncovered during archaeological excavations attest to the city’s centuries-old past.

The oldest documented accounts of the Melnik Fortress date from the early eleventh century. The Thracians, and more precisely the Thracian tribe Maedi, from whence the famous rebel Spartacus sprung, were the earliest residents on the land of present Melnik. A few years later, the Romans established a settlement on this site. This shows the historic Roman bridge that remains in the town of Melnik. The Slavs, who had settled on this land as a result, had named their village Melnik after the nearby sand pyramids. The term „mel“ derives from the Slavic word for white clay or crayon.

Melnik became the capital of an autonomous feudal principality in 1215, under the authority of Despot Alexius Slav. The remnants of his fortification are still visible today, close to the town.

In 1395, the Bulgarian territories, including Melnik, were annexed by the Ottoman Empire for five centuries. Melnik was under the Ottoman Empire’s boundaries until 1912.

The town was resurrected in the 18th century, during the period of the Bulgarian Revival. Melnik developed into a bustling, substantial town in terms of size and population, with a thriving market. Local merchants were selling their wares in Budapest, Vienna, Genoa, and Venice. Melnik also became recognized across Europe for its excellent wine, which it continues to be known for today.

The Rozhen Monastery, located 5 kilometers east of Melnik, was renowned as a hub of ecclesiastical activity in the area. It is the region’s biggest Orthodox monastery. The monastery has been quite well kept to the current day, and it attracts a large number of visitors from many nations each year. The monastery festival is celebrated on 8 September, and people from all around the area assemble to take part in the festivities.

Melnik was a significant administrative center under the Ottoman Dominion. There was a Turkish cantonment in the town, which carried out its administrative activities in the so-called Turkish town hall — at the time, the police station. This structure has been retained to the current day. It is located in the heart of Melnik, just across from the town library.

The most dramatic architectural monuments attesting to the town’s economic boom during that era also date from the Revival period. The Boyar’s House, which was formerly the home of Despot Alexius Slav, is one of the oldest structures on the Balkan Peninsula. It was set on fire and destroyed in the middle of the 13th century, but was repaired and rebuilt during the following centuries. It was partially destroyed at the end of the 17th century, but was completely rebuilt at the beginning of the 18th century, with the addition of an attic floor and a clock tower that lasted until the early twentieth century.

The Kordopulova House and the Pashova House are two further residences designated as Revival architectural monuments.

The Kordopulova House is our country’s biggest example of Bulgarian National Revival architecture. It was constructed in 1754 and was was the property of the wealthy Melnik family Kordopulovi, who were interested in wine manufacturing. The cellars, dug under and below the house, were utilized to prepare and develop the famed Melnik wine due to their consistent temperature and ventilation.

The Pashova House dates all the way back to 1815. Due to renovation operations, the home may only be seen from the outside.

Melnik is the smallest town in Bulgaria, with only 208 persons. It was formerly a known town with a population of 7-8 thousand individuals and over 1300 residential structures.

Another attraction is the ruins of the Metropolitan’s church „St. Nikola,“ which are located near the village of Melnik in the center section of the hill St. Nikola. Only the west wall and a few components of the church’s interior have been preserved.

The church (basilica) of St. Antonius is located in the town’s north-east section. It is a component of the Melnik cultural and historical reserve. It was constructed in 1765.

The Monastery „St. Virgin Mary Spileotisa“ is located on the eastern slopes of the St. Nikola hill, south of Melnik. It is one of the town’s most significant cultural and historical landmarks. The monastery was founded in the early 13th century on an inaccessible site by command of Despot Alexius Slav. Nowadays, the monastery is only partially operational.

The ruins of the church „St. Varvara“ are located under the Kordopulova residence in Melnik’s north-east section. Today, at the site of the ruins, one can discern a faint outline of the temple’s former grandeur and splendor.

Another noteworthy temple is the Metropolitan’s Church „St. Nikolas the Wonderworker,“ which is located in Melnik’s south-east section, close to the town’s center. It dates all the way back to the 13th century. Today, it is one of the town’s few operational churches.

Additionally, the churches of „St. Peter and St. Paul“ and „St. John the Baptist“ are worth seeing.

Near the town are the Melnik pyramids. They are a one-of-a-kind natural structure that draws travelers from all over the globe. It is believed that the current appearance of the pyramids is the result of erosion of the clay soil. The Melnik pyramids are a work in progress, and their look and form will change over time. Apart from the pyramid structure, the sand formations take the form of mushrooms, cones, and needles. The pyramids reach a height of 100 meters. The Melnik pyramids are characterized by their sandy slopes, which are completely vertical in certain places, and by the presence of broad-leaved plants and grass on their summits.

Melnik has been designated a natural and architectural reserve, and it receives thousands of visitors each year. The wine made by the distinctive Bulgarian brand Wide Melnik Vine is of exceptional quality, with aromas of ripe cherry and herbs, and undertones of tobacco and leather when aged in wood. It is one of the town’s and region’s main attractions, attracting a large number of fans from all over the globe. You may try it at many of the town’s vineyards and cellars. Melnik’s mix of superb wine and delectable local food makes it an ideal destination for gourmet and wine tourism, while also providing visitors with several fascinating sites. Accommodation options range from expensive hotels to small guesthouses.

Sights & Landmarks In Melnik

Melnik is a famous tourist attraction due to its unusual architecture and proximity to the adjacent Rozhen Monastery (about 6 kilometers northeast of Melnik). Additionally, the town has been known for its great wine production since at least 1346. Winston Churchill was apparently a fan of the local wine made from the cultivar Broad Leave Melnik Vine. Melnik’s location has recently seen a renaissance in grape cultivation and winemaking. Numerous new, contemporary wineries have been constructed and are now operating (Villa Melnik Winery, Sintica Winery, Orbelus, and others), producing high-quality wine from indigenous and foreign types.

The Byzantine House, one of the oldest civilian structures in the Balkans (built probably in the 12th or 13th century as a Bulgarian fortress), the Kordopulov House (named after the merchant Manolis Kordopulou), which also houses one of Melnik’s largest wine cellars, the Pashov House (1815), which houses the Melnik Historical Museum, and the Pasha’s House, which was built by Ibrahim Bey, one of the richest beys. St Nicholas (constructed in the 13th century), SS Peter and Paul (1840), St Nicholas the Thaumaturge (1756), and St Anthony are just a few of the town’s historic churches worth seeing.

The terrain around Melnik is noticeably eroded, notably the vast expanse of rock that serves as the town’s background. This region, which encompasses around 17 km2 and is located near Melnik, Kurlanovo, and Rozhen, is referred as as the Melnik Earth Pyramids or Melnik Badlands. The hills in this region may reach a height of 100 metres (330 feet). The unusual structures, which resemble huge mushrooms, old turrets, and obelisks, were created when the hills’ sand and clay were worn by intense rain.

Melnik Earth Pyramids

The Melnik Earth Pyramids are a popular natural phenomena that overlook the town from the north, in the Pirin Mountains’ foothills. Their height is around to 100m, and there are beautiful hiking routes that go to and through the strange formations. In 1960, the pyramids were designated a natural monument, and they are home to an abundance of plant and animals.

Rozhen Monastery

The Rozhen Monastery of the Mother of God is a medieval monastery located near Melnik in the Pirin Mountains. The monastery church was erected in the 16th century, however archaeological evidence indicates that habitation began as early as the mid-13th century and that certain structures date from the 13th or 14th centuries.

The monastery was devastated by fire in the late 17th century but was repaired in the early 18th century with the assistance of wealthy Bulgarians.

Worshippers from all around the globe gather here to pray for health and happiness before an icon dedicated to the Mother of God. Additionally, the monastery has well-preserved medieval paintings, stained-glass windows, and one-of-a-kind sculptures.

Yane Sandanski’s grave is located in the neighboring Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius. To reach here, either trek 3 kilometers through the pyramids from Melnik or take a quick ten-minute drive outside town.

Kordopulova House

The Kordopulova House is the finest example of a Renaissance mansion on the Balkan peninsula. It was constructed in 1754 for the benefit of a Greek wine merchant and his family. The property is situated in Melnik’s central business district and provides a wine sampling package in addition to the standard tourist ticket.

The historic architecture, stained glass, Venetian paintings, and wood carvings are all on display. Four stories are joined by seven stairwells. The living room is the house’s biggest space, with two levels of windows offering views in all directions.

Bolyarska House

The Bolyarska House, or Byzantine House, is a 13th-century medieval landmark. It was constructed as the tyrant Alexius Slav’s personal house and had a crucial strategic role in the fortification and town’s defenses. Many regard it as the first Byzantine structure in the Balkans.

It was a lavishly equipped edifice throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance eras, with marble floors, marble fountains, mosaiced walls and floors, and stained glass windows. Although the Bolyarska House was occupied until the early twentieth century, it is now simply a ruin. Archaeological investigations around the tower found a tiny 13th-century church and a water reservoir.

Wine Museum

After sampling Melnik wines in the wine cellar, visit the Wine Museum to produce your own bottle of wine to take home. Once the wine bottle is filled, corked, and wax sealed, you may label it with a date, names, or a photograph of loved ones.

A premium ticket to the wine museum includes a wine tasting straight from the museum’s barrels of wine. However, in addition to this one-of-a-kind experience, visitors may learn about Melnik’s winemaking traditions, inspect production tools and equipment, and view photographs documenting the region’s long history of winemaking.

History of Melnik

According to archaeological evidence, the area’s original settlers were the Thracian tribe Medi, who included the legendary rebel Spartacus. Centuries later, the Romans left the town with one of its most recognizable structures — the Ancient Roman bridge, which has been maintained. Later Slavs called the village Melnik for the sand deposits that surrounded it on all sides (the Bulgarian word мeл mel translates as „white clay, chalk“). Melnik became a part of the First Bulgarian Empire under Khan Presian I (836-852) and flourished throughout this time. Melnik became the seat of an autonomous feudal principality in 1209, controlled by Despot Alexius Slav, a descendant of the Asen dynasty. During his reign, Melnik saw an economic and cultural boom. Under Tsar Ivan Asen II, the town flourished due to duty-free commerce with Venetian-ruled Dubrovnik.

The Ottoman conquest of the Balkans in the 14th-15th centuries resulted in a long period of decline, but Melnik was once again a thriving town during the 17th and 18th centuries, during the period of the Bulgarian National Revival, due to tobacco and wine production, with wine exported primarily to England and Austria. Melnik was also a center of workmanship during that era, notably for church ornamentation and woodcarving. During that time period, Melnik saw the construction of several Bulgarian schools and churches.

Melnik was captured by the Imperial Russian Army during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878, but was returned to the Ottoman Empire under the terms of the Berlin Treaty. Until 1912, the town was known as Menlik (or Greek: Meleniko) in the Sanjak of Siroz. Melnik was eventually freed during the First Balkan War and reincorporated into Bulgaria. The town had 1300 buildings, 70 churches, and a population of over 20,000 people in the late 18th century, but was mainly devastated by fire. It has been renovated and rebuilt since then, but the present population of 400 is nothing like that of the early twentieth century, when it was mostly Greek, but also included Bulgarians, Turks, Vlachs, and Romani. Melnik is the setting for Yuri Trifonov’s short fiction „The World’s Smallest Town“ (1967). According to Vasil Kanchov’s statistics („Macedonia, Ethnography, and Statistics“), Melnik had a population of 2.650 Greek Christians, 950 Turkish Christians, 500 Bulgarian Christians, 200 Romani Christians, and 30 Vlach Christians in 1900.

At the conclusion of the Second Balkan War in 1913, the Greeks were evacuated from Melnik and relocated to Greece on the direct instructions of the Greek government; the order was issued when it became apparent that Melnik would be handed to Bulgaria. According to Bulgarian charges made to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, retreating Greeks robbed several Bulgarian stores and dwellings. The Greek population concentrated on Sidirokastro, with a smaller number settling in Serres and Thessaloniki.

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