Bratanova Cave

The natural landmark Bratanova Cave is located 9 km northwest from the town of Malko Tarnovo, in the Trite Dereta region. Its name comes from the Turkish word “bratan” which means “branching”. The cave is the biggest one in the region of Strandja mountain. In one of its galleries, a big well-preserved urn in gray-black clay has been discovered. In another one, a coin treasure from IV century B.C. has been found, containing coins from the time of Philip II, Alexander the Great and Apolonia. Later on, a small bronze bracelet with snakes in its ends was discovered. The cave was declared a natural landmark in 1981 in order to preserve it as a place of high speleological and archeological value. Since it is a part of the Vitanovo reserve and is behind the border facility, it may only be accessed with a special permit and an accompanying person from the Border Police services, as well as a permit from the Ministry of Environment and Waters.