October 21 - Kardjali Public Holiday

Since 1937, every year on October 21 the town of Kardjali celebrates its official public holiday. On this day in 1912, the town was liberated from the Ottoman yoke. Kardjali is located in the very heart of the eastern Rhodope mountain, along the two banks of the Arda river, 100 km southeast of Plovdiv. 6000 years-old remains of human life as well as ample examples of the presence of Thracian, Roman, Byzantine, late-Ottoman and Bulgarian culture have been found on the territory of the town. After the town's liberation from the Ottoman rule in 1912, Kardjali became the "tobacco warehouse of the eastern Rhodopes", as some of the best quality tobaccos are grown on the special soils in the region. Landmarks of interest are the 11th-12th century Bulgarian basilica "St. John the Precursor", the Historical Museum, housed in a vast mosque-like building and containing superb collections from prehistoric ritual objects to ethnographic costumes and crafts. The two big dams on both sides of the town are excellent places for tourism, water sports and entertainment. Kardjali is the starting point for visits to the numerous rock formations in the region-the Stone Wedding and mushrooms, the Stone Forest, the Rock Widow, the Rocks at Ustra, and the medieval fortress of Perperek.