Ayazmo Park

According to the legend, during the rule of Knyaz Boris I, the Stara Zagora Region was ruled by Knyaz Tsolyu, who had a daughter – Tsvetana. Unfortunately, Tsvetana got ill and Knyaz Tsolyu agreed that she be taken care of by Christian medical men who were his prisoners-of-war. “They baptized her in the Ayazmo holy spring and named her Theodora. Following this baptism she was miraculously cured. The shrine turned into a Christian church. According to the survey of Metropolitan Methody Koussev, Knyaz Boris I was baptized on the Ayazmo and this launched the adoption of Christianity as an official religion in Bulgaria. Metropolitan Methody Koussev initiated the establishment of the Park in 1895. He organised the first planting campaigns and turned the almost bare and eroded hill into a marvellous arboretum, containing tree species unique for Bulgaria. He imported many of the plants from Lebanon, Turkey, Greece, Spain, Italy, etc. He coupled this with an irrigation scheme and built also a small church on the top. The Ayazmo Park received its name, which means holy spring, from the Bulgarian Christian population. From the very beginning the citizens collaborated in the creation of the park and many people volunteered over the years in planting and maintaining.