Ivaylovgrad Municipality

Ivaylovgrad municipality is located in the southeastern part of the Rhodope mountains near the border with Greece. During the 9th and 10th centuries, the place was famous as Lyutitsa. Today remnants may be seen of the fortress walls and towers that have protected the inhabitants of the Marble Town. After Bulgaria’s liberation from the Ottoman Yoke, the region found itself within the borders of the Turkish state. Shortly after the end of the Balkan War, the region was once again designated as Bulgarian territory. The cultural-historical heritage in the municipality is remarkable and dates from antiquity to Bulgarian National Revival the villa Armira, the dolmens near the villages Plevun and Zhelezino, the Atren’s Bridge. 26 churches are preserved from the 18th and 19th centuries as well as art monuments, traditional Rhodope houses in Ivaylovgrad itself and architectural and ethnographic compelxes in the villages of Mandritza, Dolno and Gorno Lukovo. Nature-worshippers will be drawn the the protected areas of Hambar dere, the kingdom of orchids in Dupkata and Likanya and the Meandrite na Byla Reka. Once the fishing season has opened for the summer, the easy to access places around the Ivaylovgrad dam turn into small camping places; picnics and panoramic boat-trips are on offer too. Ivaylovgrad is a wine-producing region with a tradition of vineyard cultivation. The Wine Cellar Yamantevi which used the latest equipment, organizes tasting sessions accompanied by lectures on the production process.