If you are looking for an unusual and interesting holiday destination, you might be willing to try Brezovo in Southern Bulgaria. This little-known small town is not among the popular tourist spots, but its residents are convinced that they also have something to show the world. You will see that this part of Bulgaria will find a place in your heart - because of the unexpected discoveries that await you there and the hospitality of the local people. According to official information, Brezovo was founded in the remote 1576. The first settlers were 20 families from Lyaskovets, North Bulgaria. They came as workers on a Turkish farm located near the present-day village of Streltsi. Until the beginning of the 1990s Brezovo was famous for its numerous herds of the spotted buffalo raised in the lush pastures. In fact, the name of Brezovo has nothing to do with the name of the birch tree, “breza” in Bulgarian, explains Radnyu Shopov from the Tourist Information Center in the heart of the small town:

"The village had the Turkish name of Abrashlare. It was named after this characteristic buffalo species, called „abrash“ in Turkish, or "brezi” buffalo in Bulgariаn - black with white spots on the forehead. This was how the name Brezovo came to life. Immediately after the Liberation of Bulgaria (1878) the Turkish name was replaced by the Bulgarian one. "

Since 1969, Brezovo enjoys the status of a town and has been the administrative centre of Brezovo Municipality. Agriculture remains the main livelihood of the local population. Traditionally, the oil-bearing rose is grown here. On the territory of the municipality in the village of Zelenikovo, one can find the largest rose-oil distillery in Bulgaria. There are also factories for processing sunflower as well as producing foie gras and goose down. The well-preserved building of the secular school is among the landmarks that make locals most proud:

"What’s interesting about it is that, unlike other villages, where a church was first built, locals here were thirsty for science and first of all - in 1837 - they established a school. This is the third secular school with four grades in the Bulgarian lands", says Radnyu Shopov.

In 1872, Bulgaria’s Apostle of Freedom, Vasil Levski, established the local revolutionary committee in this school. Right next to the school is the church of Saint Demetrius for which the tour guide explains:

"The church was built a little later - in 1843. It is a three-nave basilica. In order to build it, locals sent a request to the Sultan. A Bulgarian woman who converted to Islam helped a lot for obtaining the building permit. In the preserved documents we come across her name as Dona Hanum. The Sultan sent a firman authorizing the construction of the church. This document is still kept in Brezovo."

The church was richly decorated with wall-painted icons by masters from the Debar School of Iconography with donations by local wealthy families. The chandeliers, the crosses, the garments and everything necessary for the liturgical service was given by Bessarabian Bulgarians. But what is the connection of the Bessarabian Bulgarians with this region? Radnyu Shopov explains that many people have moved from here to Bessarabia (a historical and geographic area on the territory of Moldova and Ukraine). Only from the neighboring village of Choba in 1829, after yet another Russo-Turkish war, about 100 families went to Bessarabia, founding there the village of Banovka. Banovka is the birthplace of General Ivan Kolev - the future liberator of the region of Dobroudja during the First World War.

Not far from the centre of the town of Brezovo is the house in which in 1901 the remarkable artist with a complex life and creative destiny Zlatyu Boyadzhiev was born. In his youth, the artist's creative quests were mostly related to the classical and neo-classical style. In 1951, he suffered a brain stroke that paralyzed the right half of his body. After strenuous efforts the painter managed to recover physically and mentally, but his style got radically changed and he turned to impressionism. The house was restored by the municipality with the idea to become a museum. Later, however, it became privately owned and can only be seen from outside.

Among the other local attractions, especially attractive during the hot summer months is the quarry for brecciated marble located some 6 km from the town of Brezovo. Abandoned in 1994, the quarry has been filled with water with a deep blue color, changing its shades according to the light. At its bottom there are remnants of a tower crane with which the marble blocks once used to be lifted. The curiosity of lovers of antiquity will be ignited by the well-preserved network of antique roads in the area.

If you go to the village of Granit in the neighboring municipality of Bratya Daskalovi, you will also be able to see the oldest tree in Bulgaria - an oak dating to the first half of the 4^th century.

English Rossitsa Petcova