A colorful extravaganza, stone houses and stories from the past

A colorful extravaganza, stone houses and stories from the past – the magical Dolene

published on 4/16/25 9:50 AM

Photo: Veneta Nikolova

In the southwesternmost corner of Bulgaria, high in the Ograzhden Mountains, we find ourselves in a fairy-tale paradise – the magnetic village of Dolene. Everyone who comes here gasps in surprise, because the view is very unusual for most Bulgarian villages – mowed grass, gazebos for rest, artificial fountains, panoramic platforms and most of all flowers, a myriad of flowers, arranged in neat beds.

Dolene is like a hobbit village – cobblestone paths meander past terraced gardens, dotted with chrysanthemums, petunias, irises, begonias, etc. Here and there we see stone cottages or half-ruined walls, overgrown with ivy. ‎

We cross a wooden bridge, bent over a mountain stream, look at the nice rock garden with a small pond and reach the highest part of the village, where the old church of the Virgin Mary is perched. ‎Interestingly, the columns of the temple are also decorated with flowers. In addition, it has 12 images of pigeons in the form of drawings or small figurines.‎

And all this beauty is managed by one family. Some time ago, the entrepreneur Stefan Lipiyski decided to revive the depopulated village, using his own funds to hire people who restored some of the houses and planted the deserted terrain with an incredible variety of flowers. "This is about 120 acres of restored area from the 16th century and over 80 thousand flowers, arranged thematically. It represents a combination of history, botany, archaeology and ethnography," explains young Borislava Lipiyska and adds:

"The village was literally razed to the ground. There were only a few houses left. Our family is from there, all our roots. And we decided to preserve what our ancestors left. With the help of the municipality, we managed to create this place and present it in a slightly more interesting way. Currently, it has 4 permanent residents, but in the past there were about 4,000 people. The concept is as follows - the village should be preserved in its most authentic form, so that people can visit it and leave enriched in every way. But we do not offer overnight accommodation. There are an extremely large number of guest houses in neighboring villages that we work with and we recommend to guests."‎

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Watch the video report of Radio Bulgaria's Veneta Nikolova from the incredible village of Dolene in the Ograzhden Mountain.

In the past, the people of Dolene invented milk pipelines with clay pipes. Through them, milk from the high mountain pastures flowed down and reached the "Paprata" hamlet. Now, this place is home to the "House of Agriculture" for demonstrations of the technology in question. Tasting of dairy products produced in the village and freshly picked fruits and vegetables from the gardens are part of the attraction. ‎‎ The idea of the owners is to turn Dolene into an ethno village and a destination for festival tourism. In some places, open-air stages are set up where folklore groups or local amateurs are invited to present old ritual practices, such as the ritual of chasing away hail or gathering crabs on St. Todor's Day. ‎

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‎"We have several sectors that are open to visitors, such as the so-called "Sredorek" - the oldest area dating to the 16th century", explains Borislava Lipiyska. "We have archaeological remains from that time. Herbalists and medicine men lived there. We found a resident who is still engaged in herbalism and medicine. With his help, we are creating the "House of Herbs". There you will see how a medicine man lived, treatment methods from the past, extracts, tinctures and also herbal cuisine, which we are implementing."‎

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To save the village from an uncontrolled tourist influx during the busy months, the owners have introduced working hours and an entrance fee. ‎