The population of the city of Melnik is 250 people (!!!)
Location of the city of Melnik
Melnik is located 26 km south of Sandanski.
You can get to the city of Melnik by bus from Sofia, Sandanski, Blagoevgrad and Petrich.
The telephone code of the city is 07437
Description of the city of Melnik
Melnik is the smallest town in Bulgaria. The town is nestled in the sunniest corner of the Pirin Mountains, among the outlandish sand pyramids (chalks) and is considered one of the most picturesque places on the Balkan Peninsula. Against the backdrop of yellow mountains overgrown with ancient forests, neat houses, kyshts and mehans seem like toys. The city leaves one of the brightest and warmest memories of Bulgaria.
History of Melnik
Melnik was founded on the site of an ancient Thracian settlement, which was later expanded and strengthened by the Roman emperor Trajan. The period of the highest prosperity the city experienced in the Middle Ages, when Bulgaria was under the rule of Byzantium. The Byzantine authorities exiled dignitaries who fell into disfavor here. In the Middle Ages, the city was famous for the production and sale of wines. Melnik grew during the National Revival, but was badly damaged during a fire in 1912.
Sights in Melnik
The town is an integral architectural ensemble. At the bus station at the entrance to Melnik, an 800-year-old plane tree grows.
In ancient houses there are kyshty and mehans. The former Turkish prison is now a hotel. Its owner is a hospitable person, speaks excellent Russian (he lived in Moscow for 10 years), a great connoisseur of the history of Melnik and its environs, and an excellent guide.
In the gallery "Khadzhistyananovi" tourists are met by the spouses Elena and Yane Kamenarova, who not only paint icons and paintings, but also play folk musical instruments, sing Rhodope songs. Their folklore ensemble "Leb and Vino" is very popular among the guests of Melnik.
The town has a Historical Museum with a rich ethnographic collection. It is located in the house of Kordopulova kyshta (Kordopulova kyshta, 1754, 0 daily 8.00-20.00). This is the largest of the medieval buildings that have survived to this day in the Balkans. Here you can get acquainted with the life of merchants of the XIX century. The stained glass windows are of particular interest. Up to 300 tons of wine were previously stored in underground galleries, the length of which reaches several kilometers.
Melnik wine can also be called a kind of landmark of the city. It can be tasted in numerous wineries. For more than a thousand years, wine from Melnik has been exported to Western and Central Europe. The wine is made from the so-called "wide miller's vine". This grape variety came to Bulgaria from Syria in the 16th century. and grows only in this region. The wine is thick, they say, “you can take it with you in a scarf.” However, it is produced without preservatives, so it is not stored for a long time.
On the top of the mountain hanging over the city, the ruins of the early Christian monastery of St. Nikola and the fortress of the ruler Slava, which defended Melnik from the Byzantines in 1217, have been preserved.
From Melnik there is a picturesque road to the Rozhen Monastery (about 2 hours on foot). This walk among the forest and rocks will leave a lasting impression. However, be careful. The path is very narrow in places, so you just have to squeeze into the rocks to get through it.
The smallest city in Bulgaria is Melnik. It is also a museum city. The name comes from the word chalk - the white clay from which the rocks surrounding the town are made - beautiful light pyramids.
Despite the fact that Melnik consists of only one large street and no more than 190 people live here, one day is not enough to fully explore it. The fact is that Melnik is full of hotels, restaurants, several museums and churches, as well as an entire fortress. Which is located high above the city and is constantly confused with the “Byzantine House”. I would recommend devoting at least two, or even three days to Melnik to calmly explore all the surrounding areas and restaurants, soak in the rich history of this place and breathe in the crystal air of these mountains.
Walls of the "Byzantine House" The so-called "Byzantine House", which is sometimes mistakenly called a fortress Melnishka, presumably built in the 12th-13th centuries. Believed to have done it Despot Alexy Slav. Therefore this house is also called " Slavova kashta". In the 18th century, a clock tower was built next to this house. Today, only the western and southern walls remain of the house, and around it are the remains of a medieval castle.
Western wall of the "Byzantine House" Melnik is located in the Blagoevgrad region, just 22 kilometers from Sandanski. It is 180 kilometers from Sofia (by road).
It has a transitional Mediterranean climate, so it is almost always warm, much warmer than the rest of Bulgaria. Nearby, in the area, kiwis, pomegranates and persimmons grow. 
The city is located in a kind of gorge on both sides of Melnishkata river(a tributary of the Struma) is the same dry ditch that is visible in the photographs 🙂 The height above sea level is 437 meters.
It is generally accepted that a guard fortress was built in this area in 864 before the city ( Slavova/Melnishka), guarding the southern Bulgarian borders. We didn’t go up there, because it requires not only enough time, but also strength, as well as a guide.
The first mentions of Melnik in written sources appear in the 11th century in connection with its inclusion within the Byzantine Empire.
In the 12th century, reviews from travelers already appeared that Melnik was a large famous city. In 1252, the future Byzantine emperor Michael Palaiologos ruled in Melnik. In the 14th century, Melnik was under the rule of the Serbian ruler Stefan Dusan for 15 years. Otherwise, Melnik is considered a Greek settlement.
Melnik came under Ottoman rule in 1395 and life in it began to fade. However, at the end of the 18th century, the city was revived again due to vigorous cultural and educational activities.
Winemaking and tobacco cultivation have always been practiced here, and all this was supplied even to Western Europe. The most famous merchant at that time was Cordopolous. His house is shown to tourists as the main attraction - because they sell wine there after a mini tasting. I will write about him again.
There were 70 churches, four schools (now none), and in the surrounding area there were 4 monasteries.
According to Viktor Grigorovich, in 1845 the residents of Melnik spoke Greek well; there were 2 Greek schools and even one Greek printing house in the city.
In 1862 there were 1,200 houses in Melnik. According to Greek data, in 1878, 3,600 Greeks lived in the city, other sources reported that in 1873, 650 Muslims, 2,000 Bulgarians and 560 Greeks lived here. Whatever one may say, much more than now. I asked local residents if there were children in the modern city and where they studied - they told me that there were very few and that they studied in a neighboring village.
Statistics from 1900 have already provided new data: the population of Melnik is 4333 people, of which 500 are Bulgarians, 950 are Turks, 2,650 are Greeks, 30 are Vlachs and 200 are Gypsies.
Melnik was liberated from the Ottoman yoke in 1912. By the way, myself! After the conclusion of the Treaty of Bucharest, according to which Melnik became Bulgarian, the Greek population almost completely left the city.
By 1916, in a city of 2,000 houses, only 200 remained intact. The rest were burned as a result of partisan wars or simply collapsed after they were abandoned by residents who moved to other places.
In 1968 Melnik was declared a museum ( reserve) and since then it has gradually been put in order to please tourists. In addition to tourism, the population here is engaged in winemaking. One of the most famous varieties here is “Shiroka Melnishka lyka”. You can try and buy the wine you like in any wine hut or in a wine museum (I will write about it separately).
And although they say that the wines produced in this region are the sweetest of the Bulgarian ones, for my taste it is still sour and, to be honest, I didn’t really like anything. But we bought “Shiroka Lyka” because it smelled pleasantly of black currants.
The smallest city in Bulgaria is the city of Melnik. It is located in the southwest of Bulgaria in the Petrichevsky district of the Blagoevgrad region. From the city of Sandanski, where Christopher and I lived, it is only 23 kilometers.
My first visit to the town of Melnik was a surprise for me. My husband said that we were going on an excursion, but he didn’t say where.
The road from the main highway went in a westerly direction and passed through hilly terrain with wooded islands and green lawns.
And finally, the first houses of the city appeared.
Melnik town
In the beginning, these are stand-alone hotels with amazing Bulgarian architecture, modern, bright and beautiful. Then we entered a narrow street of the city, paved with stone. This was the museum of the city of Melnik.
The unique architecture of Melnik
A tiny river flows in the middle of the street, across which here and there there are wooden bridges connecting both sides of the street. Along the street there are small hotels with balconies in a dense formation, Russian, German, and English speech can be heard everywhere. Hotel prices are quite reasonable.
Hotel Tony and my guests
On the ground floors of the hotels there are shops with souvenirs, figurines, watercolors, Bulgarian lace products and other interesting things, as well as honey, jam and wines.
Street shops and cafes
The most interesting thing about my first visit was the wine tasting. There were tables lined up right at the edge of the road with wine and invitations to try them.
Cafe where the tasting took place
I tried the Bulgarian wine “Stary Melnik” back in Russia and now I have the opportunity to try this wine from the producer.
Actually, I don’t drink wine, Christopher doesn’t drink at all, but it was impossible to refuse the persistent offer to try wine. I took a sip of the thick dark red tart wine and a warm wave went through my entire body. The owner of the wine shop sensed my condition and invited me inside to the wine shop.
There was a whole collection of wines on display, red, white, and rose, and they were all of different varieties: sweet, semi-sweet, dry, semi-dry. I also tried white wine. It seemed to me that this wine was even better and stronger than before. This is where my tasting ended.
The attraction of the city is its architecture of a special Bulgarian style, steep mountains of white rocks, as if consisting of sand, but in fact they consist of a sand-clay mixture, which over time, under the influence of wind, sun and water, turned into rock. The city is surrounded on all sides by these rocks, in the form of pyramids.
Pyramid rocks in Melnik
The town of Melnik is a kind of open-air museum.
Rocks and houses of Melnik
The town of Melnik is known to everyone for its delicious wines. Heart patients drink one or two spoons of Melnik red wine as a medicine that strengthens the heart muscle.
According to tradition, when drinking Bulgarian wine, you need to leave it at the bottom of the bowl and then pour the rest onto the ground. In order for the earth to bear fruit and grapes again and again, wine was produced and this cycle did not end. And the man who did not finish a few drops of wine returned to these places again and again.
House of Kordopulovs
There is a house in the city built in the mid-18th century - this is a real landmark of the city. This is the largest house not only in Bulgaria, but also on the entire Balkan Peninsula. The Kordopulov merchant family lived here. This house is still residential. You can also taste wine here.
It was Manon Kordopulov who received world recognition and fame for his wine at a fair in Paris at the end of the 19th century. The house has a huge cellar, dug into a rock tunnel, equipped with special ventilation that allows you to store wine for a long time; in the cellar you can see a huge barrel with a capacity of more than 12 tons.
We went to the city of Melnik several times, with all our guests. They were all surprised by the size of the plane tree that grew on the main street and spoke of the antiquity of the city.
Huge plane tree
Opposite the plane tree there are wonderful cafes that serve excellent caramel ice cream in clay pots.
But we visited this establishment “Mehana Loznitsy” often.
) is located away from the main roads, in a mountain valley, among hills with sandy peaks.
City `s history
Melnik was once the capital of an independent principality, as well as a well-known center for winemaking in the region, but today it is a quiet and peaceful town with a small population.
Of course, Melnik remains an attraction for many tourists who come to the region for the bizarre rocks and also to taste the local wine still produced in the region. Wine in Melnik began to be produced starting from the 13th century. It was the main export product of the city, which, through the port of Dubrovnik, was distributed to many Mediterranean countries.
During this period of the city's history, despot Aleksey Slav made Melnik the capital of an independent principality, and also began the construction of several city churches and monasteries in the vicinity of the city.
After Bulgaria became part of ottoman empire the period of economic decline of Melnik began, but in the 19th century, thanks to the activity of the Greek colonists of the city, who successfully traded wine and tobacco, Melnik again experienced an era of growth and prosperity. However, during the Second Balkan War in 1913, the city was badly damaged, and the Greek population left the city.
The city's attractions
Today the city is considered the smallest city in Bulgaria. Most of the attractions of Melnik are located in the city center. Historical Museum of the city is located in the Pashovt Kushta mansion. In this house, where in 1912 Jan Sandanski proclaimed the liberation of Melnik from Turkish rule. In this museum, you can see local wine jugs, regional costumes, as well as old photographs.
On the other side of the city you can see Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, whose construction dates back to the 18th century.
Melnik on the map
Located in southwestern Bulgaria, in a mountainous region. The climate here is very warm, Mediterranean - a real paradise for vineyards. Red dry wine from Melnik will pleasantly surprise you with rich taste and delicate aroma. Winemaking has been flourishing here for more than one century. Secrets are passed down from father to son, from grandfather to grandchildren...
But Melnik is famous not only for its liquid gold - wine.
Melnik can rightly be called a city-museum. Its history is so rich that it can compete with major European cities. The miller was either within the borders of the Byzantine Empire, then the Nicaean state, then it was part of the Bulgarian kingdom. And under the ruler of despot Alexy Slava, it was even the capital of an independent feudal principality.
Unfortunately, there is no exact data on the time of the formation of Melnik, presumably this is the 9th century. It was then that a fortress was founded here to protect the border between Bulgaria and Byzantium after they concluded an agreement in 864. The first written mention of Melnik dates back to the 11th century.
On the way to Melnik you are accompanied by very pleasant and pleasing landscapes.Panorama of the Slavyanka Mountains (the old name is Ali Botush).
The unique location of Melnik lies in the fact that it is surrounded by chalk pyramids. Presumably, this is where the name of the city comes from - from the Old Slavonic word "chalk", that is, white clay.
At the entrance to the city.
A friend in the back of a Samoyed car is one of the inhabitants of Melnik. We had the pleasure of meeting him and his master in person in one of the town's mehanas.
On the way to Melnik.
Cretaceous pyramids, or rocks, surround the city from all sides. But because of their sandy color, they do not depress you. However, it was thanks to the pyramids that Melnik in the past has always been a well-fortified fortress on the southern borders of Bulgaria.
The pyramids were declared a natural landmark in 1960. Presumably, they were formed as a result of the erosion of clay soils. It is noted that the pyramids are in the process of formation and their appearance and shape are constantly changing under the influence of natural factors.
In places, the slopes of the pyramids are almost sheer, their height can reach 100 meters. However, trees, grass and livestock graze on the tops of the pyramids.
And the presence of an ancient Roman bridge in Melnik suggests that the city has always been in a strategic place, and important military and trade routes ran through it.
And today, above Melnik on the hill of St. Nicholas, you can see the remains of the once majestic Slavova fortress. Unfortunately, it was not destined to survive to this day.
Despot Alexy Slav, whose name the fortress was named, conquered Melnik at the beginning of the 13th century and moved his capital here. During his reign, the city experienced an economic and cultural flourishing.
Today, among the ruins of the Slavova Fortress, you can only see butterflies...
Yes turtles...
Or these cute Christmas trees.
Meanwhile, the oldest Byzantine house in the Balkans is also located in Melnik and is known as Bolyarska kashta (kashta - Russian house). It was built in the 13th century under Alexis Slava as his residence and as part of the Slavova Fortress, it was located in a strategic defensive position.
Later, the house was rebuilt several times. During the Renaissance, it was the richest building in Melnik - with marble floors, statues, fountains, mosaics and stained glass windows. And during excavations, archaeologists discovered a reservoir and a small church from the beginning of the 13th century.
Moreover, it is known that until the beginning of the 20th century the house was inhabited. However, we are left with only impressive ruins.
Melnik is famous for its Greek-style houses. The reason is simple - the bulk of the population in Melnik was Greek. At the beginning of the twentieth century, after the liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman yoke, the Greeks returned to their historical homeland. In their place come the Bulgarians from Aegean Macedonia (Thessaloniki, Drama).
As a legacy, the Greeks left Melnik snow-white stone houses with tiled roofs. Greek name of the city Μελένικο Meleniko
Today there is only one street in Melnik, rather narrow and lined with stone. It goes along the dried-up riverbed from one side or the other. Even two cars in Melnik can hardly pass.
If it were not for the inscription "wine" in Cyrillic, you would never guess that this is Bulgaria.
Today Melnik is a historical and cultural reserve. It feels like time has stood still here somewhere in the past. All the same picturesque houses as many years ago, a cobbled street, a wooden bridge.
It is hard to believe that once Melnik was a large trading city with a population of several thousand inhabitants. There were more than 70 churches in it, 4 monasteries operated in the vicinity of the city, several schools were located in the city itself. Melnik was also famous for its rich library.
The next economic upsurge of the city occurred at the end of the 18th - beginning of the 19th centuries. Winemaking and tobacco production flourished here. Wine Shiroka Melnishka Loza was exported throughout Europe. The most famous and largest merchants were the Kordopoulos family. Their house still towers above Melnik and is now a private museum. This house deserves special .
In 1968, Melnik was included in the list of the 100 National Tourist Sites in Bulgaria. There are always a lot of tourists in the city, mostly Greek.
This building is called konak. Former Turkish administration (management, administration). During the Ottoman rule, the supreme representative of the Turkish authorities in Melnik was located here.
Konak.
Huge spreading plane trees, whose age is more than one century, undoubtedly adorn the city landscape.
Melnik is known for its family hotels and cozy mehans decorated in the national style.
How to pass by such indispensable sweet attributes of our childhood!
Cotton candy, roosters on a stick and sugar apples.
The inhabitants of Melnik attract tourists in all sorts of ways! The owners of this mehana, for example, decorate all sorts of things in the yard with funny inscriptions.
My name is Shrk (shrkel - Russian stork), I bring children. And they call me Smart Duck (Bulgarians believe that there are no smart ducks).
One of the inscriptions reads: Pork fried from 106 kg pig. The piglet is slaughtered according to European requirements.
Wine doesn't want pictures, it needs to be bought. Life is short, tavern is eternal.
Love wine. Breaks beds. Is it true!
Bulgarians call these painted pumpkins "balka". Initially, beams were used as vessels for storing liquids - wine, water. If the beam is cut lengthwise into two parts, you get a ladle. Also a useful thing in the household.
Now many tourists buy them as souvenirs. Who decorates summer cottages, who decorates apartments ...
Pickles-jam for every taste and color! Honey, wine, spices, medicinal herbs - all that this region is rich in.
Do you want jam from strawberries or blueberries, do you want from green figs or pumpkins, or even from carrots ...
Would you like some jam? Welcome to magnets!
And if you have already reached Melnik, be sure to look into the mechanic. To any. Relax, dine and drink the famous wine
We dined at Menchova Kashta. The interior is impressive, as is the house itself, inherited by the owner's grandfather from the Greeks.
An order from the owner of the mechanics uncle Mladene. Everything is clear and without translation!
A reservoir in miniature, or an impromptu river with a bridge. Real fish live in the river.
One of the halls of the mechanics. Beams as decorations are quite common in Bulgarian national restaurants.
Staircase leading to the master's quarters.
When seeing off the guests, the owner runs his hand over these bells, and they make a very loud ringing! Tourists rejoice like little children, demanding a repeat of the show!
Today, the main occupations of the local population are tobacco production, tourism and, of course, winemaking.
Bulgaria has always been famous for its wines. But the wine from Melnik is perhaps truly unique.
This wine gained world fame in the 18th century, when caravans with precious ruby liquid flowed to the Aegean Sea, to Budapest, Vienna, Marseille, Paris, Barcelona, Liverpool. It is known that Winston Churchill was a great connoisseur of mill wine.
Legend has it that the grape variety Shiroka Melnishka Loza produced such a strong and dark wine that when local aristocrats drank it, one could see how it flows down their snow-white necks...
I have already written a little about this wine. . If interested, welcome!
Today in Melnik there is an opportunity to visit the house, which was originally built for the production and storage of wine. This, or House of Kordopoulos, is the largest house preserved from the Renaissance period in the Balkans. Once belonged to the large and noble Greek Kordopoulos family...
To be continued...
