New trilingual digital guide to Bulgaria’s beautiful Devetaki Plateau
Non-profit organisation the Devetaki Plateau Associaton has presented a digital portfolio in three languages – Bulgarian, English and Romanian – containing fascinating stories about sites in the region, one of the country’s most beautiful featuring magnificent caves and waterfalls.
All short videos introducing the landmarks can be viewed on the website www.inherit-eu.com , as well as on the project’s YouTube channel , and the full audio stories can be heard at the stops on the trails.
The material is the culmination of two years of work on the association’s international project, INHERIT – Interpreting Cultural and Natural Heritage for Tourism Development through Rural Experiences, funded by the EU’s Erasmus+ programme.
More information about the trails, short videos, as well as long audio stories from the Devetaki Plateau can be found at: https://shorturl.at/fZZww
The integrated audio guides are accessible via QR codes. These audio guides provide not only facts, but also exciting stories that enrich the experience and provide a new perspective on the sites.
The Devetaki Plateau Assocation was established in 2008 to stimulate the development, improve the quality of live and promote the region of Devetaki Plateau. The organisation unites the people living in nine villages on the Devetaki Plateau: Agatovo, Brestovo, Devetaki, Gorsko Slivovo, Kakrina, Kramolin, Krushuna, Karpachevo and Tepava.
The association aims to preserve and develop the regional resources, increasing the capacity of local people to manage natural assets and make the Plateau an attractive place for tourism, outdoor recreation and learning.
The association has created three thematic routes that connect various natural and cultural sites in the region, enabling visitors to choose one – or all – depending on what most interests them.
One of the routes, “The Beauty of the Karst of the Devetashko Plateau”, covers sites such as the Devetaki Cave, the Krushuna Waterfalls, the Futyuvota Cave and the Golyama Garvanitsa Cave, among others.
Another route, “The Path of Time”, brings together historical and cultural sites, such as the fortress in the village of Kramolin and the Alexander Stamboliyski Dam, which is associated with an interesting story about the flooding of villages to prevent floods.
The third route, “The Path of Beauty in Nature”, offers tourists not only to enjoy the natural beauties, but also to get acquainted with the local culture and traditions by visiting villages such as Agatovo, Brestovo and Karpachevo.
To stimulate tourist activity, the organizers have introduced a fun element – a raffle for those who manage to collect photos from each site along the route. The prizes include weekends in the Devetaki Plateau and other surprises that add another level of excitement for visitors.
The project aims not only to create new tourist routes, but also to support the economic development of the region by stimulating local tourism. By creating unique experiences and promoting local sites, the aim is not only to attract tourists, but also to revitalise small settlements, which is beneficial to local communities and economies.
The Devetaki Cave is open to tourists, reachable on good roads 15km north-east of the town of Lovech. The 169km drive from Sofia should take you just more than two hours.
The cave is one of the largest in Bulgaria, 2442 m in length, about 20 400 sq m in expanse, and about 60m in height.
Devetaki Cave.
Its expanse that has seen human habitation at least for 70 000 years, back to the Middle Paleolithic.
Cultural artefacts, dating from 6000 to 4000 BCE, have been found. There is water in the cave, and the wide Osam River, wealthy in fish, flows strongly nearby.
The cave is closed to the public in June and July, breeding season for the cave’s bat population.
To reach the entrance to the cave, there is a wide concrete bridge, which a sign in Bulgarian proclaims to have been built at the time of the 2011 filming of The Expendables 2, by the Nu Image film production company. Stallone, Schwarzenegger, Willis and others, in movie poster mode, decorate this sign.
The Krushuna waterfalls are about 16km from the Devetaki Cave, a drive of about 10 minutes at reasonable speeds.
Bulgaria’s largest water cascade boasts not only the solace and beauty of the stuff, but also the magnificence of the verdant greenery, the caves and at the higher reaches, a view of the wide and steep canyon carved by the river.
Krushuna Waterfalls.
The numerous other scenic attractions in the area include a lookout point overlooking the canyon near the village of Karpachevo, the Old Mill in Karpachevo, the Garvanitsa Cave, the Gradat mediaeval fortress near the village of Kramolin and the village of Agatovo.
The Old Mill, Karpachevo.
Garvanitsa Cave.
Recommended accommodation in the area: https://www.devetakiplateau.org/en/accommodation
(Photos: Clive Leviev-Sawyer, Joana Levieva-Sawyer and the Devetaki Plateau Association)
