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RILA MONASTERY - The Rilski monastery St. Ivan Rilski is one of the most impressive monuments of the Bulgarian architecture and art. It is the oldest inhabited cloister in our country. It has also been the biggest literary center in Bulgaria since the Ottoman yoke. The monastery was founded in the 10th century by the Bulgarian hermit Ivan Rilski who later was canonized as a saint. The monastery was erected on its present place in the 14th century as at the beginning only one defence tower was built. The succeeding most important part of the building of the monastery was the period 1816-1870 when with funds collected from the whole nation and with the hard work of many master-builders, wood-cutters, icon-painters, sculptors and artists, the biggest Bulgarian monastery, which is preserved in this appearance even today, was built. It is announced as an international monument by UNESCO. The monastery is located in Rila Mountain, 129 kilometers south-western from Sofia, and 4 kilometers from the town of Rila.......................................90 km SKI TRACKS - Borovets is the oldest ski resort dating back to 1896. Nowadays, Borovets is the biggest first-class mountain resort in Bulgaria. It is situated 1350 m above sea level in Rila Mountain. It is 73 km away from the capital - Sofia and 126 km away from the city of Plovdiv. The ski tracks are over 45 km long, with different levels of difficulty. They are grouped in three regions: Sitnyakovo, Markujhik, and Yastrebets. The ski tracks are kept in excellent conditions and there are signs in different languages. The ski school in Borovets is world famous, with over 200 ski instructors. The ski training has 5 levels, group and individual work, 4 hours daily, from 6 to 12 days. After completing the training you receive a certificate. In Borovets there are 10 rental centres for - ski, ski equipment, sledges, and also you can leave your equipment here. There are a lot of facilities for tourists - beautiful hotels and cottages but the most impressive is the ski lift to the Yastrebets Peak.......................................1,5 km SOFIA /population - 1.2 millions inhabitants/ is our capital. The city is situated in the *Sofia field* in the western part of the country and is about 600 meters above sea level. The town is surrounded by the mountains Vitosha, Lyulin, Lozenska and Plana, which are attractive places for tourism not only for the residents of Sofia but for all visitors of the city. The town is an administrative, economic, political, cultural, trade and tourist centre. The history tells that in the 8-7th century before Christ, on the place of a former Neolithic settlement round the thermal springs, an ancient Thracian town had sprung up. Later the Romans conquered the town and gave it the name of Serdika after the Thracian tribe that lived there. In the Rome epoch /I IVth century A. D./ the town was growing as a center of the Inner Traci country. In the V VIth century, at the time of the Great Migration of the People there were invasions of Huns, Goths and Barbarians. From the middle of the VIth century the town has developed as an important administrative and economic center of the Byzantine Empire with the name of Triaditsa. In 809 the town was included within the limits of the Bulgarian country with the name of Sredets. From the end of the XIVth century till the seventies of the XIXth century the city and the whole country were under the Ottoman rule. In the beginning of the XVth century the town acquired its present name Sofia. After the liberation from the Ottoman yoke and during the Bulgarian National Revival the city was chosen as a capital. Our capital has rich landmarks, some of which are proclaimed as national cultural monuments. The biggest universities and research institutes are situated here. A great number of churches are located in Sofia, the most famous of which are: The Cathedral Church of St. Alexander Nevski, St. Sofia dating back to the 4th 6th century, the Russian church St. Nikolai, the rotunda St. George and St. Nedelya. Here are situated the National Historical Museum, the Museum of Foreign Arts, the Earth and People Museum , the National Church Museum and others. The biggest zoo in the Balkan Peninsula, the most modern entertainment park - Sofia Land and many city parks are attractions for visitors...................................73 km SAMOKOV MONASTERY...........................15 km
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