Pernik Province: Surova, Monastery Art and Nature

Pernik Province brings together a New Year custom with a fixed date, medieval buildings, natural sites and an underground mining museum. If you are planning a trip, you can focus on a range of themes: Surova takes place on two days in January, while the monastery, fortress, cave, waterfall and nature reserve each offer their own cultural and scenic highlights.

Surova: a festival with a fixed date in January

The Surova folk festival in the Pernik region takes place every year on January 13 and 14 to celebrate the New Year according to the old calendar. If you are using the festival as the occasion for a trip, plan your stay around these two days. In 2015, the folk festival was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Its fixed dates and UNESCO inscription make Surova a distinct cultural highlight: a recurring calendar custom meets lasting recognition as cultural heritage.

Monastery and fortress: medieval heritage

The Zemen Monastery is no longer inhabited by monks and has been converted into a museum. The monastery’s church has medieval frescoes; research dates their creation to as early as the 11th century. The monastery is considered one of the most valuable medieval monuments. Its cultural significance is therefore both museum-based and religious: the conversion applies to the monastery, while the frescoes and their dating highlight the church.

Another form of medieval heritage is Krakra Fortress in Pernik. It stands on a relatively small rocky plateau in the southwestern part of the city. It can be reached via a paved access road open to vehicles or by a stairway. As access conditions may change, check the current situation locally before you travel.

Cave, waterfall and nature reserve

Duhlata Cave near Bosnek in Pernik Municipality is 17,600 metres long and 53 metres deep. Skakavitsa Waterfall in the Zemen Gorge, by contrast, reaches a height of 100 metres. The figures illustrate two different natural dimensions: Duhlata is notable for its length and depth, while Skakavitsa stands out for its drop.

More than 300 rare plant species have been recorded in Ostritsa Nature Reserve. Alongside the measurements of the cave and waterfall, plant diversity is another distinct aspect of nature here. For nature enthusiasts, this botanical highlight complements the different features that define Duhlata and Skakavitsa.

Mining history in Pernik

The Underground Mining Museum in Pernik presents around 30 exhibitions on the development of mining in Bulgaria in old mine tunnels stretching 630 metres. The fact that the exhibitions are housed in old tunnels gives the subject a different setting from the monastery church or the fortress. In this way, the museum broadens the focus from medieval heritage to the history of mining in the country.

Discover more destinations: Kovachevtzi, Zemen, Pernik, Leva Reka, Dimitrowo, Tran, Radomir, Zelenigrad, Breznik.

For the overview of destinations: Bulgaria.