Dear friends of "Photo Moments", this journey will take us to an exceptional park, located in the very heart of Samokov - in the very historical area of the city!
With incomparable pleasure and a bunch of bright, warm and joyful feelings, I present to you one of my most favorite parks in Bulgaria - "Kraiiskarets" in the town of Samokov!
Krayiskarets Park was created in 2017 and officially opened in 2018, and the following year the park won the Building of the Year award from the Samokov Municipality.
Look at how beautiful it is!
I walk through the sunny alleys of Samokov, opposite the impressive blue-green hills of Rila welcome me, radiating their beauty, Samokov shines fresh, I listen to the murmur of the fountains in the lake in the park and my soul flutters within me, winged and free!
The lake in the park is a lovely home to many birds that are used to people and cheerfully wink at them.
Some of them even flirt in front of my lens for a long time and I manage to capture beautiful photo moments that I gladly share with all of you.
A beautiful fountain has been built in the middle of the lake, which exudes freshness on hot, sunny summer days and creates musical extravaganzas with its watery sounds of falling and splashing water, which deeply soothes the heart and drives stress away.
I stop by the lake and slowly crouch down. I dip my hand into the water and spread its freshness.
A few curious ducks and a pair of swans immediately swam up to me, and I rejoiced in them, splashing with water.
A huge black swan asks me to stroke its graceful neck, and I willingly accept.
Walking along the paths by the lake, the birds accompany me with a joyful flutter of their feathers.
Where should I continue? Hmm.. to Paris maybe?!
It's close... only 2334 kilometers from Samokov.
As I consider the proposal, I see a dove smiling at me by the water.
He's watching me intently and probably telling me:
Come with me!
We'll fly to Paris together!
I wave my hand, refusing him, and sit down on a bench by the water. I sigh with incredible admiration and pleasure – who needs Paris?
Or should I choose London? Ah, no – I'm cutting it off!
I choose Bulgaria!
And today – today I choose the beautiful Samokov and the Krayiskarets Park!
Look at Rila – it’s so beautiful! The sparks are rustling, the sky is turning blue, the clouds are turning white, the mountains are turning blue, the birds are singing, the sun is caressing me with its warm rays! Eeeeh – idyll!
Another incredible, beautiful day in my Bulgaria!
I'm heading to the newly built awesome skate park and park for people who exercise with scooters, located in the middle of Krayiskarets Park in the town of Samokov.
This is a place for young people who love strong adrenaline and high speed!
A great opportunity for fun, right?
As soon as spring comes outside, everyone grab your wonderful mood and hurry to Krayiskarets Park in the town of Samokov.
I hasten to share with you that a walk through "Kraiiskerets" is an incomparable pleasure and each of you is more than welcome in this wonderful place!
In the early 1960s, where the entrance to the park is currently located, there was a lake called the Blue Eye.
The entire area between the two bridges, and further up, on the eastern side of the Iskar, has always been called Krayiskero. Even the street was called "Kraiiskerets".
"Kriskar" (near Iskar) is the neighborhood where the famous Samokov artist and painter Hristo Yonchev was born on March 1, 1879.
Hristo Yonchev – Kriskarets
Hristo Zafirov Yonchev, known by his nickname Kriskarets, is a Bulgarian painter and mountaineer. He is known for his landscapes from Rila, as well as for his contribution to the founding of the Historical Museum - Samokov.
For many of his paintings, he draws inspiration from his native neighborhood and thus creates his creative pseudonym - Kriskarets, with which he signs his works.
In 1912 he graduated from the Art Industrial School in Sofia, where his teachers were Prof. Ivan Angelov and Prof. Ivan Mrkvichka. He worked mainly in the field of landscape and held many exhibitions in Sofia and Samokov.
His famous works are in the cycle "Landscapes from Rila" (1936), depicting Musala, the Kupeneti and other corners of the mountain. He was an avid mountaineer, having hiked Rila from far and wide.
The Yonchevo Lake in the Malyoviski section is named after him.
The Scary Lake is also associated with Hristo Yonchev. Rumor has it that once he was caught there by a strong thunderstorm and he ran back. When asked where he had been, he replied "To the scary lake!". This is how the name of the lake came about.
In 1931, he took an active part in the founding of the Historical Museum - Samokov and subsequently worked as a museum curator.
Today, many of his paintings are owned by the museum and are part of its permanent art exhibition.
How to get to the town of Samokov?
Samokov is a city in southwestern Bulgaria. It is located in the Sofia Region.
It is located in the middle of the eastern part of the Samokov Valley and offers fantastic views of five mountains - Rila, Plana, Vitosha, Verila and Ihtimanska Sredna Gora.
The city is the largest in the district and is the administrative center of Samokov Municipality.
Samokov is located:
60 kilometers (about an hour by car) from the capital
130 kilometers (about 1 hour and 45 minutes by car) from the city of Plovdiv
490 kilometers (about 5 hours and 48 minutes by car) from the city of Varna
368 kilometers (about 3 hours and 55 minutes by car) from the city of Burgas
11 kilometers (about 12 minutes by car) from the resort "Borovets"
How do I get to Krayiskarets Park?
The park is located in the very green heart of the city, near the Iskar River.
This is the "Kraiiskarets" park in the city of Samokov - a great idea for a walk, relaxation, greenery and silence!
Dear friends, before I show you what interesting sights you can see nearby, I would like to remind you of the special photo album, which has collected incredible beauty and impressive photo moments just for you, a link to which you will find at the end of the post!
Enjoy it!
What else can be visited in Samokov?
The walk through the town of Samokov is extremely pleasant and I highly recommend it!
Be sure to take some time to visit the Assumption of the Virgin Mary Church.
The incredibly beautiful church "St. Nicholas the Wonderworker" in Samokov is a must-see.
Be sure to take some time to visit the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
In the courtyard of the church you will see the grave of Paisii Hilendarski.
Samokov is undoubtedly an impressive and incredibly beautiful city, surrounded by the majestic slopes of Rila, Plana, Verila and Vitosha.
And the Saraf House is undoubtedly a beautiful, small and hidden gem that guests of the city often somehow ignore and do not visit, which for me is definitely a mistake.
I find it minutes from the city center and Krayiskarets Park.
Built in the middle of the former Jewish quarter, the Saraf House stands out in the middle of a vast and landscaped yard, decorated with old boxwoods, fragrant lindens and white birches.
Nearby is the synagogue in Samokov.
And finally, my dear friends,
you shouldn't miss checking out
the special photo album with moments –
discovered, experienced, filmed and shared with you!
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