Dear friends of "Photo Moments", it is my great pleasure to introduce you to one of the beautiful, charming and cozy villages hidden in the Zlatishko-Pirdopska valley* - the village of Anton.
*The Zlatishko-Pirdopska valley is a valley in the Srednogorsko-Podbalkanska region, the fifth in a row from west to east in the Trans-Balkan valley.
It is located between the Etropolska and Zlatishko-Tetevenska mountains (parts of the Stara Planina) to the north and the Sashtina Sredna Gora to the south and the Ihtimanska Sredna Gora to the southwest. To the west, the mountain ridge Galabets (925 meters) separates it from the Kamara valley, and to the east, the highest sub-Balkan threshold Koznitsa (1092 meters) - from the Karlovska valley.
The valley is home to two towns and eight villages – in its central part the towns of Zlatitsa and Pirdop and the villages of Chavdar, Chelopech and Tskrivshte; in the west – the villages of Mirkovo, Bunovo and Benkovski, and in the east – the villages of Anton and Dushantsi.
I start our adventure today with a panorama of the village of Anton, nestled amidst the southern slopes of the Stara Planina.
Anton is a village in Western Bulgaria.
It is the only settlement in Anton Municipality, Sofia Region.
The old name of the village is Ludzhene, coming from the Turkish word ludzha, which means mineral spring or bath.
There is information that there were once hot mineral springs in the village, hence its name.
But after a major earthquake, the earth's layers shift so much that the springs dry up and the water literally disappears into the bowels of the earth.
According to unconfirmed sources, these same hot mineral springs later gushed out in Strelcha, located about 30 kilometers in a straight line south of Anton.
However, the village is known for its springs and numerous rivers. That is why the coat of arms of Anton, as can be seen from the photo above, depicts water, a pride for the local residents.
In 1950, the village was renamed in honor of Stefan Minev, nicknamed Anton.
The Church of the Holy Prophet Elijah was built in 1895.
The frescoes are the work of the Debar icon painter Hristo Blagoev and his nephew Seraphim, but were later covered over.
On one of the iconostasis panels, next to the image of the prophet David and the prophet Isaiah, the inscription "H. B. and S. M. Blagoev 1901 - 1903" is read.
Temple of the Holy Prophet Elijah in Anton,
photographed in the summer of 2020 and at the end of 2023
Anton is a modern, great-looking, quiet, neat, beautiful, clean, and very green place.
The building of the "Bulgarche" kindergarten in the village of Anton glows with freshness against the backdrop of the Balkan Mountains!
I have visited this charming place both in summer and in the middle of winter, and believe me, it always shines with charm and cleanliness.
Just look at what an original idea and what a magnificent execution!
This is a seemingly ordinary bus stop located in front of the municipality building.
But only at first glance!
Anton's inventive people filmed their village using a drone, printed out the result – a phenomenally beautiful photo of the village from above, and mounted the image on their bus stop!
Bravo for the idea and the implementation!
Just look how green it is!
How ingenious – while you wait for your bus, you can enjoy your favorite village from above! Isn't that a great idea?!
To the left of the municipality stands the beautiful building of the "Hristo Botev" community center.
Today, the "Hristo Botev" community center shines from the center of Anton like this!
In the summer of 2020, the community center building looked like this.
Anton Municipality borders the neighboring municipalities of Pirdop, Teteven, Karlovo and Koprivshtitsa.
Part of Anton's land is the Vartopa area, which is part of the largest national park in Bulgaria - "Central Balkan". The western part of the Koznitsa hill, which for the village, in addition to its natural and geographical significance, also has a certain historical significance, is also within the municipality.
The climatic conditions here are particularly suitable for sheep farming, as well as mass potato production.
An interesting element of the natural and geographical characteristics of Anton are the waters.
7 small or larger rivers flow through the territory of the village, and their number in the territory of the municipality is 14.
Among the other interesting natural and geographical features of Anton's land, I must mention the several earth pyramids that can be encountered while walking around it, the beautiful Antonovsky Waterfall, a majestic waterfall in the Dalbochitsa area, and the many artificial mounds, most of which date back to the Thracian era.
The site of Anton today has been inhabited since ancient times, as well as during Thracian antiquity and the Middle Ages.
There are several burial mounds in the vicinity. A gold coin from the time of Emperor Leo I (457–474) indicates that life continued here into the early Byzantine era.
In the 4th century, directly next to the settlement in a western direction, the large monastery and scriptorium "St. Elijah" was built and existed as a significant spiritual center until 1700 (when it was destroyed by the Turkish army) with its impressive St. Helen's Basilica, the majestic ruins of which are the greatest historical landmark in the area and I highly recommend you visit them.
After the division of San Stefano Bulgaria by the Berlin Congress, the imposed border of the Principality of Bulgaria with Eastern Rumelia ran along the course of the Topolnitsa River and its tributary, descending from the Stara Planina ridge - the Gramatnik River (Gramatik, Gramotnik, today in its middle course called Elenska Reka, in Turkish Tuzlu Dere). The border post was on the sub-Balkan road and the village of Ladzhene (Anton) together with Dushantsi, Koprivshtitsa remained outside the Principality for seven long years until the Unification of Bulgaria in 1885.
With these wonderful red roses, I wish you a wonderful Anton adventure and make it a reality!
How do you get to the village of Anton?
The village of Anton is located in a mountainous area on the border of the Sofia and Plovdiv districts.
It is located in Southern Bulgaria, along the Sub-Balkan Road*.
*The Republican Road I-6, also known as the Sub-Balkan Road, is a first-class road in the Republican Road Network of Bulgaria, running from west to east, passing through the territory of nine districts: Kyustendil, Pernik, Sofia Region, Sofia, Plovdiv, Stara Zagora, Sliven, Yambol and Burgas.
Its total length is 508.5 km, making it the longest republican road in Bulgaria.
The village of Anton is located:
98 kilometers (about 1 hour and 27 minutes by car) from the capital
111 kilometers (about 1 hour and 48 minutes by car) from the city of Plovdiv
397 kilometers (about 5 hours and 19 minutes by car) from the city of Varna
295 kilometers (about 3 hours and 30 minutes by car) from the city of Burgas
21 kilometers (about 26 minutes by car) from the city of Koprivshtitsа
What can you visit nearby?
Very close to the village, on the Podbalkanski road, is the charming Antonovski Waterfall (also Antonski Waterfall or Butterfly).
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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