- Not to be confused with Mělník, a city in Central Bohemia, Czechia.
Melnik (Bulgarian: Мелник) is a "town-museum" in South-Western Bulgaria, surrounded by curious geological formations. The smallest town in the country, it's also known for its wine and its architecture. It's nested in the foothills of the Pirin mountain, close to the border with Greece.
Understand
[edit]
.jpg)
With a permanent population of about 200 people, Melnik is the smallest town in Bulgaria - its official classification as a town is traditional and maintained for historical reasons. Since 1968, it's been also declared a "town-museum" due to its preserved traditional architecture. Many of its houses are either hotels, wineries, or both. Administratively, Melnik is a part of the Municipality of Sandanski, the nearest sizable town, and both are part of Blagoevgrad Oblast (Province).
Melnik lies in a hollow in the south-western foothills of Pirin. It's surrounded by picturesquely eroded cliffs in a great variety of shapes, a landform called "earth pyramids" or "hoodoos" in geography. It's assumed that the town's name is derived from the local name of the formations: "mel"-s (melove), presumably originating from a Slavic root meaning "sandy clay, sandstone" or "crumbly". The formations extend much further than the town, reaching the small village of Rozhen to the east, with a total area of about 17 km2 (6.6 sq mi). They are a nationally protected landmark.
Get in
[edit]
Once a day there is bus to Sofia. Many Greeks from the area of Thessaloniki, Serres, Drama and Kavala visit Melnik on a day trip in combination with close by Sandanski and its good shopping facilities.
There are three bus daily from Sandanski. The 2023 schedule is 7:40, 11:40, 15:30, heading to Rozhen. Reverse itinerary is 1:20 hours after. You can catch bus at Melnik, visit monastery and come back to Melnik by trail (2 hours walk).
Get around
[edit]Melnik is not large in area either. You can cross it in 15 minutes on foot.
See
[edit]- 1 Monument to Yane Sandanski (in the small park at the entrance of Melnik, across the street from the town hall). Stone statue of Yane Sandanski (1872-1912), a Macedonian-Bulgarian revolutionary considered a national hero in both Bulgaria and North Macedonia. Along with his revolutionary activities, he was involved in the "Miss Stone Affair", the kidnapping of an American protestant missionary for ransom which caused headlines around the world at the time. He ultimately fell victim to ideological splits within the movement; he was assassinated by the village of Pirin and buried in the nearby Rozhen Monastery.
- Centuries-old plane tree
- History Museum
- Museum of Wine - privately run
- 2 Kordopoulov House. A large 18th century mansion of a local family of wine merchants, now a privately-run museum and a winery. The house overlooks the ruins of the family church, St. Barbara. Museum admission: 6 лв for adults (includes tasting the local wine); full wine tasting package (3-5 wines and appetizers): 22-28 лв.
- Boyar House - ruins of a medieval house, reportedly inhabited until the 20th century
- On the hill south of town:
- 3 St. Nicholas church. There are two paths to St Nikola, one behind the Kordipul house and one behind the road bridge. The first is a bit steeper. From here it goes up to the restored chapel of the Holy Virgin of Spiliotissa and from here, in a few minutes, in a westerly direction, to the ruins of the church of St Nikola.
- 4 Ruins of Despot Slav's fortress. The ruins of the small fortress above Melnik offer a magnificent view and are well worth a visit. Unfortunately, it has not been much restored. However, it is clear of bushes and can be reached in 15 minutes from the centre of Melnik.
- 5 Medieval Monastery "Saint Charalampius". Only the foundation walls of the former monastery remain. The view from there is well worth the walk.
- 6 Saint Petka Church. A very beautiful place with a peaceful atmosphere. The church is located in the forest and has beautiful and unique ornaments. It is a 5-10 minute walk from Melnik. Also easily accessible for children.
- Outside of town:
- 7 Rozhen Monastery (Роженски манастир) (about 3 km (1.9 mi) east from Melnik; either hiking trail through the Melnik Pyramids that starts at the Boyar House, or 7 km (4.3 mi) by road - the same that leads to Melnik, it continues to Rozhen, and the monastery is west of the village). The Monastery of the Nativity of the Mother of God by the village of Rozhen is the largest monastery in the Pirin mountains (though that's not very large). Established in the Middle Ages, it was last restored in the 18th century after a fire. In 1973, it was declared cultural heritage of national importance. Functioning male Orthodox monastery, so try to act more as a pilgrim than a tourist.
- Grave of Yane Sandanski
- 8 Sandstone tunnel Rozhen-Lyubovishte (on the road exiting Rozhen to the east, not far from the village). The villagers of Lyubovishte had petitioned the government for years to build a more direct road to their village without any success. Finally, in 1961 they took the matter in their own hands and dug a tunnel through a mel without any machines, greatly shortening the road distance to the village. Ultimately, this wasn't enough to stall the march of time: at the end of 2023, Lyubovishte had a permanent population of 11.
- 7 Rozhen Monastery (Роженски манастир) (about 3 km (1.9 mi) east from Melnik; either hiking trail through the Melnik Pyramids that starts at the Boyar House, or 7 km (4.3 mi) by road - the same that leads to Melnik, it continues to Rozhen, and the monastery is west of the village). The Monastery of the Nativity of the Mother of God by the village of Rozhen is the largest monastery in the Pirin mountains (though that's not very large). Established in the Middle Ages, it was last restored in the 18th century after a fire. In 1973, it was declared cultural heritage of national importance. Functioning male Orthodox monastery, so try to act more as a pilgrim than a tourist.
The easiest way to reach the monastery is to drive or walk to the Rozhen village using the asphalted road. Although a bit harder to find and use, the direct track through the sand peaks offers very interesting views. Note that the track is not marked, you should better ask for guidance.
Do
[edit]- 1 Melnik-Roschen Trail. The trail is about 4 km long and connects Melnik with the Roshen Monastery.
Walk along the creek watching the nice traditional buildings and take a tour into some wine cellars.
Buy
[edit]Wine, and see of you can discover why it was one of Winston Churchill's favourites. Consider that the cheap wine sold on the streets is not of a great quality.
The only ATM in Melnik is located at an expensive hotel, close to the end of town before the dirt road splits (the end of town meaning if you walk uphill through the centre). You can see it from the road, as it's on the outside of the hotel. It didn't work in August 2009, though.
Eat
[edit]Melnik has many nice romantic taverns serving traditional Bulgarian meals. Together with the nice landscape its a pleasure to enjoy a meal there.
Drink
[edit]Melnik wine is intended to be drunk while young, so try to find a tavern with a house wine.
There are plenty 'hole-in-the-wall' cellars that are literally holes in the Melnik clay, which acts to keep the temperature constant to aid in the wine making process. Here, you can taste the wine as it comes out the barrels.
Sleep
[edit]Many of the traditional houses now double as accommodation, run by locals.
Go next
[edit]- Sandanski, the nearest sizable town
- On the other side of Pirin: Gotse Delchev and the mountain resort of Bansko
- Further that way are the Western Rhodope Mountains
- Pirin National Park: UNESCO World Heritage National Park with over 27,000 ha, altitude between 1008 and 2914 m, mountain landscapes with glacial lakes, waterfalls, caves and coniferous forests.
- To the south, in Greece: Thessaloniki, Kavala