Belogradchik

Belogradchik is an area of mysterious sandstone hills in northwestern Bulgaria, covering several hundred square kilometers and somewhat reminiscent of Cappadocia. At the heart of the area lies the town of Belogradchik, and at its center stands an ancient citadel with Thracian foundations, later built upon by the Romans, Bulgarians, and Ottomans. The citadel is somewhat reminiscent of Meteora in nearby Greece. It was established in the 3rd century, but ancient burial quarries and very old places of worship are found in the surrounding rocks.

Kiril Kirilov, head of the Belogradchik Archaeological Society and a local guide, claims that the name “Bel” at the beginning of “Belogradchik” is connected to the ancient sun god Biel. He has discovered many rock temples in the surrounding mountains, which he believes prove that the place was sacred to the Sun God, as well as to the Mother Goddess. According to him, Cro-Magnon humans arrived in the Balkans 40,000 years ago, and then something happened—history began. People became self-aware and began to think differently. He believes this transformation occurred in Belogradchik and was commemorated in paintings found in the nearby Magura Cave.

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Either way, this is a very special place. The Belogradchik rocks are made of quartz crystals and are capable of holding energy. The landscape is lunar and truly “out of this world,” and humans have added to it a series of rock-hewn temples arranged in a circular formation with the letter T in the center—like the Greek letter Taphos—representing the womb of the Goddess. Some of the rocks appear to have been shaped with astronomical orientations. According to Kirilov, the area is semi-artificial, reminiscent of the Begliktash site on the Black Sea coast.

He further claims that the straight line extending from the T in the center of the circle is aligned with the sunrise on the longest day of the year, channeling energy into the circle—much like at Stonehenge. All the temples have goblets—cup-shaped holes in the rock—which are sometimes aligned and connected to each other.

In the town of Belogradchik, there is a historical and anthropological museum, along with several hotels and restaurants that offer a relaxed Bulgarian atmosphere. Various spiritual groups from Bulgaria and Russia consider the entire region to possess mystical energies.

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Vegina Cave in Lepenitsa
Lepenitsa Cave in the Belogradchik area is a wonderful place to visit, a 20 minutes walk from the main road, it is a two level cave and in it there is a vagina cave resembling a womb oriented toward the sunrise on the shortest day of the year. Its entrance is a magnificent, large semicircular opening in the rock wall overlooking the landscape—similar to the Tatul site in the Rhodope Mountains. At the entrance of the cave there are the remains of a prehistoric settlement, and on the second floor is a spacious hall suitable for ceremonies and dances. At the top of the surrounding cliffs, there are many altars, stone steps that seem to lead to heaven, ritual cups, and stone arrangements.

Lepenitsa Cave can only be reached on foot. The walk from the road takes about half an hour and is not particularly difficult. In any case, the effort is well worth it, as this is a genuine temple. The cave and the approach to it are somewhat reminiscent of the Utroba Cave (“womb cave”) in the Rhodope Mountains.