Village of Gela

The village of Gela in the Rhodopes welcomes you with a sign reading “Welcome to the birthplace of Orpheus!” in Bulgarian and English. The village is situated at an altitude of 1500 meters in the Central Rhodopes, just 6 km from the village of Shiroka Luka and 18 km from the Pamporovo resort complex. It is located at the foot of the peaks of Goliam Perelik, Orpheus, and Turla.
Legends say that Gela is the birthplace of Orpheus, who came here to search for Eurydice in the nearby Devil's Throat cave. On July 20 (Ilinden), every summer, a festival is held at the "St. Elijah" chapel. Gela is also famous for its National Bagpipe Competition, which takes place on the first Saturday and Sunday of August. The event attracts thousands of tourists each year, and you shouldn’t miss the opportunity to enjoy local music and cuisine, including delicious roasted meats.
Gela is known for the Orpheus flower, a unique relic from the Ice Age. Botanists from various countries have tried to preserve and restore this flower, which has the ability to enter a state of dormancy.
The village has a history of over 33 centuries and is associated with the ancient Greek city of Gelyon and the Sicilian city of Gela, where German professor Furtwängler discovered a vase with an image of Orpheus in 1890. This vase, called "Thracians Listening to Orpheus," is kept in Berlin.