Bachkovo

Bachkovo is a picturesque village in the Asenovgrad municipality, Southern Bulgaria, situated at 370 meters above sea level in the northern Rhodopes, 23 km. southeast of Plovdiv and 8 km from Asenovgrad. Founded in 1062, it is renowned for its natural beauty, mild winters, and sunny summers. Nearby Bachkovo Monastery, the second-largest in Bulgaria, attracts thousands of tourists year-round. The monastery, known for the “Miraculous Icon” of the Holy Mother, preserves Bulgarian national heritage and has been an important cultural center throughout the centuries. Patriarch Evtimiy spent his final years here after the fall of Tarnovo in 1393. The village serves as a gateway to the Middle Rhodopes and is ideally located for access to Pamporovo, about 100 km away, and Smolyan. Bachkovo offers well-planned infrastructure with clean Balkan
water and paved streets. The village also features an active church, “St. Athanasius,” built in 1848.