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In Melnik

Georgi Georgiev

The hot summer sun was shining. I was walking along the bed of the dry river and beautiful dazzling white houses took turns around me. “Kordopulova” house was rising in the end of the town. It is more than 250 years old and it has rich history, deep wine cellar and large butts full of mature wine. The ruins of Bolyarska house was standing near by. And all these wonderful human creations were situated in the middle of the unique sand and rock formations – known as Melnik pyramids.

That’s right, I was in Melnik again and no matter of the heat I was in a perfect mood. I was walking along the main street of the smallest Bulgarian town, surrounded by the unique atmosphere. The town is like a precious relic of the past and it is declared to be an architectural and historical reserve. Nowadays there are about 100 houses in Melnik but during the Revival period the town was rich and important spiritual, cultural and trade centre with more than 1300 houses, 70 churches and 25 000 citizens. The tobacco and cotton manufacturing were thrived in Melnik but most important occupation of the inhabitants of the town was the wine production. Melnik wine is wide famous and even the British statesman, Winston Churchill used to order 500 liters of wine made by the grape sort “Shiroka Melnishka”, every year. I also like its fresh, tartness taste and when I’m in Melnik I always pay a visit in the house-museum “Kodopulova house”. There is free wine tasting of this wine in the cellar of the house.

“Kordopulova” house is more than 250 years old. It was property of the rich family of Kordopulovi. They were wine producers and merchants. This is the biggest house in Bulgaria left from the Revival period. A great spots of interest are the built-in cupboards, the colorful rugs, the windows made of Venetian glass, the summer garden with the sun-dial and off coarse the wine cellar. The cellar is 80 m long, cut in the rock tunnel, with a special ventilation system. The capacity of the cellar is about 300 tones of wine and the biggest butt takes 12.5 tones. These wooden mastodons can be seen in the wine tasting hall. This is one my favorite nooks in the house. I can stay here for hours with glass of wine in front of the Dionysius picture. The fresh coolness of the stone hall combines with the unique taste of the mature wine, giving a great bliss. The feeling can be completed with a portion of home made cheese or flat –sausage. The kind householders will cook it for you with pleasure. Unfortunately I had no time for such feast. When I came out of the house I met the museum assure, and I asked her to tell me the story about the end of the Kordopulovi family.

The old lady talked to me with animation. The peace, the prosperity and the harmony ruled in the house more than 150 years. But in 1912, during the Balkan War, the Greek and the Turkish military forces drown off their troops from southwestern Bulgaria. But before they leave the toun they gathered most of the young men of Melnik and killed them treacherously. One of them was the last inheritor of Kordopulovi. The soldiers throw the bodies in the nearby the town. The citizens of Melnik named this site “Evil gorge”. "After that the Greeks and the Turks burned down the town. This was the beginning of Melnik’s declination.” The old lady apparently was sorry to say the last words.

I left “Kordoulova” house and I took my way to Rozhen Monastery. It is about 6 km away from Melnik. You can reach the monastery by car through a picturesque asphalt road. But I recommend you to climb the narrow path through the hearth of Melnik pyramids. The ascent takes about an hour and in certain moments it is exhausting, but the marvelous view takes an effort and the memory of the experience remains forever.

On my way up hill to Rozhen Monastery I met many tourists descending from the peaks of Pirin in the hot summer afternoon. The red roofs and the white walls of the monastery complex came into sight after the last steep sections of the path. The temple was built in 890 and it is one of the few preserved monuments of the medieval Christian culture in Bulgaria. The Holy cloister is surrounded by Melnik pyramids. These rock formations gave the name of the monastery and the nearby village of Rozhen. The Slavic word “rozhen” means “peak”, “edge”, “horn”. There are well preserved wall paintings, stained glasses and wood-carvings in the monastery. The monastery dining hall is remarkable with its cupboard and long table at which the monks were dining. I left the monastery and I took my way back to Melnik. At the mysterious light of the setting sun the pyramids and the surrounding landscape had taken on more enigmatic and magnetic sight.

In the late afternoon I was in Melnik again. I took the decision to visit the ruin of “Slavova” fortress while the sun was going down behind the slopes of Ograzhden Mountain. The fortress is situated right above Melnik on St. Nikola hill under the remains of “St. Nikola” church. It dates back from 11 century. Despot Alexius Slav rebuilt the fortress in 13 century, making it more solid. He made the castle his residence and it was named after him. Nowadays only part of the eastern wall is preserved, but the magnificent view from the hill left the same trough the ages.

It was tender evening when I was back in Melnik. Quiet folklore music, a clink of glasses and marry din sounded from the taverns’ yards. The hospitable housekeepers hurried up and down the cellars and taverns with ewers full of mature red wine and with their friendly smile on their faces.

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