Strandzha (Bulgarian: Странджа, also transliterated as Strandja and Stranja;) is a mountain massif in southeastern Bulgaria and the European part of Turkey, in the southeastern part of the Balkans between the plains of Thrace to the west, the lowlands near Burgas to the north and the Black Sea to the east. Its highest peak is Mahya Da?? (Bulgarian: Махиада, Mahiada) (1031 m) in Turkey, while the highest point on Bulgarian territory is Golyamo Gradishte (710 m). The total area of the massif is approximately 10,000 km?. Name of the massif is come from Istranca, which former name of Municipality of Bink?l?? at ?atalca district in ?stanbul province.

Georgraphy and Climate
The climate of the area is considerably influenced by the Black Sea and is predominantly transitional to Mediterranean. Major rivers in the area are the Veleka (147 km long) and the border river Rezovska (112 km long). Strandzha Natural Park, established in 1995 in the Bulgarian part of the mountain, is the largest protected area in Bulgaria, embracing 1,161 km?, or about 1% of the country’s total territory. 50% of Bulgaria’s flora can be observed in the park.

History and culture
Inhabited by the Thracians in antiquity, Strandzha is an area with a large concentration of ruins of Thracian sanctuaries and sacrificial altars, dolmens and other archaeological objects.

The mountains were the site of the Bulgarian Preobrazhenie Uprising of 1903 crushed by Ottoman troops. The current Bulgarian-Turkish border in the region was established after the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913, when the northern part of Strandzha became part of Bulgaria.

Culturally, the Bulgarian part of Strandzha is known for the specific architecture that can be observed in Malko Tarnovo, Brashlyan and most other villages, the rich folklore and distinctive rituals, such as nestinarstvo (barefoot dancing on live coals), that preserve numerous pagan elements.

Lom is a town in northwestern Bulgaria, part of Montana Province, situated on the right bank of the Danube, close to the estuary of the Lom River. It is 162 km north of Sofia, 56 km southeast of Vidin, 50 km north of Montana and 42 km west of Kozloduy. It is the second most important Bulgarian port on the Danube after Rousse.

Antiquity and Middle Ages
Lom was founded by the Thracians under the name of Artanes in Antiquity. After them the Romans called the fortress and the town Almus, from where the name of the today’s city and of the Lom River comes.

There are no reports proving that there existed a big settlement in the Middle Ages. It was not until Ottoman rule that it enlarged but for a long time it was under the shadow of the dominant towns of Vidin, Nikopol and Silistra. It is assumed that the Ottoman village was founded in 1695 by Kara Mustafa and Murad Bey, who were defeated at Vienna in 1683 and who came here sailing rafts along the Danube.Ottoman rule and

Bulgarian National Revival
The name Lom Palanka was mentioned for a first time in 1704. The settlement then called “palanka” was something between a village and a town in size and importance. In 1798 Lom suffered from brigand raids. With the development of shipping along the Danube after 1830, the importance of the town grew. The road to Sofia contributed to its progress and turned it into a main export port to Vienna (Austria). By 1869 there were 120 shops, 148 trade offices, 175 food shops, 34 coffee bars, 6 hotels and 2 mills. The town was centred around the old Kale (fortress), which was entered through three kapii (gates) – Vidinska, Belogradchishka, Sofiyska. The tradesmen from Lom offered goods at the biggest fairs in the region and beyond. In 1880 there were 7,500 inhabitants in the town.

Lom is proud of its traditions from the period of the Bulgarian National Revival. In 1856 the first community centre in Bulgaria was founded in the town, the first women’s society in the country was also established in 1858 and one of the first theatre performances took place in the town. Krastyu Pishurka, a noted educator, also worked in Lom.

Until the Second world war it was a major market town. After the 1944 the industry developpes – sugar factory, can factory, grain industry. It becomes a port for the southwestern part of Bulgaria.

Velingrad is one of the oldest, most beautiful and most popular Bulgarian spa resorts. It is situated in the middle of the wonderful natural surrounding of the Western Rhodopes, 86 km southwest of Plovdiv and 133 km from the capital Sofia.

Thracians, Slavs, Byzantines, Romans, and Ottomans have shaped the town’s history.

The vicinities of Velingrad have breath-taking beauty, such as magnificent coniferous and deciduous forests, spacious flower-sprinkled meadows and crystal-pure waters. The most known localities are Yundola, Belmeken, Kourtovo, and Chernovruh. The dam lakes of Batak, Dospat and Belmeken are favorite spots for hikers and fishermen alike.
Together with the numerous mineral waters Velingrad takes pride in another natural phenomenon as well – the Kleptuza. This is the biggest Karst spring in Bulgaria with a flow of 570 liters per second.

However, the greatest treasure of Velingrad are the 80 mineral springs with temperatures varying from 22 to 48C, used for treatment of a number of diseases. The abundance of mineral springs and resort facilities, the mild climate and the beautiful surrounding areas make Velingrad a desirable destination.

The town of Topolovgrad lies in southeastern Bulgaria, 27 km to the southwest of the town of Elhovo. The town and the municipality of the same name occupy the northern skirts of the Sakar mountain, while the region has been populated ever since antiquity.

The first written evidence of the existence of Topolovgrad dates to the 16th c. when the town, then named as Kavukli, was dominated by the Turkish Sultan Bayazid II. In the 18th and 19th c. the town and the region around it grew into a large vegetable-growing, animal-breeding, wine-producing and artisan centre. Vegetables produced here (onion, garlic, cabbage, etc) were sold in the markets of Odrin, Istanbul, Thessaloniki, Alexandria, Romania and Austria while each week, animal stock from the region was transported to the markets of Odrin and Istanbul.

The biggest tourist landmarks in the area are the so-called Dolmens, spread all over the region. These Thracian monuments are not only one-chambered, but also two and three-chambered, as is the case with the dolmen near the village of Hlebovo. Another historical sight is a Temple of the Sun, found in the Sakar mountain ridge between the town of Topolovgrad and the village of Hlebovo. The temple represents a 1.5km-long rock group in a fan shape, covered with more than 150 manmade circles, most of which are geometrically arranged into ensembles. The circles are all in relief with some of them being convex, and others – concave. A similar cult place of the Thracians in the region is Paleokastro. The Thracian fortress is situated 3km to the west of Topolovgrad and its natural rock walls to the east hold over 150 discs in relief that illustrate the Thracians’ cult to the sun. Finally, close to the Topolovgrad, tourists can visit one of the biggest monasteries in southern Bulgaria, namely the Holy Trinity monastery.