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Belitsa (Bulgarian: Белица) is a small town in South-Western Bulgaria, and the gateway to the nearby small mountain resort Semkovo on the slopes of the Rila mountains. A bear sanctuary was established there in 2000 for "dancing bears" from Bulgaria and other Balkan countries after the practice was outlawed.
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Built by the international animal welfare organisation Four Paws in 2000, the sanctuary houses bears from Balkan countries, Argentina and Ukraine, on a total area of . The guided tours are offered in Bulgarian and English and include descriptions of the bears' poor original living conditions. The park's landscape is not suitable for people with mobility issues and baby strollers.
Modest provincial history museum. Archaeological finds from Thracian and other sites nearby, the obligatory ethnographic exhibits about life during the National Revival period, and the modern history of Belitsa. It shares a building with the tourist information centre; museum entrance is on the left.
By bus
By train
Belitsa is one of the stops on the Rhodopes narrow gauge railway. About 35-40 min from Bansko, 30 min from Razlog, 130 min from Velingrad, almost 4 hr from the start of the line at Septemvri.
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