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Photo: Melqkov, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
A large 18th century mansion of a local family of wine merchants, now a privately-run museum and a winery. The house overlooks the ruins of the family church, St. Barbara.
The Kordopulov House is a large late Ottoman style house in the southwestern Bulgarian town of Melnik. It was built in 1754 specifically for wine production and was bought by the Greek merchant Manolis Kordopoulos. The house, possibly the largest of its kind and period, is located in the town's eastern part and consists of a ground floor that includes a wine cellar, a semi-basement for economic needs and a bay floor intended to be inhabited.
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The trail is about 4 km long and connects Melnik with the Roshen Monastery.
A very beautiful place with a peaceful atmosphere. The church is located in the forest and has beautiful and unique ornaments. It is a 5-10 minute walk from Melnik. Also easily accessible for children.
Only the foundation walls of the former monastery remain. The view from there is well worth the walk.
There are two paths to St Nikola, one behind the Kordipul house and one behind the road bridge. The first is a bit steeper. From here it goes up to the restored chapel of the Holy Virgin of Spiliotissa and from here, in a few minutes, in a westerly direction, to the ruins of the church of St Nikola.
The ruins of the small fortress above Melnik offer a magnificent view and are well worth a visit. Unfortunately, it has not been much restored. However, it is clear of bushes and can be reached in 15 minutes from the centre of Melnik.
The villagers of Lyubovishte had petitioned the government for years to build a more direct road to their village without any success. Finally, in 1961 they took the matter in their own hands and dug a tunnel through a mel without any machines, greatly shortening the road distance to the village. Ultimately, this wasn't enough to stall the march of time: at the end of 2023, Lyubovishte had a permanent population of 11.