The Northwestern Kingdom – the kingdom of history, marvelous nature and ancient legends. Nowadays, the Northwestern region is famous mainly for its weak economy and for the dwindling number of young people among the population – in short, for its declining state. Each little village or town here is “labeled” with this term. And if there’s anything to attract foreigners to these lands, that’s the history, the nature and the legends.

Belogradchik – the small town with a long and slightly tricky name. Today we can no longer see the whitewashed houses that once gave it this name. But we can see the eternal, the magnificent red rocks. The town owes its popularity to them both in Bulgaria and abroad. To them it owes its miraculous appearance. They are the reason why the town’s holiday falls on St.Peter’s Day - the Greek word “petros” (πέτρος) means “stone” or “rock.” They are what attracts tourists, artists and poets to the town.

There are numerous paths in the surroundings of Belogradchik. Many of them lead to various places in the area – a legendary rock, the resting place of a hero or a new angle from which one can recognize a new object of his or her imagination or a new form in the rocky face. Here almost every rock has inspired the folklore and has given birth to its own fascinating story.

Centuries ago, in the time of the Roman Empire, there was a women’s monastery among the rocks. A girl of unearthly beauty called Vitinya served in it. The monastic robe couldn’t hide her beauty and rumours of the girl were spreading far and wide. They reached Antonio, a Roman man – Vitinya captivated him with her charm and the fire of love was struck between them. They managed to keep it hidden from the nuns for a long time but after a while the fruit of their love was born. Vita was banished from the monastery. At the same time Antonio came to ask the nuns for forgiveness. Suddenly, there was a heavy storm – a thunder hit the earth, it began to shake and the monastery fell to pieces. The nuns, Antonio and Vita, carrying her child, turned into stone. This is how we see them today – the Madonna, woefully leaning over her infant, The Horseman and the Monks.

Stories of old and newer times live behind the tall gates of the Kaleto Fortress. Built and used by Romans, Byzantines, Bulgarians and Turks, it hides a lot of mysteries and stories about the past of the whole region.

There is an astronomical observatory in Belogradchik. The sky observation base is situated high above, about a hundred metres away from the Kaleto Fortress. And the sky here is really close and thickly covered with celestial bodies. In addition to purely astronomical activities, the observatory holds poetic evenings – poetry in the outdoors, under the stars. This way the poems sound even deeper and more captivating.

The long history of the northwestern town has seen turbulent historical events as well as the development of traditional crafts and customs. A part of this history is collected in Panov’s House (Panovata Kashta). It is a building dating from 1810 – an example of Western Bulgaria’s Renaissance architecture. It is now home to the local Historical Museum.

Belogradchik is lucky to be one of the few towns that have their own Museum of Natural History. The art gallery, the unique Magura cave near the village of Rabisha and the several cycle paths add to the opportunity for a fulfilling and memorable experience in the marvelous town of Belogradchik.

And Vidin – tranquility in the big town. A place full of historical sites – buildings from long gone times.

Vidin is home to the only old post office preserved in Bulgaria. The massive two-storey building with a bank vault in its basement was specially built to serve this purpose during the second half of the 19^th century. The first building in liberated Bulgaria which was also built to serve a particular purpose – to provide a stage for the theatre companies – has been home to the Vidin Municipality Theatre to this very day. A number of cultural monuments serve as proof for the rich historical past and the intensity of life in these lands through the centuries – the Turkish konak Koluka, the Mosque and The Library of Osman Pazvantoglu, the Cross-shaped Barracks, the Mausoleum of Bulgaria’s first patriarch Antim I, the St. V. M. Dimitar Cathedral and many others.

The famous Baba Vida fortress is a symbol of the town and there is hardly anyone who hasn’t heard of it. It is one of the best preserved medieval defense facilities, lying upon the foundation of the ancient fortress of Bononia. Today, its close proximity to the Danube bank further increases its attractiveness.

The numerous natural attractions and historical monuments, the Danube river and the proximity of Romania as well as the comparatively new bridge, spanning above the river, and the local wine tourism opportunities can only make us come here or come back to discover or rediscover another precious spot in beautiful Bulgaria.