About Bulgaria - Petrich

Petrich
The town of Petrich (29,134 inhabitants) is situated in the far south-western part of Bulgaria and only 13 km west of the border with Greece and 20 km east of the border with Macedonia.
It is 23 km away from the town of Sandanski, 88 km away from Blagoevgrad, and 189 km away from Sofia. The town is located at the northern foot of the Belassitsa Mountain on the banks of the Petrich river.

The town, and its name, is derived from the ancient Thracian town of Petra (4-5 AD). It was subsequently conquered by the Romans and then Slavs - hence the Slav ending "-ich".
Some of this history is retained by its buildings - museum (Samouil Fortress), churches and temple.
The surrounding area is also of historical interest. Five kilometres northeast of the town are the remains of dwellings, from the Hellenic epoch (most probably of the ancient town of Petra). There are parts of a fortress wall, basement floor of public buildings, architectural fragments. Coins found here date back to 3-4 BC.
The Roupite natural reserve is situated 10 km northeast of the town. There are a number of hot mineral springs at the bottom of the dead volcano of Kozjuh. This is an extremely beautiful and impressive place. The Bulgarian prophet Vanga lived here and also built the "St. Petka" church.
The village of Marikostinovo (13 km east of Petrich) also has hot mineral springs, with temperatures of around 60 deg.C

