Hello dear Hivers! 👋🏻
In the following blog i’ll tell you about the Bulgarian Stonehenge near Rayuvtsi village, Bulgaria! 🇧🇬
The village of Rayuvtsi is located very close to the beautiful Yovkovtsi dam, 28 km from the town of Veliko Tarnovo and 18 km from Elena.
Memorial complex “Valchan voyvoda
How to get there
On the following link you can see the animation
https://www.pictramap.com/app/view?p=2ca408
The big surprise here are the "Stones of Rayuvtsi" - or the so-called Bulgarian version of the world-famous Stonehenge.
One cannot help but be amazed at the type and size of the raised stones, forming a perfect circle. They are huge pieces of stone painted with thoughts, poems, ancient signs and faces.
The village is full of old but restored houses that preserve the Bulgarian Revival spirit of the Elena region.
Legends about the village and the famous haidutin Valchan Voyvoda can be heard throughout the area. One of them says that after the failure of the Strandzha conspiracy, he retired and moved to the village of Rayuvtsi. Valchan has dedicated his whole life to the good of the Bulgarian people. That is why a 10-meter statue has been erected in his honor in the Valcha Polyana area since 2015.
Monument of Valchan voyvoda
From the top of the monument there is a 360 degree panorama to the beautiful curves of the foothills and the Yovkovtsi dam.
Behind the monument is the dam
Feeling of freedom and complete peace.
Around the huge monument there are pieces of stone / called the Bulgarian Stonehenge / with inscriptions - quotes that symbolize the eternal wisdom of life and direct the focus of our thoughts to the truly valuable things, at the expense of vanity and greed. Messages from Vasil Levski, Hristo Botev, Paisii Hilendarski, Kolyo Ficheto, Vanga and others are carved here.
One forgets both torment and suffering when sees that the work to which he has devoted his life is also valued and understood by others.
-Zahari Stoyanov 🇧🇬
Valchan Voyvoda is one of the most legendary names in our history. His personality is the subject of many myths and legends wandering through the Bulgarian lands, and his exact fate is shrouded in mystery. Due to the fact that there are no specific historical sources and data about his life, he is one of the images that have left a bright mark in the native folklore. Despite the lack of reliable sources for the life of the famous voivode, one thing is certain - thanks to the protection and assistance he provided to the civilian population, the hero quickly built the image of a fearless, relentless and relentless protector.
Get to know the history to realize the greatness of Bulgaria over the centuries
-Valchan voyvoda 🇧🇬
The information about Valchan Voyvoda is so contradictory that even his birth name remains a mystery. There are theories that it was Valko Bimbelov or Valchan Pandurski. The most common hypothesis about its field is the Strandzha region. He is believed to have been born between 1770 and 1780, and is known to have been a shepherd in his youth.
One of the legends tells us about the kidnapping of his beloved - a common motif in Bulgarian folklore. This act was committed by a Turk who liked Valchan's fiancée - Rada. He summoned the duke to the konak and threatened him not to look for his bride again if he liked life. Valchan did not reconcile with the attack and soon organized a small detachment, armed it, and together with it "captured the forest." One evening the Chetniks waited for a Turk and killed him, and Valchan took Rada back with him. As a result, a battle broke out with the loss, and in the battle his beloved died, pierced by a bullet.
This story attracted the attention of the local Turkish authorities and the duke was forced to flee his homeland. He reached as far as the White Sea, where he became close to a Greek, Spyros. The two gathered a detachment, with which they began to meet Turkish caravans in the passages and rob them. This idea of theirs grew into something large-scale and significant. Only a few years later, Valchan led one of the largest bandits in the Bulgarian lands, numbering nearly 300 people. He acted mainly in Eastern and Southeastern Bulgaria.
His detachment constantly attacked the caravans sent from Constantinople, which collected local taxes. In addition to his loyal rebels, Vulchan had another strategic advantage - he had a spy, deployed in the immediate vicinity of the sultan himself. It is believed that this man was Kara Emin aga and it was he who gave information to the duke when and where the caravans carrying the gold to the Constantinople treasury would pass. In just a few years, the Duke of Valchan and his guerrillas accumulated innumerable riches. They not only robbed caravans passing through the passes, but also found Roman, Thracian and Old Bulgarian treasures.
Mud, rain, falling, getting up, you can't walk, but when it's for the freedom of Bulgaria, the hero has to endure everything.
-Bacho Kiro 🇧🇬
Legend has it that with the gold collected the duke helped the poor Bulgarians by building houses and monasteries. However, it was not the generosity of Valchan that was the main reason for the hero to be sung in folk art, but the protection he provided to his people against the Kurds. It was the beginning of the 19th century that was marked by the increasingly frequent raids of Kardzhali bandits, who roamed, robbed and mistreated the local population. Folklore has preserved the history of a monastery that was looted by robbers, and blasphemers hanged a priest on a tree and set him on fire on the way out.
As soon as he found out about this, the Duke of Valchan set out to pursue them with his detachment, overtook them and after a short battle defeated them. The surviving robbers were hanged, and the Duke of Valchan paid with part of the accumulated wealth for the rebuilding of the monastery.
It is believed that the Duke of Vulcan died in Tulcea or Braila around 1860. Nowadays, the brave Bulgarian is best known for his treasure, accumulated by him and his detachment during the long years of banditry. This treasure is the fruit of thousands of myths and legends. It is said that after each robbery, most of what was stolen was carefully hidden in a cave.
There are legends about more than one or two caves, which Valchan Voivoda used to store his innumerable treasures. His wealth was so great that it is said that the bandit sent his men to the Russian tsar to persuade Russia to start a war with the Ottoman Empire, and the duke promised to pay all expenses. According to another legend, Valchan gave a huge amount of money to Evlogi and Hristo Georgievi to build the Higher Bulgarian School - the University.
Many caves and places have been excavated by treasure hunters in the last two centuries in search of treasure, but their fate is still unknown. Undoubtedly, Valchan Voivoda is one of the most mystical personalities in our history, mostly due to the many contradictory information about his life. Although there are no specific historical data, it leaves a bright mark in the minds of Bulgarians from the first half of the XIX century. With the protection he provided to the people and his desire to restore Bulgaria, he appeared as one of the first fighters for national liberation.
The chapel of St. Petka Tarnovska was erected a hundred meters from the monument.
Legend has it that this place was created by God and is charged with positive and miraculous power.
In the chapel every visitor can light a candle, and next to it is a beautiful gazebo where you can relax and enjoy with all your senses in this magical place.
From here, from above, there is a unique view of the Yovkovtsi dam, one of the largest and most beautiful in the country. It was built on the Veselina River near the town of Elena, and its construction took more than ten years. The name of the dam comes from the name of a village that remained under its waters during construction. The dam can be seen from different countries and villages around Elena and is an excellent place for walks and recreation, as well as fishing.