The village of Sitovo impresses us with colorful nature, a mystical inscription, a beautiful waterfall and a rock cult complex nearby

 

We’ve taken you on virtual tours in the Rhodopes several times. We’ve shown you the most picturesque village, we’ve revealed which the highest villages in Bulgaria are and so on... Today, however, we’ll tell you about a picturesque place, which is perfect for a one-day trip and will saturate your senses with many breathtaking views.

The village of Sitovo is located less than 30 kilometers from the city of Plovdiv, and the road there is extremely beautiful, especially in spring, when the mountain has turned green and come to life.

Its history dates back more than 2 millennia. At the time of the Odris kingdom, Thracians from the Bessi tribe (one of the most militant Thracian tribes) settled in this place. They used the hard-to-reach rock formations in the Shtut area for fortresses. During the Middle Ages (after the formation of the Bulgarian state in the 7th-14th centuries), the village fell both within the borders of Bulgaria and often within those of Byzantium. One of the first schools in the Rupchos region was built there as early as 1834. Unfortunately, today there are very few permanent residents and it is more inhabited during the warmer months, when the whole surrounding area is extremely suitable for tourism.

Here are our suggestions in the area:

Sitovo Waterfall:

It is located at the junction between the villages of Sitovo and Lilkovo. After rainfall, it is sufficiently full of water and forms interesting shapes and falls of the water.

Shortly before Sitovo, the road forks and there you have to turn right towards the bridge to the village of Lilkovo. The attraction is located directly under the bridge, and there are places around the road to leave your vehicle.

There is a path to go down and it is good to keep in mind that it is quite steep so make sure you have comfortable shoes. It’s short, but even from above you can enjoy the waterfall, which consists of several falls with a height of about 1.5 - 2 meters. The surrounding nature is also very beautiful, and the period until the end of May is one of the most suitable for visiting.

Sitovo Inscription:

Shortly after the fork for the waterfall and before the sign for Sitovo, you will find a turnoff shrouded in a dose of mysticism. The Sitovo Inscription is an undeciphered inscription of runic signs of an unknown script in the Rhodopes.

It was discovered by the scholars in 1928, when local woodcutters mentioned it to Dr. Alexander Peev, then chairman of the Plovdiv Archaeological Society, who first investigated the find.

The inscription is carved on a smoothed part of a rock in the form of a horizontal band approximately 3.4 meters long and 23–30 cm wide. The rock mass on which the inscription is carved rests on five stones. An image of the Mother Goddess from the Neolithic era is recognized on one of them, and another one of the stones is likened to an hourglass. Several main hypotheses for the authorship of the inscription have been put forward - Thracian, Celtic, Gothic, Sarmatian-Alan and Slavic.

The inscription can be reached directly from the road, along a steep path, in front of which there is a sign with information. It's a good idea to look carefully, as although quite interesting, it isn’t very visible. Still, the place has a special aura that makes it worth visiting.

Shtutgrad/Shtuda Grada:

Stugrad BG 1 (13).jpg
By Filipov Ivo - Собствена творба, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link

It is assumed that a Thracian fortress and a rock-cult complex related to the military work and religious rituals of the ancient Thracians were built in this area.

The fortress of Shtuda Grada, as well as the supposed sanctuary located on its territory, haven’t been officially researched by Bulgarian archaeologists. It is in the realm of hypothesis that it was built by the Thracian tribe of Bessi, who are known to have inhabited this region of the Rhodope Mountains in Antiquity and the Late Antiquity.

According to the inhabitants of the village of Sitovo, Shtuda Grada means "impregnable fortress", but at this stage there is no scholarly interpretation of the name.

In the vicinity of Shtudagrada, next to the Church of the Holy Mother of God, above the village of Sitovo, a spa with medicinal water was built in 1890.

Over the past few years, the Shtuda Grada has become a popular place to visit among fans of mystery and esotericism who visit the area to "charge up" on the rocks. The place enjoys a reputation as the "gateway to space".

The fortress can be reached from the village along a pedestrian route, about 2 and a half kilometers long. There are also steep sections, so we recommend that you prepare with gear.