Shiroka Laka is a village in South Bulgaria, located at about 160km distance from Sofia. It is situated on the valley of the Rhodopean Shiroka Laka’s River, at 1050m elevation, close to the winter resort of Pamporovo. The name of the village originates from the Bulgarian word “shiroka”- wide, and the Old Bulgarian word “laka”- curve, curvature.
In the past, the Rhodopean building masters were known to be one of the best in the country. Their masterpieces still continue to astound the eye of the visitors and are bringing fame to their village. The houses are set in tiers on both banks of the local river and they are in the typical Rhodopean architecture st- two stores, oriels, wooden stairs and wide rooms. In every home there are also hiding places, which were useful during the ottoman rule. The thick white walls hide the yard from the outsiders' eyes. The yard is small and slab-covered and has a typical stone drinking fountain in the middle. All restored houses are plunging you in the Rhodopean atmosphere, but the most famous ones are the houses of Zgurov, Uchikov and Grrigorov families. There is another architectural pearl in Shiroka Laka- the local Church of the Holy Mother of God, which according to the legend, was constructed for 38 days in 1835. There’s a speculation that it was painted by the famous brothers Dimitar and Zahari Zograf.
Shiroka Laka is the heart of the Rhodopean music and quite logically the National High-school of Traditional Bulgarian Music and Instruments was built here in 1972. Young people are trained in five subjects: national traditional singing, bagpipe, wooden flute, rebec, mandolin, Bulgarian dances.
These two symbols of the village brought the status of architectural and folklore reserve to Shiroka Laka and made it a member of Bulgarian Tourist Union’s “100 Tourist Sites of Bulgaria”. Around the village are located many interesting tourist sites.
23 km from Shiroka Laka is located the town of Smolyan with its museums and the planetarium, which is one of the largest in Europe. The Smolyan’s mountain lakes are also not to be missed. At only 7km distance from the village is located the village of Gela, which is known for its annual Bagpipe festival, the biggest in Bulgaria, made at first Saturday and Sunday in August. And as we already mentioned holidays and festivals, we can’t miss one of the largest “Mummers” festival in Bulgaria, which takes place exactly in Shiroka Laka. It takes place in the first days of March and the local people call it “Presponedelnik”. If you are lucky to be there you’ll witness a weird and bewitching view. Large monsters (“kukeri”- mummers), armed with red wooden swords and decorated with garlic, beans, peppers and a large belt at the waist with multiple rhodopean bells, are dancing in the stone streets of the village. The purpose of the ritual is to chase away the evil from the village, the houses and the souls of humans. In that day the whole population, of about 560 people, is going out from their gorgeous houses and gathers to sing Rhodopean songs. All these people dressed up in traditional costumes and the wonderful architecture of the village, are creating a unique sense for the Rhodopean tradition.
If you fell under Shiroka Laka’s magic and you decided to visit the village, you can use some of its cozy small hotels or the private accommodations.
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