Bulgaria’s Most Wanted – property jewels

The hype and publicity of the past few years leaves one with the impression that there are few undiscovered parts of Bulgaria left. Indeed, those who have spent their vacations on the Black Sea or in the mountain resorts may be in danger of believing that Bulgaria is one huge building site. Yet this is far from the truth, the country holds many jewels, unrivalled in their natural beauty and historic significance. Historical towns with fantastic architecture, many offer excellent property investment opportunities as well as an idyllic hideaway from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

Sozopol
Sozopol is a small town located just 30 km south of Bulgaria’s second largest coastal city, Bourgas. The town is a thriving and growing beach resort town and plays host to the annual Apollonia Film and Art Festival, which was the name given to Sozopol by early Thracians. The summer months see the town turn into a lively bustling resort and the increasing popularity of the town has given rise to its nickname St Tropez. The town has been visited by some big Hollywood names including Ralph Fiennes, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie and Gold Frapp. Today the number of inhabitants living permanently in Sozopol is 4,641. The average price for a traditional house in the town is 111,500 euro. The architectural style is traditional well-preserved, wooden Revival houses with small windows and a staircase to the ground floor as they are all set above ground level.

Arabanassi
Located high on a plateau overlooking the hills of Tzarevetz and Trapezitza, Arabanassi, only four kilometers from Veliko Turnovo hides its delightful treasure of impressive architecture and striking churches. Today the approximate number of inhabitants living here is 8,786.
This town is an historic settlement with national significance and is frequently visited by archaeologists, tourists, scientists, architects, historians and artists. It has a wealth of wood and stone Revival homes most of which have preservation orders on them. Arabanassi thrived under Ottoman rule, but was subject to many raids; many of the old houses have hiding places and bars on the windows and no terraces. The town is also known for its spa centre, located just 15 minutes from the town centre, which has five small swimming pools with temperatures ranging from 36 degree to 56 degrees. The water here has a high mineral content due to the lie of the surrounding hills and the water is believed to help heal illness and conditions such as neurological complaints, slipped discs, allergies, conditions of the digestive system and some kidney diseases. Average property prices here are around 93,000 euro. On top of this, most will need some sort of renovation work, which will have to be done in keeping with the Revival nature of the town’s architecture.

Kotel
Kotel lies in central Bulgaria and is part of Sliven Province. It has a population of around 7,179 and is famous as a museum town preserving architecture from the National Revival period. Many famous people are connected to Kotel such as former politicians Alexander Bogoridi and Stefan Bogoridi, enlighteners Sophronius of Vratsa and Petar Beron, public figure Gavril Krastevich, revolutionary Georgi Rakovski and World War II Prime Minister Dobri Bozhilov.

In the heart of the town, there is a well-known music school and a large, talented population who can be found playing in the majority of the restaurants and orchestras all over Bulgaria. The town itself is also home to a small spa centre, which is best known for curing respiratory problems. Kotel was a big centre for carpet weaving and there is a museum devoted to this craft (below). Houses in Kotel are traditional two-storey wooden builds with white painted walls, wooden window frames. Most houses here have walled gardens. The average price of a house in the town is 110,675 euro. Future developments planned for the area include three complexes with five hotels with facilities such as tennis courts, football pitches, kids clubs, casinos and swimming pools. The completion date for this project is 2013.

Kovachevitza
Surrounded by a range of high mountain ridges, this stunning village is a labyrinth of cobbled streets containing attractive, tall, white houses with stone roofs. Set in the heart of the Pirin Mountains in southwestern Bulgaria not too far from the capital it has already attracted its fair share of wealthy Bulgarians and expat families. It is also popular with film crews providing the perfect backdrop for historical movies and series; over 20 films were made here. In 1977, the town became a protected historical reserve and in 2002, a group of people joined together to preserve the cultural and the historical heritage and to improve the environment and the landscape. They are in the process of enhancing the regional infrastructure and provide employment to the local residents through cultural tourism development. Nature has blessed this area with picturesque canyons, thick forests, a crystal-clear river, an appealing climate is incredibly fresh and cool and towering peaks offering breath-taking views. Today the number of inhabitants that live in Kovachevitza is 10,765 many of whom are pensioners and early retirees. The average cost of a house in the town is around 98,000 euro; generally, the conditions of the houses are good and well maintained, however some aspects may need some renovation work.

Tryavna
This idyllic town is positioned in the centre of Bulgaria on the northern hill of the Balkan range close to the Tryavna river vale, near Gabrovo. The town is famed for its textile industry and classic National Revival architectural style. It is home to 140 cultural monuments, expositions and museums and is known in Bulgaria as the birthplace of the famous Bulgarian writer Pencho Slaveykov and the revolutionary Angel Kanchev. The village used to be a Thracian settlement and documentary evidence of its existence dates it back to the 12th century. A short drive from the centre, the town’s mineral spas attract a host of visitors. The Vonesthta Voda resort’s famous mineral springs offers excellent conditions for medical tourism and balneotherapy. The water is rich in sulphurated hydrogen and is perfect for the medical treatment of metabolic disorders, skin diseases, and diseases of the respiratory organs

The average price for a house in the town is 63,000 euro however many of these old houses will need quite a bit of renovation work. A typical house has irregular shaped ground floors and used to house the town’s traders. The upper floors have characteristic wooden bowed windows, the roofs covered with strategically placed rock and the exterior walls are painted white. Most houses come with large gardens and villagers still grow all of their own produce. The town has 12, 226 inhabitants but there are plans for a new apartment complex, which will include around 1,000 apartments with an 18-hole golf course built close to the river. The development is due for completion in 2011.