Melnik

With under 300 inhabitants, Bulgaria's smallest town - Melnik, 20 km southeast of Sandanski, is famous for its robust red wine, impressive houses and natural surroundings. Nestled amidst the southwestern fold of Pirin mountain, Melnik combines memories of a prosperous past and unique in its kind countryside with whimsical sand pyramids, sandstone towers and mushrooms, vineyards and orchards. The original Revival architecture of the Melnik houses with their famous sand wine-cellars, the ruins of the old-time splendour such as the 13th century Boyar House, and the numerous churches, are the reason Melnik has become an architectural reserve. You can still enjoy the justly famed Melnik wine once traded as far as Western Europe in the numerous taverns and hotels. Moreover, the proximity to the 12th century Rozhen Monastery and the Rupite - home village and burial place of the oracle Baba Vanga, makes Melnik the most popular destination in southern Pirin.