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Belogradchik is a town in north-west Bulgaria, picturesquely spread over the western part of the Balkan Mountains, 550 m above sea level. Belogradchik is very small town with population of only 6780 people. It is very famous tourist destination particularly known for the Belogradchik Rocks Phenomenon. The rocks are spread for almost 30 km around the town and have formed different shapes with amazing resemblance of people, birds and animals, castles and fortresses, chariots, and skyscrapers, some of which 200 m tall. The most impressive formations are located in close proximity of the town, namely – The Madona, The Horseman, The Monks, The Lion, The Bear, The Castle, etc. The next sublime formation is 4 km out of the town; its most tremendous figure is The Dinosaur.
It is believed that the forming of these unique geographical structures started 230 million years ago. At that time the relief in the region was deeply indented. When the processes of weathering began together with the common tendency of sinking of the ground, the earth started to even itself. The highest parts of the relief started eroding and under the nature powers (water, wind, sun), for millions of years the wonderful Belogradchik Rocks were formed. There are more that 100 caves formed in the rocks.
One of the biggest attractions in the region is the Magura Cave located 17 km from Belogradchik. It is one of the biggest caves in Bulgaria with the common length of the galleries a little over 2000 m; its entrance is 461 m above sea level. What is peculiarly interesting about the cave is that there are over 700 paintings on the walls dating back from the Bronze Age. The paintings are depicting hunting rituals; there are also dancing male and female figures, animals, stars, plants, different tools, etc.
Another cultural landmark in the region is the Roman Fortress - Kaleto. It was built between I-III centuries by the Romans to secure the strategic routes between the mountains. The area of the fortress is 10,200 square m, it has 2 gates and has a capacity of 3000 people.
Some of the towns close to Belogradchik are Vidim, Montana, Kula, etc.
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