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| Hotel Madonna | ||||
| Location in Bulgaria: Belogardchik is about 200km. away from Sofia in north-western direction, see the map | ||||
| Type: Guest house | ||||
| Beds: 12 | ||||
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Both the hotel and the tavern are in the
same building. The exact geographic coordinates of the place are 43° N
37' 35'' 5'''e 22°E 44' 26'' 7''' and 546 m. above sea level. The hotel is upstairs. There is a bedroom and some double rooms with bathrooms and all modern conveniences. In case of larger groups, a stay at the hosts’ family house is arranged (some double rooms are available), also in some private accommodations in the town. The tavern is downstairs. The interior is decorated in Bulgarian Revival style – a wooden bar and tables, tablecloths with typical Bulgarian embroidery, hunting trophies on the walls and an old-fashioned fireplace. There are 30 seats in the hall, arranged in 4 separate places, decorated in 4 different colors. There are 20 more seats in the garden in summer. The accent here is on a small water corner and an old-fashioned cart, reconstructed as a table for 4-6 guests. It’s easy to ignore reality by sitting there. The cuisine is traditional Bulgarian one. The specialties are dishes typical for the region. The wine-cellar in the tavern offers a special selection of wines from the region. Prices are reasonable and correspond exactly to the quality that is offered. Hotel-tavern “Madonna” is family business. The beginning was in 1994 from nothing. With their own efforts, the hosts built the tavern first and the hotel later. Thus a small, cosy complex appeared on a built-up area. The hosts treat every visitor like a friend. Mr. Mladenov knows the region very well. If your stay is longer, he’ll show you incredible places. Mrs. Mladenova will fascinate you both with delicious dishes and half-forgotten legends and stories. Mr.Mladenov,Jr. knows the history of the town and the region and will shower you with curious facts of this and that. In this way, the guests in hotel-tavern “Madonna” become friends with the hosts and come back. Visiting this place only once is not enough. One Mladenovs’ ambitious project is the building of a holiday ecovillage near Belogradchik, with completely finished infrastructure – a bigger hotel, a restaurant, a park, fitness, a swimming pool, a ski track. The foundation is put and the result will be one new, unique place. |
 The Madonna Legend
Ages
ago there were two monasteries among the Belogradchik rocks-a convent
and a cloister. Sister Valentina couldn’t hide her beauty under her
frock and the rumor was soon spread all around. A young man named Anton
came to give vent to his love with a wooden flute-as a whisper and an
ephemeral kiss. Valentina`s heart leapt passionately with joy and
anguish and then one night she dropped a rope down from her cell….
After some time the cry of a child was heard in the monastery. The lewd
was cursed and banished…. Anton got his horse to take his beloved
woman; the monks went on to defend her. Oh, miracle: The Lord- a
witness of this unblemished love - sent storm, thunder and earthquake-
the cloister was razed to the ground… Valentina with a child in her
arms was petrified. The monks turned into stone, and Anton stood on the
horse back to wait for his beloved forever.
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