Kazanluk lies in the Kazanluk Valley, the eastern part of which is known as the Rose Valley, and its distance to
Sofia is about 200km. Even if the area has been inhabited continuously since Neolithic times, it was the Thracians that left their biggest stamp on the place. The Thracian tribe of Odrissi established their capital city of Sevtopolis about 7km to the west of the present-day town of Kazanluk (currently beneath the waters of the Koprinka dam). This happened in the 5-4th c. BC during the rule of the Thracian King Sevt III. Twelve burial tombs from those times have been discovered so far, including the famous Kazanluk Thracian Tomb that is inscribed in UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
Today’s town of Kazanluk emerged in the 15th c. AC and rapidly became known in the entire Ottoman Empire for its produce of rose oil, copper plates, aba (coarse woolen cloth and upper male clothes made of it) and gaitan (braids). Yet following the town’s liberation from Ottoman rule, it quickly lost former markets for its goods. Crafts and trade declined, but were replaced by new economic activities.
Apart from the Kazanluk Thracian Tomb, which is a true masterpiece of Thracian art, visitors of Kazanluk can take a few-kilometer ride to another interesting tomb, the so-called Muglizh tomb. It is situated 3km to the west of the town of Muglizh and dates back to the 3rd c. BC. Another interesting sight of Kazanluk is the town’s Museum of the Rose – unique of its kind not only in Bulgaria. And if one happens to be in town during the first weekend of June, then he or she should not miss the annual Festival of Roses, held then.
Kazanluk’s vicinities abound of historical sights. The most notable of these is no doubt the Shipka-Buzludzha National Park and Museum. The complex includes the Shipka monastery (12km away from Kazanluk), the Memorial to Freedom on Mt. Shipka (26km northwest of the town), the memorial outside the village of Sheinovo, the Monument to Victory, and historical sights at Mt. Buzludzha.
