Luki is a small town in Southern Bulgaria, situated 36km away from the town of Assenovgrad. It lies 240km to the southeast of Sofia and 54km away from Plovdiv, in the strongly rugged Prespanski part of the Rhodopi Mountain. The town is built at 634m above sea level. About half of the town’s population that totals some 2,500 people is Orthdox Christians, while the rest are Muslims (Sunnites).
Luki is situated close to the famous Bachkovo monastery, as well as to the big ski resort of Pamporovo. The municipality of Luki is primarily famous for its “Krustova Gora – St. Troitsa” monastery complex (Cross’s Forest – Holy Trinity). It also appeals to hunters for a state game-breeding ground, named Kormisosh, which offers perfect conditions for hunting tourism. The area around the town is particularly picturesque due to the gorges of several rivers – Manastirska, Dryanovska, Yugovska and Lukinska, a typical mountainous terrain and beautiful Karst shapes.
The town’s economy has been traditionally dominated by the extraction of lead and zinc ores. Some years ago, the municipality had several active mines on its territory, but at present only 2 continue to be exploited. The town also has a factory for ore enrichment. The textile industry which sells its produce both at home and abroad is the other big branch of the local economy.
The biggest local holiday of the town of Luki is the so-called Miner’s Holiday, held in the last week of August each year. The gathering is attended by miners not only from the town of Luki but also from nearby villages.
