Bryagovets is a village in

Krumovgrad Municipality Krumovgrad Municipality is a municipality in Kardzhali Province, Bulgaria. The administrative centre is Krumovgrad. Demography Religion According to the latest Bulgarian census of 2011, the religious composition, among those who answered the op ...

Kardzhali Province Kardzhali Province () is a province of southern Bulgaria, neighbouring Greece with the Greek regional units of Xanthi, Rhodope, and Evros to the south and east. It is 3209.1 km2 in area. Its main city is Kardzhali. It is Bulgaria's sout ...

, southern

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

Landmarks

Located nearby is the medieval rock monastery known as "Reverend Martin’s Hole" and holds national cultural significance. Local legends suggest that Reverend Martin used this site as a hideout during the

Ottoman era The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Central Euro ...

, where he would ambush and rob wealthy people. About 6 km southwest of Bryagovets, where the

Arda River Arda or ARDA may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Arda (Middle-earth), fictional world in the works of J. R. R. Tolkien * Arda (band), a Russian heavy metal band People * Arda (name) Places *Arda (Maritsa), a river in Bulgaria and Greece *Ard ...

flows into the Krumovitza River, lies a valley approximately 1,000 meters wide. On the cliff called Kovan Kaya, near the

Oreshari Oreshari is a village in Krumovgrad Municipality, Kardzhali Province, southern Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south o ...

protected area, there are over 150 carved rock niches. These niches, grouped in several locations, are associated with various

Thracian The Thracians (; ; ) were an Indo-European speaking people who inhabited large parts of Southeast Europe in ancient history.. "The Thracians were an Indo-European people who occupied the area that today is shared between north-eastern Greece, ...

archaeological sites in the region. The Ivaylovgrad dam, situated 27 km to the east of Bryagovets, is one of the largest dams in Bulgaria. The dam supports a variety of fish species, including

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order (biology), order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Catfish are common name, named for their prominent barbel (anatomy), barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, though not ...

carp The term carp (: carp) is a generic common name for numerous species of freshwater fish from the family (biology), family Cyprinidae, a very large clade of ray-finned fish mostly native to Eurasia. While carp are prized game fish, quarries and a ...

, and

zander The zander (''Sander lucioperca''), sander or pikeperch, is a species of ray-finned fish from the Family (biology), family Percidae, which also includes perch, Gymnocephalus, ruffe and Darter (fish), darter. It is found in freshwater and brackis ...

, making it a popular spot for

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

. Additionally, the dam is used for water sports, hosting the Republican

canoeing Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. In some parts of Europe, canoeing refers to both canoeing and kayaking, with a canoe being called an 'open canoe' or Canadian. A few of the recreational ...

regatta every June.

References

Villages in Kardzhali Province {{Kardzhali-geo-stub