Shiroka Luga

The village of Shiroka laka with its population of 800 inhabitants (2001) is a part of the Smoljan municipality. It is located on the southwest slopes of Chernatitsa part  and northeast slopes of Perelik part of Rhodope mountain on 1059 m above sea level. Shirokolashka reka flows through the village. There are many trout-breeding reservoirs along the river bed. The village of Shiroka laka lies on the main road Smolyan – Devin. The distance to Smoljan is 20 km, to Devin – 21 km, to mountain resort Pamporovo – 13 km, to the Trigrad gorge and Devil’s throat – 38 km and to Jagodina cave – 36 km. In southern direction are the small villages Solishta, Gela and Stikal, which are situated in sunny mountain ridges in the foothills of Perelik part of Rhodope mountain. Here is the highest peak in the Rhodope mountain – Goljam Perelik(2191 m). Other peaks in the environment are: Malak Perelik(2147 m), Karlak, Shirokolashki sneshnik(2188 m) and the precious cone-peak Turlata(1825 m).The village of Shiroka laka is one of the nicest National Revival villages in Bulgaria. The houses are from the period end of XVIII-th – beginning of the XX-th centuries. In the village are more than 90 cultural monuments: 6 bridges, 2 churches, one school, one fountain, two barns and many houses. Some of the oldest houses are the house of Captain Nikola(1802) and Vladishka house(1829). The houses from the middle of  XIX-th century are with two or three floors and belong to the type “Big Rhodopean house”, most of them with not symmetrical scheme, with stone chimneys, thick walls, small windows, hammered gates, inner wooden staircases and wood-carved ceilings in the rooms. The roofs of the houses are covered with flat stones instead of tiles. We have to mention Kalaidjijskata, Uchikovskata, Grigorovskata, Bogdanovata houses, Zgurovija konak, the churches “Sveta Bogoroditsa”(Virgin)(1834) and “Sveti Pantaleymon”(1888).Shiroka laka was liberated from the Turk domination in 1912 after the Balkan War.The village is famous all over the world for the magnificent Bulgarian Rhodopean songs, accompanied of bagpipes. Here is also one of the two Music Junior High schools for folklore musical instruments. You could enjoy the music of the local singers and pipers, when you make reservation in the Tourist information center in Shiroka laka. For mountaineers there are a lot of possibilities to walk to the huts Izgrev, Perelik und Lednitsata and climb many peaks. In winter you could go skiing in Pamporovo. And in spring, summer and autumn you could recreate in Devin spa resort. And not to miss of course the warm atmosphere in the beautiful restaurants, taverns and small family-hotels in Shiroka laka.