Sofia - Melnik

Melnik is the smallest town in Bulgaria, located in Blagoevgrad district, Sandanski municipality. It is 175 km from the city of Sofia and 20 km from the city of Sandanski. It is located on the southwestern slopes of Pirin in a deep valley on both banks of the Rozhensky Stream and the Melnishka River. It is surrounded by high, steep screes that are constantly sliding. The houses are two or three stories high, almost without yards, perched on top of each other. It was declared a museum city in 1964. 

The town has a long and rich history. The archaeological materials found show that there was a fairly large settlement here even in antiquity. 

In the 6th century, the settlement was occupied by Slavs and received the Slavic name Melnik, and under Khan Presiyan it entered the borders of the Bulgarian state. During the Middle Ages, Melnik often fell under Byzantine rule. 

During the Renaissance, Melnik experienced a stormy economic boom. It is a busy commercial center with major international connections. This is helped by the famous Melnik wine, which was in great demand on the European market. It was produced from dried and fresh grapes and after aging in barrels for several years in the specially prepared cellars, the barrels were loaded on boats and mules and the caravans headed for Austria, Hungary, Venice, Spain, England. The city also exported tuna and cotton. During the Renaissance, it developed as an important cultural center. 

After the Liberation War, the city remained under Ottoman rule. The city was liberated as a result of the Balkan War (1912). Then it was burned down and a large part of its population emigrated. 

Valuable historical and architectural monuments have remained from the rich and flourishing medieval and Renaissance Melnik - houses, wine cellars, churches. 

The Kordopul House is distinguished by its rich interior decoration. The large living room makes a special impression. All walls inside from floor to ceiling are covered with decorative murals. The decoration of the ceiling is a successful combination of fine light carvings with flower fields. The room has two rows of windows, the upper one decorated with colored glass. There is a large wine cellar with special drainage and ventilation under the house. It is the largest Renaissance house in Melnik, one of the fortress houses that dominates the whole town like a kind of medieval residence. In the ground floor, huge cellars were dug deep into the ground, in which 10,000 to 30,000 liter barrels, totaling more than 250,000 liters of Melnik wine, were stored. Above the commercial mezzanine is the bay window floor for living. Here are the large kitchen, the room with the blue ceiling, from where there is a wonderful view of the entire city, the large living room with a fireplace, the home chapel. The south-western part of the floor is occupied by the famous reception hall, where celebrations were held. It has 24 Venetian stained glass windows and an original decorated ceiling, a real treasure for our interior architecture.