Dimitrovgrad Rural Tourism
Dimitrovgrad or Caribrod /until 1950/ or Carski brod is small town in the south-easternmost Serbia with some 7000 inhabitants, few kilometers from the Gradina-Kalotina border crossing with Bulgaria, 28 km south of Pirot and 65 km northwest of Sofia. The present town of Dimitrovgrad and tiny – sometimes forgotten and nearly deserted – surrounding villages are located in the ancient and historical area of the Tsarigrad Road – the former Via Militaris to Sofia and Tsarigrad along which travelled the Romans, Turks, Cherkesses, Kukyaks, Bashi-bazouks.…. In the annals of Sultan the Magnificent we find this settlement under the name of Tekvur Binari – the Slavic name of Carski bunar – Caribrod. After the Berlin Congress in 1878 Caribrod became part of Bulgaria where it remained until 1919. Part of the Bulgarians from Pirot, after the Berlin Congress moved here to Dimitrovgrad because Pirot was part of the Kingdom of Serbia. Only after the First World War Caribrod came under the Serbian jurisdiction with the ruling Karadjordjevic Family.
Dimitrovgrad is located in the picturesque area of Šopluk – between Serbia, Bulgaria and Macedonia, populated with the Shopi people of unique characteristics, heritage and customs. The territory of Dimitrovgrad Municipality features perfectly intact nature and hilly-mountainous relief – the Stara Planina Mountain and the Greben Mountain, with valleys of the rivers of Nišava, Visočica, Jerma and the Lukavačka reka river with numerous streams. The area of the Dimitrovgrad Municipality is divided into 5 parts – Visok, Zabrđe, Ponišavlje, Burel and Derekul, with total of 43 populated settlements. The artificial lakes of Savat 1 and Savat 2, 12 km away from Dimitrovgrad were constructed in 1979 in the Zabrdje area in the carst Odorovac Valley at the elevation of 700 meters, close to the village of Smilovac, and thus known also as the Smilovska jezera. There are numerous options for fully invigorating, healthy and active vacations in Dimitrovgrad area throughout the year….
