"Devin" Devin by hekate

Devin Travel Guide: 20 reviews and 55 photos

Some facts

The town of Devin has 6018 inhabitants, and stands on 710 m above sea level. It is situated on the two banks of Devinska River, in a small hilly valley in the very heart of the Rhodope mountain.

What Devin is most well-known is its mineral water springs, superb nature, and fresh mountain air. That made it one of the good balneology resorts in Bulgaria.

The resort is located 45 km north-west of Smolyan, 90 km south of Plovdiv and 198 km south- east of the Bulgarian capital Sofia.

It is 57 km and 82 km south of Krichim and Pazardzhik respectively, and 40 km north-east of Dospat.

21 km distant from Devin is the architectural- ethnographic reserve Shiroka luka.

History

The centre

As early as the Thracian period an ancient settlement and a sanctuary existed at that place. The ancient settlement was situated in the present boundaries of Selishte Area, on the left bank of Vucha River and was then called Diove.

When the Slavs came, they gave it the name of Dyovlen, meaning most probably a small valley, narrow lowland. The village was desolated during the attempts to convert the Bulgarian population to Islam in 1666-1671. Some of the inhabitants of the old village moved to the Vlas' huts, where they laid the foundations of the present town.

A Medieval necropolis dating back to 13th-14th century was found in the centre of the town. The names of the surrounding localities and peaks prove that this land was populated by Bulgarians ever since.

The most ancient document, which mentions the name of Devin, is of Turkish origin and represents a list of dzhelepkeshani (cattle breeders) in 1576. There are no other documents on the remote past of the settlement - most probably they were destroyed during the two devastating fires, which burnt almost everything to ashes in 1904 and 1912.

The town was under Turkish rule until 1912 and two years before its liberation the Turks renamed it to Selimie. After 1912 many newcomers moved from the surrounding villages to Devin and thus they helped its economic growth.

The present name of Devin was given to the town in 1923. In 1936 the town was renamed to Zdravets, yet this name was not kept for a long period, proving unpopular and was gradually forgotten.

Last visit to Devin: Dec 2005
Intro Updated Jan 4, 2006
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Reviews (15)

Oriental restaurant Restaurants (1)

As a whole not a bad place to go but it certainly not among the list of restaurant that I would warmly recommend. The... more travel advice

The road to Devin... Warnings Or Dangers (1)

If you are going there with a car to Devin you will most probably take the road along Vacha and Krichim Dams. The road... more travel advice

Walking around Devin Off The Beaten Path (3)

As I said before Devin is not some kind of fancy SPA resort. The have many mineral water springs but the region is... more travel advice

St. Ivan Rilski Church - the bells - Devin

St. Ivan Rilski Church Things to Do (3)

St. Ivan Rilski Church is considered to be one of the places of interest in Devin. I have not been inside of the church,... more travel advice

Favorites (3)
See All Map of Devin
Local Customs (1)
A town of odd sights

Hotels (2)
See All SPA Hotel Devin
Transportation (1)
Public transport to Devin

Comments (17)

Mishenka Jun 3, 2007 at 10:00 AM Report Abuse

Hi, I'd better ask a question, but Your naughty page doesn't allow it. I'd like to ask, if there is a river and a forest wherer one can swim, or gather berries or mushrooms ? Thank You. Mishenka
Sininen Jan 31, 2007 at 9:56 AM Report Abuse

Hi Nina! I can't say that I would have heard of Devin before but now I at least know that it exists. A nice page you've got about it too. Happy birthday from Finland!
sourbugger Nov 30, 2006 at 4:49 AM Report Abuse

what an interesting littel page
Nemorino Oct 16, 2006 at 8:31 AM Report Abuse

Too bad this nice town is not doing well economically, but the spas in Germany are having a tough time now too, since German health insurance doesn't pay for everything any more. "Haus of Culture" I guess could be 1/3 German and 2/3 English.
bijo69 May 19, 2006 at 4:01 PM Report Abuse

Beautiful page Nina! I do recall drinking the Devin mineral water...
easyoar Apr 23, 2006 at 11:58 AM Report Abuse

Nice page on a place I had never even heard of! Didn't know it had mineral water either...
loisl Apr 20, 2006 at 2:44 AM Report Abuse

Great job, nice tipps with extensive descriptions, Thanks Nina. Peter
frankyboy5 Mar 14, 2006 at 9:55 AM Report Abuse

its always nice to surf on your pages:)
Mariajoy Feb 17, 2006 at 7:26 AM Report Abuse

I'm not sure I would want to do too much shopping here - I am amazed that shop hasn't fallen down already! (Holly Spirit - hehe :))
kalenderov Feb 13, 2006 at 1:07 AM Report Abuse

Ùà ïðàéì ïî÷òåí ãðàæäàíèí íà Äåâèí, ìàéíà!