In 1944 soldiers digging a shelter on the edge of Kazanlak broke into a small brick chamber and found themselves looking at some of the finest ancient paintings in the Balkans. The Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak, built in the fourth century BC for a ruler of the Thracians, has a narrow corridor leading to a round, beehive-shaped burial chamber, its dome covered with frescoes of a funeral feast: the dead man and his wife seated at a table, servants bringing gifts, horses and chariots racing around the top. The colours and the tenderness of the figures are extraordinary. It was listed by UNESCO in 1979.
The original tomb is closed to protect the paintings, but a full-size replica nearby lets you see them in detail. The real tomb lies under a mound in a park on the hill above the town, and there are many more Thracian burial mounds in the surrounding area, in what is called the Valley of the Thracian Kings. Several have been excavated and can be visited, and the ruins of Seuthopolis, a Thracian city, lie beneath the waters of a reservoir nearby.
Kazanlak sits in the Valley of Roses, between the Balkan Mountains to the north and the Sredna Gora to the south. For centuries the valley has grown roses for their oil, used in perfumes around the world, and in late May and early June the fields bloom pink and the air is heavy with scent. The town holds a rose festival at that time, with parades, music and the crowning of a Rose Queen. The rose museum explains the history of the industry.
The riding nearby is superb. North of the town, the road climbs over the Shipka Pass, scene of fierce battles in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877 to 1878, which led to Bulgaria's liberation from Ottoman rule. At the top stands the Freedom Monument, and on the way up you pass the golden domes of the Russian memorial church at Shipka village. Nearby, on another peak, is Buzludzha, a huge, abandoned communist monument shaped like a flying saucer. The roads are winding, with good views and variable surfaces.
Kazanlak has fuel, shops and restaurants. Try rose jam, rose liqueur, or a Bulgarian salad with white cheese. Summers are hot, winters cold, with snow on the passes. Early June is the best time to visit, when the roses are in bloom.