You will need to drive only 20 kilometers from Varna along the highway leading from the sea inland to Sofia, and you are guaranteed to lose the feeling of reality.
It is difficult to resist the temptation to pinch yourself, and at the same time your companion, to make sure you are not sleeping! You were not transported to another dimension, did not end up on the ruins of an ancient city or temple, did not turn into an ant and did not become a midget.
I just ended up in the forest, where instead of trees there are gigantic stone columns of the most bizarre shapes and sizes. They grow straight from the purest sand, replacing grass here. That is why the Bulgarians themselves call this place "To beat the stones", which means "Driven stones".
Indeed, it seems that the 10-12-meter columns, three meters in diameter, seemed to have been driven into the ground with a gigantic hammer. But where, in fact, this stone forest came here - no one knows. This is a unique natural (although there are doubts about this) phenomenon that has no analogues in the world!
There are half a dozen official hypotheses explaining the origin of the Stone Forest. Even more are unofficial. And which one to adhere to, everyone decides for himself. One, however, is liked by everyone, without exception - like any legend about love.
NAME OF GOD
Long ago, when the gods lived in heaven and the titans on earth, the sea stretched much further inland than it does now. And where the Stone Forest is now, there used to be a coast, and next to it - a fishing village. A certain righteous youth lived there. With his deeds and actions, he pleased God so much that one day he came down from heaven and appeared to a young fisherman with an offer that could not be refused.
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He revealed his name to the young man and at the same time gave eternal life, but in return demanded an oath to keep this secret forever. God threatened: the loss of immortality will be the price for talkativeness. The young man, of course, agreed. And he would certainly have kept his word if he had not met the girl whom he fell in love at first sight.
She answered him in return. But the lovers could not be together: the girl was promised in marriage to the main titan. The young man decided to talk directly with her betrothed groom. He listened and said that he was ready to let the bride go if the fisherman told them, the titans, the name of God, and thereby immortalize them too. The fisherman asked for a day for reflection. And for good reason: during this time he figured out how to keep his oath and at the same time appease the titans.
The next morning he asked his rival's men to line up in a certain way and each take the place indicated to him. Thus, he laid out the name of the god on the coast with the bodies of the titans. God, watching this picture from heaven, was angry and turned the titans to stone.
So, in fact, the Stone Forest appeared. And in the place where the young fisherman first embraced his beloved, today a healing spring beats. Its water is considered to be especially useful for kidney diseases.
ARCHITECTS OF MIRACLE
Believe it or not, the first person to describe the Stone Forest, which is now in the top 10 main attractions of Bulgaria and is protected by the state as a nature reserve, was a Russian journalist!
In 1829, during the Russo-Turkish War, the war correspondent Viktor Teplyakov was assigned to the headquarters of Ivan Dibich, commander-in-chief of the Russian army. Returning home, he published "Letters from Bulgaria", in which he described in detail the Stone Forest under the name of Gebedzhi ruins (named after the village of Gebedzhi, which is nearby).
Even now it is interesting to read them: “Colonel L. ordered, at my request, to tear off one of the smaller cylindrical columns. Some of our escort soldiers went to work. Loud exclamations: “Let's find the treasure! Let's find an urn with gold medals! " - were heard every minute around the excavated column. After some time it was opened more than a fathom; but, going deep into the ground with an equally regular cylinder, made us conclude by all indications that it was still too far to its underground foundation …"
These recordings aroused curiosity in the scientific world - researchers reached out to Bulgaria one after another, and, looking ahead, let's say: there are plenty of them even now.
Assumptions about the nature of the origin of the Stone Forest fell like a horn of plenty. What they did not say. The hammered stones are the remains of an ancient civilization! No, this is the result of alien intervention!
But two prosaic versions prevailed. According to the first, the gigantic "trees" are nothing more than the fossilized remains of coral reefs. For the sea did indeed once splash in these latitudes.
Another hypothesis claims that boulders appeared as a result of the movement of the earth's crust and the uplift of land. The sea receded, the embossed bottom was exposed, and wind, rain, alternating heat and cold, and most importantly, time, all together became the architects of this bizarre ensemble.
MAGIC CIRCLE
Regardless of which version lies on your heart, you should know: it is generally accepted that a powerful bioenergetic zone lies in the Stone Forest. They say that Vanga herself came to this place in order to recharge with energy. Therefore, you need to go here, even if you feel decrepit and broken: under the shade of stone "trees" you will definitely get better. They also recommend walking barefoot - this way you will quickly part with the accumulated negative energy and recharge with positive energy.
Well, the epicenter of this place of Power is the "Magic Circle": this is the name of a stone composition in the shape of a circle, in the center of which a giant column rises. Most likely, this is partly a man-made work: noticing the schematic outlines of the circle, the locals once completed the work begun by nature by laying out a circle of small stones.
But be that as it may, it is believed that it is within the "Magic Circle" that one can recharge with energy and synchronize one's bioenergetic rhythms with the rhythms of the Universe. They also say that the energy of the Magic Circle is so strong that telephones, cameras and other equipment fail quite often within a radius of 10 meters from it.
But do not be discouraged, after a while they will definitely work. In return, you will get much more. After all, the Bulgarians themselves have a belief: if you go around the entire Stone Forest, and then go inside the circle, then luck will never turn away from you.
COME TO MIRACLE
Almost every stone on the territory of the reserve has its own name or nickname: Elephant, Soldier, Devil, Watchman, Waterfall, Throne. Each is credited with its own, special properties, and sometimes a ritual that must certainly be performed next to him.
For example, the stone known as the Stork attracts women who are struggling to get pregnant and have a baby. The stork became famous as a symbol of fertility. To be honest, the people simply call it Phallus - because in shape it most resembles this organ. It is believed that a lady who touches him will surely become pregnant within a year. It is even safer if the couple embraces the "statue".
You go to the stone of absolution, in the center of which there is a narrow gap, you understand why. It is also called the Eye of the Needle. All sins are removed from the one who manages to seep through the hole.
The stone with a heart-shaped hole has become a Mecca for lovers. They call it that - the Stone of Love. According to local legend, if lovers look at each other through this "heart", they will be inseparable all their lives. Well, for those who have not yet found their happiness in life, it will be enough just to put their hand to this stone, and he will definitely meet his love.
Faith Hope
