natural wonder
Wonderful Bridges
Two natural marble rock arches formed by a collapsed cave in the Rhodope mountains, reached by a paved road with a car park.
33 km · about 40 min drive
EuropeBulgariaPazardzhik
Batak
Pazardzhik, Bulgaria · Europe
About Batak
Batak sits on the route: 25 minutes from Rakitovo, 33km from Wonderful Bridges.
Batak is in Pazardzhik, Bulgaria, with about 3,900 people. You drive on the right here. The nearest town is Rakitovo, about 12 km away.
The Batak massacre was a massacre of Bulgarians in the town of Batak by Ottoman irregular cavalry troops in 1876, at the beginning of the Bulgarian April Uprising of 1876. The estimate for the number of casualties ranges from 1,200 to 8,000, depending on source, with the most common estimate being 5,000Read more
casualties.
The indiscriminate slaughter of non-combatant civilians at Batak shocked the general public in Western Europe and came to be known in the press as the Bulgarian Horrors and the Crime of the Century.
The scale of the atrocities caused British commissioner Walter Baring, who had been dispatched by the British embassy in Constantinople to verify the events, to describe the tragedy "as perhaps the most heinous crime that has stained the history of the present century".
The events at Batak caused a public outcry across Europe, mobilized ordinary people and famous intellectuals to demand a reform of the Ottoman model of governance of the Bulgarian lands, and eventually led to the re-establishment of a separate Bulgarian state in 1878.
The anti-Turkish and pro-Bulgarian public mood made it difficult for Benjamin Disraeli to implement his policy, prevented Britain from intervening on behalf of the Ottoman Empire and created the international conditions for the Russian invasion of 1877.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Batak?
Within an hour or so of Batak: Wonderful Bridges (33 km), Trigrad Gorge (38 km), Devil's Throat Cave (39 km), Plovdiv Old Town (50 km).
Are there any good drives near Batak?
The nearest famous roads are Trigrad Gorge, Troyan Pass (Beklemeto) and Shipka Pass.
Where is Batak?
Batak is in Pazardzhik, Bulgaria, about 12 km from Rakitovo.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 3,917
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- Bulgaria
- Region
- Pazardzhik
- Timezone
- Europe/Sofia
- Coordinates
- 41.9431, 24.2183
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in Bulgaria
Vignette required for all roads outside towns.
Full driving guide for BulgariaTags
Worth the detour from Batak
6 notable places within an hour's drive.
famous road
Trigrad Gorge
Narrow Rhodope canyon road squeezing between 250 m marble cliffs to the Devil's Throat Cave, where a river thunders underground: one of Bulgaria's most dramatic drives.
38 km · about 45 min drive
natural wonder
Devil's Throat Cave
A cave in the Trigrad gorge where a river plunges into an underground hall, visited via a tunnel entrance with roadside parking.
39 km · about 45 min drive
landmark
Plovdiv Old Town
One of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe, with colorful Revival-period houses perched on ancient hills above Roman ruins.
50 km · about 55 min drive
ancient ruins
Plovdiv Roman Theatre
A remarkably well-preserved 2nd-century Roman amphitheatre seating 6,000 spectators, still hosting performances today.
50 km · about 55 min drive
castle
Asen's Fortress
A medieval fortress ruin with a surviving 13th-century church on a rock spur above the Chepelare river, beside the Asenovgrad–Smolyan road.
54 km · about 65 min drive
Driving roads near Batak
4 named roads, passes and coastal drives within 150km.
- 38 kmTrigrad GorgeNarrow Rhodope canyon road squeezing between 250 m marble cliffs to the Devil's Throat Cave, where a river thunders underground: one of Bulgaria's most dramatic drives.
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