Velingrad (Bulgarian: Велинград [ˈvɛlinɡrat]) is a town in Pazardzhik Province, Southern Bulgaria, located at the western end of Chepino Valley, part of the Rhodope Mountains.

[2][3] The cultural layers give grounds to claim that the Chepino region was inhabited by Thracian tribes in the 6th-5th century BC.

The authority and importance of the temple of Dionysius in the Rhodope Mountains is indicated by the fact that Alexander the Great and the father of Octavian Augustus visited it to have the prophetess divine their future.

There are many tombs left from the Thracians - seven in the Batak Marsh (now the bottom of a lake), two mounds in the Yundola area and dozens elsewhere.

These are the remains of clay pipelines for mineral water, road pavements, fortifications, marble slabs, coins, etc.

The Ottoman Empire needed allies in its centre and began to impose Islam voluntarily or by force as early as the beginning of the 16th century.

These 7 households possessed a full pair, i.e. a piece of land which was believed to be able to provide a good material position for a family.

[4] When the pasha arrived in Chepino, he gathered the princes and demanded to kill them, but they converted to Islam in the hope that they would be spared.

The population of Chepino did not stay away from the Revival and the national liberation struggles of the Bulgarian people.

The unification of the villages under the new name of Velingrad (after Vela Peeva) was finally approved in January 1948 by a decree of the Council of Ministers in the State Gazette No.

[9][10][11] Chepino and Kamenitsa are older settlements, but Ladzhene was founded after 1878 by Bulgarian refugees from Macedonia, because their region remained under Ottoman rule after the Treaty of Berlin.

Water resources in the region of Velingrad - rivers, karst and mineral springs are abundant.

The dams in the area diversify the natural environment, positively change the microclimate and significantly increase the attractiveness of the landscape.

9000 litres of water per minute spring from the five thermal and mineral deposits in Ladzhene, Kamenitsa, Chepino, Rakitovo and Kostandovo.

The mineral springs (80 in number), the mild climate and the beautiful nature are the great wealth of the town.

The water in Ladzhene contains 5.5 mg/L fluorine, which exceeds the bottling standard and is not recommended for prolonged daily drinking.

The water has the highest fluorine content of 8.6 mg/L and is suitable only for banya treatment and for fluoride prophylaxis under special dosages.

It offers a panoramic view of the Chepino Valley, Mount Syutka and the Alabak Ridge.

Ladzhene was once a feudal chiflik, around which a settlement was established due to the presence of mineral springs and baths.

The structure and development of the economy in Velingrad is largely determined by the available natural resources and long-standing traditions.

The main structural economic sectors are the timber and wood processing industry, tourism, small and medium-sized enterprises and agriculture.

[16] The sectors of industrial production include: timber and wood processing, furniture manufacturing, machine building, cosmetics and chemical products manufacturing, marble processing, mineral water bottling, tailoring, carpet making.

In the town most of the inhabitants are Orthodox Christians, in the surrounding villages the population is composed mainly of Muslim Bulgarians (Pomaks).

[20] The number of Muslims was also increased afterwards when the Greek Patriarchate imposed exorbitant taxes on the Christian population who refused to pay them.

Some of the rebellious population chose to convert to Islam rather than pay the corresponding levies to the Greek Church.

The design mainly reflected the values of French Renaissance architecture but with discreet decorative features in the then fashionable Art Deco style.

In 1992 the Villa Raina was restituted to Stevović's heirs (families Krsmanović-Simić and Gillès de Pélichy).

The summer house is today protected by law as a cultural and historical monument of regional importance.

[26] The natural environment, climatic features, and mineral springs favourable for the treatment of a number of diseases make Velingrad a tourist destination for Bulgarian as well as foreign citizens.