Villages in Kazanlak
Kran Village
The village is situated at the foot of the Balkan Mountains, north of Kazanlak, on the road to the Shipka Pass. The pass was a strategic point throughout the ages, connecting the North and the South of not only Bulgaria, but the Balkans as well. Its importance was not lost on the medieval feudal ruler Eltimir, who built his fortress there, and its conquest proved to be crucial for the Ottoman troops when they invaded the country. The Ottoman Empire also saw its significance and in order to better control it, the population on both sides of the pass was converted to Islam.
   
Enina Village
Enina is a beautiful village, situated at the foot of the Balkan Mountains, in the immediate vicinity of the Kran village. The two villages are closely bound in their history. Even in the past Enina was known for its clean and tidy houses, well-arranged, despite the many families and their small garden farms. Inside Enina stands a remarkable 14th century church, where one of the oldest Bulgarian manuscripts was discovered - the Enina Apostle - written partly in the Glagolitic alphabet, a unique original Bulgarian script, reminiscent of runes.
   
Cherganovo Village
The name of the village means “dog-violet” in Turkish. It is situated south of the Kazanlak – Stara Zagora Highway, in the plains of the Kazanlak Rose Valley. Fruit-growing, cattle-breeding and agriculture are well developed here, but what defines the present and future of the village is rose-growing. Nowadays there are 5000 acres of oil-yielding roses around the village and still more are being planted. The location of the village – amid the fields of fertile grounds and rich water resources, its being well-connected with roads and a railway, and its vicinity to the town of Kazanlak – has in the past and still does attract many visitors from both the near-by villages and the farthest corners of Bulgaria.
   
Rozovo Village
As the name itself suggests what you can find in abundance here is ... roses. Rozovo is situated south of Kazanlak, in the southern part of the Rose Valley. It is one of the villages most rich in resources, and these are put to good use by its residents – they offer such amusements as “the Rose Spectacles”, during the rose-picking season of May – June, when you can see a ritual unique for Rozovo – the veiling of the rose bush; hunting and wildlife-watching for the young, so that they get to know nature better; a unique performance based on ancient traditions and their century-old messages.
   
Kanchevo Village
Some very old Bulgarian traditions can be seen here, in their untouched pristine form, as part of the village celebrations. Many years ago the means of livelihood were stone-cutting and rush-mat making, but nowadays, as with other Kazanlak villages, rose-growing has taken their place. A peculiar product for Kanchevo is the rose honey. What is most interesting about this village is that most of the residents here can trace their family tree back to the days when they first settled in. One legend, as sad as it is romantic, ties together the stories of how Kanchevo and Rozovo came to be. Kanchevo has a unique ethnographic collection.
   
Srednogorovo Village
The name of the village comes from that of the mountain it is nested in – Sredna Gora, in the Gurlya river valley. It is a beautiful old village of around 400 people, with narrow streets and houses built in antique style, as if painted in its picturesque surroundings. This is one of the oldest villages in the Kazanlak area. It was founded by fugitives from the south, and legends  of burried treasures stolen from the Turkish treasury by local highwaymen still haunt this place. It is said that the women of Srednogorovo are easily recognisable by the strong, commanding look in their green eyes.
   

Shipka Town
The town is situated right before the Shipka Pass, amidst unrivaled natural beauty and, like Kran and Enina, its history is linked to the Eltimir Fortress. It is known for its church, adorned with goldplated domes in Moscow Baroque style. Here live a significant number of the descendants of an interesting people – the Karakachans. Some historians consider them to be the surviving remains of the Thracian tribes, who retreated up in the mountains to live as shepherds, when the Slavs and the Bulgars settled in. Their mother tongue is Greek and their means of livelyhood until 1944 was indeed exclusively sheep-rearing. Nowadays they make their livelyhoods mainly by rose-growing. Crafts with a long-standing tradition here are the making of cutlery, bagpipes, wooden flutes and metalworks. Nowadays the fine arts, wood crafts, wooden plastic arts and others are also being developed.