The picturesque town of Samokov, excellently positioned at the foot of the magnificent Rila Mountains (alluring hunters of beauteous mountain property in Bulgaria), can offer a huge potential to buyers of property in Bulgaria because it is only one-hour drive from the capital city of Sofia, abundant in lovely Bulgarian apartments) and its international airport, and just 10 km  away from the splendid ski resort of Borovets, a chic ski property in Bulgaria.Fourteenth century Samokov, built upon a Roman settlement, was the largest ore mining community due to the abundance of quality raw materials, which attracted crafts and tradesmen including Saxons from Western Europe. They introduced new and modern waterwheel power technologies, which then spread to the rest of Bulgaria. The wealth created by the citizens of Samokov tempted the Turks and in 1372 they conquered it to turn it into one of the busiest manufacturing centres in the Ottoman Empire. When you walk through the town today you will see some of the marks the Turks left during  their domination. One of them is the famous Bairakli Mosque with its impressive ornamentation and the ornate fountain in the main square. The marvelous synagogue, built by the prosperous Jewish colony in the nineteenth century, is just next to the dazzling blue and white Sarafina House, home to a rich Jewish family in the 1860s. The interior is richly decorated with colourful traditional rugs, lifelike floral wall paintings, and intricately carved wooden ceilings.From the seventeenth century until the end of the Turkish rule, Samokov even excelled Sofia and Kyustendil. Its Carving and Icon-painting School was highly famed for its brilliant carvers and painters who decorated Bulgaria's finest monasteries, churches, and houses.  Just off the square to the east, the Historical Museum (Mon-Fri 8am-noon & 1-5pm) traces Samokov's development up to the present day. The town's industrial past is remembered in a sequence of models illustrating the mining and smelting of iron ore and one shows a gargantuan, waterwheel-powered set of bellows used to force air into the furnaces. Bulgaria’s printing business was started in Samokov in 1827 by Konstantin Karastoyanov and Konstantin Fotinov published the first proper Bulgarian magazine Lyuboslovie in 1844.
Towards the end of the nineteenth century and early twentieth century the administrative and industrial power of Samokov declined. However, later on, the town picked itself up and developed the agricultural sector to become the major potato producer in Bulgaria. Nowadays tourism is Samokov’s main industry and, due to Borovets located next door, it enjoys an exciting and lively winter season, and is also very busy and active in summer as the Rila Mountains are an extremely beautiful place to visit all year round. There are around 30,000 inhabitants living in Samokov today and they look forward to even a brighter future for the area with the implementation of the Super Borovets Project whose aim is to expand the current resort of Borovets to incorporate also the town of Samokov and the large village of Beli Iskar. The existing facilities will be improved and vastly expanded along with infrastructure. This mega project ensures that the area is one of the best places to invest in Bulgarian properties like a Bulgarian apartment, ski apartment in Bulgaria, rural property in Bulgaria, rural houses for sale in Bulgaria, Bulgaria mountain property, land for sale in Bulgaria, and cheap Bulgarian property for commercial use. If you want to make the best investment in your life by purchasing a Bulgarian property in Samokov or the surrounding areas, just come and visit to convince yourself that the area can offer great value for money Bulgarian mountain property, ski property in Bulgaria, ski apartment in Bulgaria, or land for sale in Bulgaria.