Only 50 people live in this beautiful village in the heart of Strandzha Mountain

Sometimes I dream of living in a countryside, away from civilization and the hectic lifestyle. Away from social networks and over-information that are starting to burden my mind state.

Sometimes I even look around villages where I would move to live. One of them is the village of Brashlyan (the translation is ivy), which is located in the heart of Strandzha Mountain. It is surrounded by centuries-old oak forests and is close to the border with Turkey.

Only about 50 people live in the village. There are also houses that are visited by the owners only on weekends and holidays. The nearest town is Malko Tarnovo and it is located 14 km. However, this is a very small city, so for the nearest big city is my hometown of Burgas, which is 60 km. distance.

The village originated in the 17th century, when the inhabitants of three smaller villages united. From the middle of the 20th century most of the inhabitants of the village emigrated to Malko Tarnovo, and later to Burgas. From 650 people in 1926, today the population has shrunk to about 50. Many of today's residents of Malko Tarnovo are from Brashlyan - they are called "Serbs" after the old name of the village.

Currently, the village is preferred by tourists or people who just want to spend some time in nature. There are also many hunters, as there are many wild animals in the nearby forests.

Since 1982, the whole village of Brashlyan is an architectural and historical reserve, and it has preserved authentic houses typical of Strandzha architecture from the 18th-19th centuries. 76 houses are architectural monuments of culture, 9 of them - of national importance. It is believed that the oldest house in the village was built in the 17th century.