Smolyan (population: 34.000) is a town in Southern Bulgaria, situated in the central part of the magical Rhodope Mountains - home of the legendary musician and singer - Orpheus. Smolyan is located around 260 km away from the Bulgarian capital Sofia, some 90 km away from Plovdiv (Bulgaria's second largest city) and about 46 km away from the  spa center - Devin at an altitude between 800 and 1000 meters above sea level. The famous international ski and summer resort of Pamporovo is only some 15 km away from Smolyan and the favored by Bulgarians ski holiday destination Chepelare is 22 km away.The Smolyan municipality borders Greece to the south. The town is the administrative and cultural capital of the central and western Rhodope Mountains. It straggles for 10 km along the banks of the Cherna Reka (Black River). The town districts are positioned along the two river banks in west-eastern direction. The mountainous town is surrounded with green meadows and age-old forests and combines modern construction with traditional Rhodopian architecture. Smolyan is also famous for the betiful Smolyan lakes.