In the municipality of Maritsa, archaeological traces, hands-on learning and local food culture intertwine. Maltepe Hill near Manole and the churches in several villages offer tangible insights into cultural history; festivals and inherited practices reveal another side of life in the municipality.
Maltepe: Archaeology and Hands-On Learning
Maltepe Hill near Manole has been studied as a unique ancient monument from the time of Emperor Philip the Arab. Before the excavations, it measured about 125 by 130 metres and stood around 21 metres high. Archaeological work took place there from 2016 to 2020. The municipality also contains archaeological remains connected to the Via Diagonalis, including the Maltepe Memorial Complex and the nearby Roman road station of Sernota.
The Maltepe Cultural Information Centre connects its educational programme with the excavations. Three learning packages focus on clay, ceramics and archaeology. As part of the hands-on activities, children shape the material and take their finished objects home. A project also envisages a reconstruction model of the Via Diagonalis, intended to enhance the exhibition and visitor experience. In 2025, 2,743 children from across Bulgaria and nearly 800 children from the municipality of Maritsa visited the centre.
Every year on 1 May, an event at the centre focuses on the ritual making of clay baking vessels. Visitors were also able to help make a household clay incense burner at a Maltepe Day event. If you are planning a visit specifically for 1 May, check the event announcement in advance.
Recipes and Traditional Crafts
The municipality’s Lutenitsa Festival puts local recipes and culinary knowledge in the spotlight. It uses locally grown vegetables and fruits, with people from different generations taking part. Another culinary tradition is associated with the open Maltepe Day: women from Manole show children how ritual breads, loaves and rings, as well as banitsa, are prepared in clay vessels. The cultural theme thus extends from archaeological ceramics to their role in everyday life and food preparation.
Churches and Historical Traces in the Villages
The Holy Trinity Church in Benkovski was built in 1880 and is protected for its valuable frescoes and iconostasis. Its baptismal font dates from 1856. In Graf Ignatievo, the Church of the Ascension was begun in 1888 and consecrated in 1892. It was originally a three-aisled domed basilica; its roof was altered after the 1923 earthquake.
The ancient tomb at Stroevo also stands out for its design: it is a type of domed tomb rarely found in Bulgaria, was discovered in 1948 and has three graves set into the ground. More than 300 cultural monuments have been identified across the municipality, including mounds, settlements, tombs, statuettes and columns. Their variety reflects the area’s history from Thracian and Roman times to the present day.
Landscape and Getting Around
The municipality of Maritsa lies in the Upper Thracian Plain and occupies a central position in Plovdiv Province. The Maritsa and Stryama rivers flow through it. Natura 2000 sites protect habitats and wild plants and animals along the Maritsa, Pyaschnik and Stryama rivers, as well as near Trilistnik. The proposed protected zone BG0000578 “Maritsa River” also includes areas of Kostievo, Manole, Rogosh and Skutare.
The A1 Trakia motorway runs through the municipality. A total of 45 kilometres of railway lines pass through several settlements, connecting the Plovdiv–Karlovo, Plovdiv–Burgas and Plovdiv–Panagyurishte routes.
Places in Maritsa: Trud, Kostievo.
Discover more destinations: Rodopi, Kaloyanovo, Brezovo, Stamboliyski, Rhodopi Municipality, Krichim.
Back to the regional travel overview: Plovdiv Province.
