Stone mushrooms

Stone mushrooms - Stone mushrooms are rock formations that are located east of the village of Beli Plast, on the road connecting Kardzhali with Haskovo. The protected area has an area of ​​3 hectares. The rock formations have the shape of natural mushrooms - their stumps are pink and their caps are greenish. The height of the stumps and the width of the hats is up to 2.5 m. They are sculpted in rhyolite volcanic tuffs. The tuffs from which the stone mushrooms formed are the result of intense underwater volcanic activity dating back to Paleogene times. After the retreat of the sea and the successive rise of the seabed, the effects of erosion began on them. The lower, pink layer turned out to be softer and more susceptible to the action of the sun, wind and rain. The upper, greenish layer contains stronger minerals, especially volcanic glass, and is harder to weather. Thus, for thousands of years, a wonderful composition of unique shapes and colors has been formed.

According to a legend, the coal miner Raduil lived in the fortress of Perperikon with his four beautiful daughters. One sunny morning they went for water outside the fortress walls. Suddenly, on the hill behind the river, they saw a large horde of invaders. They ran back to the fortress. A fierce but unequal battle began. Many of the men were killed and most of the women were taken prisoner. Among them were Raduil's daughters.

He led them to the leader of the horde, riding a racehorse by a nearby river, to examine them and set aside the most beautiful for himself, and to sell the others as slaves. As they approached, rage gripped the girls' hearts. Together they grabbed who found what - trees, stones and began to shoot the rider. The horse got scared, got to his hind legs and the unsuspecting rider fell to the ground. The four girls rushed to him and tore him apart. They then fled to a nearby forest.

The driver's closest friend ran after the girls. At dusk the sun caught up with them, swung his scythe and cut off the head of the first of them. As soon as it touched the ground, it instantly turned into a stone sponge. The same thing happened with the other two sisters. Before she cut off the last girl's head, she turned herself to stone. Terrified, he started to run away with his horse, but at the first step he turned into a black rock. Even today, people call the lonely rock near the Karatepe mushrooms.