News and Articles related to Village of Vetren
Current date: 2010-02-09 06:09

Ecotourism in Vetren

The lovely Danube village of Vetren, 23 km from the town Silistra, Northeasternmost Bulgaria, and 160 km from the Black Sea city of Varna in Northeastern Bulgaria, is the perfect place for alternative tourism. Its region has preserved its natural environment untainted and the scenery is simply magnificent. Vetren is not far from Srebarna Lake Reserve, unique in Bulgaria as the habitat of rare bird species. Having preserved the atmosphere of the Dobrudja, old Vetren fits ideally into the concept of rural tourism. Guests can join picking fresh fruit and vegetables, mushrooms, herbs and get involved in preparing delicious local dishes. Vetren is also quite good for sunbathing and fishing. 

In a bid to encourage alternative tourism, the society World for All based in the town of Silistra, has implemented a series of projects under various programs. With assistance from the Dutch Embassy we implemented a project under the Matra Program, said Galia Ivanova from the society.

“We created partial tourist infrastructure in line with the nature in the territory of the protected locality of Garvanski Blata. We installed benches and dustbins. We also built an observation tower. Garvanski Blata is a unique habitat for Bulgaria where all four loon species live, and has been declared protected territory. It is an ornithologically important area for its diversity of bird species, including swans. On the occasion of the 1900th anniversary of Silistra founded in Roman times, we created a comprehensive tourist catalogue of the region,” Galia Ivanova says further. “We worked on the project Vetren in the Past and in Europe financed by Workshop for Civil Initiatives Foundation. In this way we created the second of its kind in Bulgaria Museum of Danube Fishing. The museum is housed on the premises of the local reading club. We cooperated quite successfully with the village mayor and with the local government.”

“The locals provided voluntary donations for the museum’s collection. It is divided into two parts. The first exhibition is ethnographic, and the second one is the fishing exhibition proper displaying a boat, various fishing nets and fishing gear. Old photographs from the life of fishers are on display too. We presented a special theater show about fishing traditions with the title St. Nicholas and Danube. Under the project Vetren in the Past and in Europe local craftsmen made wood-carving items from pieces of wood thrown out by the Danube.”

The Vetren locality is ideal for hiking and cycling along marked routes. Jointly with Eco Community Foundation, Galia Ivanova says, our organization worked on a project under a program of the German Ministry of Economy and Development.

“Under this project funding was provided for 12 bikes and route signs in the section from Silistra to Tutrakan, as well as for an information terminal. Now everybody visiting our town is welcome to learn more about tourism options and to hire a bike. At this stage it is difficult to offer guided tours, but maps of the routes are available at the information terminal. We have a map of the region and a website in Bulgarian. Soon we will also deliver its English-Language version,” concludes Galia Ivanova from the World for All Society in the Danube town of Silistra.