Ayazmo Park, Urban park in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria.
Ayazmo Park covers 350 hectares on the northern edge of Stara Zagora, on the Sarnena Gora ridge at 260–430 m above sea level. Its slopes hold about 180 native and exotic tree and shrub species, including common cypress, Atlas cedar, Aleppo pine and Spanish fir. Paths link the city zoo, the Yuri Gagarin observatory and the church of St Theodore Tiron.
The land was turned into a park in 1895 by Metropolitan Methodius Kusev, who organized the planting of trees on what had been bare hillside at the edge of the city. During the socialist period, the park was renamed, but the original name stayed in everyday use among residents.
The name Ayazmo comes from a Turkish word for a life-giving spring; water was piped in to irrigate the seedlings planted on the dry hill. Each year on Todorovden, townspeople climbed to the spring and washed in it, with priests from St. Trinity Church celebrating a liturgy on the summit. The tradition was banned in 1951 after a Communist Party decision against religious prejudice.
The park has several entrances, with the most used access point close to the center of Stara Zagora and easy to reach on foot. The paths rise and fall with the hillside, so comfortable shoes are a good idea before heading in.
A spring inside the park is said to be connected to a religious event from the 9th century, and local tradition holds that this spring gave the place its name long before it became a park. The spring is still visible today and is one of the oldest reference points on the site.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,467 contributors worldwide.