In Our Region: Mining, Tourism and Organic Farming Together
One can see how the mining industry has become the largest investor in the development of tourism in Panagyurishte. The municipality’s profile has changed following corporate investments in hotel infrastructure, support for cultural and sports events that attract visitors from near and far, investment in the sports hall, and the donation for the treasury hall of the Panagyurishte Gold Treasure museum.
The region is also attractive for its tourist routes, one of which is the Freedom Trail, connecting Panagyurishte with the historic site of Oborishte. The company restored the trail on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the April Uprising in 2026, and today tourists pass in close proximity to the industrial site.
In Panagyurishte, “myth hunters” will discover something else of interest. Here, the mining industry develops in harmony with agriculture, including organic farming. Certificates in the national database for organic production show that as of early 2026, the municipality of Panagyurishte has around 20,000 decares of organic crops, half of which are already certified following strict monitoring, while the rest are still in the conversion period. A significant share of the local crops consists of meadows, pastures and fodder crops linked to organic livestock farming. Roses and lavender as essential oil crops cover 1,700 decares, cereal crops are almost twice as much, vegetables and technical crops amount to around 3,000 decares, there are 300 decares of organic orchards and 1,000 decares of fallow land.
In Panagyurishte and the village of Bata, two family-owned distilleries producing organic essential oils are developing dynamically, and the municipality is also home to many apiaries. Well known on the market is the honey produced by Nencho Dzhunov, a mine rescuer with the Asarel Emergency and Rescue Service, while Eng. Petar Dermendzhiev, Head of the company’s Occupational Health and Safety Department, is among the agricultural producers with certified organic crops located near the company. Proof of the success of organic farming in Panagyurishte is the Farmer of the Year award received by Vasil Ralchev from Panagyurishte, who, through his production of natural cosmetics, became part of Forbes Bulgaria’s 30 Under 30 ranking. The wine of the Panagyurishte winery Rumelia also receives acclaim in Bulgaria and abroad, while traditional Panagyurishte “sharena sol” (herb enriched salt) is produced using local herbs and spices.
