Crossing a suspension bridge above a forest is the only way to reach this 12th-century monastery.

Underneath this Byzantinian church lies a necropolis filled with ancient tombs and the ruins of previous churches.

Not far from a popular beach, an unfinished, abandoned mansion for Bulgaria's last communist dictator.

These natural cliffs look like they are a part of an old castle complex.

This massive stone and steel monument remembers a century-old battle that cost thousands of lives and nearly destroyed the city.

A gigantic statue of a Russian soldier watches over the ancient city of Plovdiv, a prominent reminder of the Soviet period in Bulgaria.

A vast Communist-era exhibition space in the Bulgarian capital.

Ruins of an early Roman Christian church dating back to the 4th to 5th centuries.

In a long-dry lake bed, these groups of massive stone pillars bear a striking resemblance to clumps of everyone's favorite fungi.

Mysterious standing stone formations looks like a petrified forest.

A mountain pass in Bulgaria's Balkan Mountains was the site of four historic battles.

Eastern Bloc nostalgia, anybody?

This ancient theater, restored in the 20th century, lives on as a venue for dramatic and musical performances.

UNESCO-protected ancient burial ground.

This once-grandiose behemoth of a monument from the socialist era now sits quiet and closed up.

The second-largest Jewish temple in Bulgaria was deserted after World War II, seized by the communist government and then abandoned again.

A striking symbol of the Bulgarian capital.

An ancient Thracian city where fire rituals were practiced on the largest cult altar in Southeast Europe.

A flamboyant five-story building in Bulgaria resembles a crawling snail.

A spectacular Bulgarian cave resembling a devil's head with a waterfall rushing down its throat.

A collection of art from Bulgaria's time as a communist state.

A Bulgarian monument to Russia's role in World War II is constantly being painted in pop culture protest.

This tiny Bulgarian town offers a stunning location in the mountains and a storied history.

This historic black and white monastery is one of Bulgaria's architectural jewels.