The Smolyan Planetarium comes into focus as part of the “Cultural Path of Wine”
04.11.2026
Film director Stefan Tenev visited the Planetarium in Smolyan and met with its director, Tsvetelina Gencheva, in connection with filming for the project “The Cultural Path of Wine.” The visit is part of a filming programme in Smolyan, Devin, Pamporovo and Trigrad, scheduled for 3–7 November 2026. The video recorded at the Planetarium will be donated to the institution.
The Smolyan Planetarium will be featured among the sites through which the project reveals the richness of the region beyond its wine traditions. During his visit, Stefan Tenev explained that wine serves as a starting point for a broader narrative about the cultural and historical heritage of the areas included in the project.
“In this project, we use the wine route as ‘bait’,” said the director. According to him, the aim of the filming is to showcase the places that can attract visitors’ interest in the region. Among the sites he mentioned in Smolyan and its surroundings are the Planetarium, the Observatory, Alibey Konak and the Agushevi Konatsi.
The work of the team will also leave a special result for the Planetarium itself. “We will donate to the Planetarium the video that we will film,” Tenev stated. In this way, the institution will receive video material that it can use for its own promotion.
The director also announced that the project includes the printing of 8,000 luxury brochures, each 50 pages long. They will present the sites in Bulgarian, Greek and English. According to him, the publication will help promote the cultural and ancient heritage of the regions included in the initiative.
VINE_ROUTE – “The Cultural Path of Wine” is a cross-border project co-funded by the European Union under the Interreg VI-A Greece–Bulgaria 2021–2027 Programme. It connects the shared viticultural and winemaking heritage of Northern Greece and Southern Bulgaria with museums, archaeological and cultural sites, wineries and local communities in a single tourism route.
The Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki is the Lead Partner, while the Bulgarian partners are the Archaeological Museum in Sandanski and the Reconstruction and Development Union. The project is being implemented from 29 June 2026 to 28 June 2028.
By including the Planetarium in the visual narrative about the Rhodope Mountains, “The Cultural Path of Wine” also draws attention to the opportunities for science and educational tourism in Smolyan — one more reason for visitors to discover the town and its landmarks.