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THE LEGEND
The name of the “Tsarichina” Reserve is connected with the wonderful legend about Tzar Ivan Assen’s daughter – Tamara. Tamara was suffering from an insidious disease, which was miraculously cured with the help of the small fiery red barefoot herb flower, which today the residents of Ribaritsa call “Tsarichina”.
Tzar Ivan Assen sent his sick daughter to be cured in the Teteven Balkan. It was in spring. The sun was shining over the tree tops and was making the birds sing joyfully. The glades were brightly colored by fragrant flowers. Tamara picked a flower and placed it in her hair. She thought: “Who is like me now. I don’t need a crown.”
Tamara was told that the name of the flower she picked was barefoot and that the first young man to see her would be enchanted by it and would marry her.
The tiny flower helped the Tzar’s daughter to recover. Fall came. Tamara left the place together with the birds that flew south.
It was then that the native born called the flower, which Tamara so loved – a tzar’s flower and the glade where it blossomed – Tsarichina. Tsarichina remained one of the most magical and fascinating places in the Teteven Balkan. The Tsarichina Reserve was named after it.
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