Cholakova Mound

Cholakova Mound, near the village of Staro Zhelezare, contains a megalithic structure of stone blocks arranged in a circle. The structure consists of 24 blocks forming a circle between 6.5 and 7 metres in diameter. The blocks are between 0.5 and 2 metres high and are made of friable, impermanent rock. Careful removal of the earth inside the circle was not observed, suggesting that the blocks used in the structure may not have been set into the ground but merely placed on its surface, supported only by the outer ring of the original mound. The cromlech is unique because it was buried beneath a mound. The site appears not to have been affected by erosion before excavation. Interestingly, no finds were discovered in the centre of the circle. Although it is a typical cromlech, the engineer Lyubomir Tsonev suggests that it may have been built as an open-air structure of unknown purpose and covered over later, during the classical Thracian period, from the 6th to the 2nd century BC. According to the assessment of a commission appointed by the Ministry of Culture, the cromlech must immediately be covered with earth and the mound restored under an archaeologist's supervision. This measure is being taken because of the high risk of complete destruction and the impossibility of providing permanent security. Defenders of the cromlech, however, argue that covering it is an attempt to conceal the negligence that is leading to the obliteration of the archaeological structure. In 2015, thanks to the efforts of a citizens' initiative, the former agency responsible for cultural heritage protection carried out an inspection and prescribed urgent measures to protect the site.