Anzeiger der philosophisch-historischen Klasse, 145. Jahrgang / 2. Halbband, 2010, pp. 55-88, 2011/07/13
Melnik, the smallest town in the Republic of Bulgaria, is part of the district of Blagoevgrad. It lies 60 km south-south-east of the districts capital bearing the same name and 9,5 km south-east of the town of Sandanski. Situated on the western slopes of the Pirin-mountains and at the river Melnika, an eastern confluent of the river Struma (Strymōn), Melnik is surrounded by sandstone cliffs, which were exposed to mechanical forces for centuries, thus shaping and altering the landscape constantly until the present day.
