The majestic rocks near Vratsa reveal mysterious legends of heroism and treachery. Some of them even resembling magical stories, but sealed in a magical way on the stone massifs.

At the rock gorge Vratitsa near the town of Vratsa rise rocks called Kral-bair or the Chariot. Several stone figures seem to have made their way up the mountain. A stone chariot drawn by stone horses, the head of a large bearded man, a female figure can be seen. The best place from which any visitor of the city can observe this "scene" is the middle of the bike lane, which starts from the lanes for the Park "Hut" and goes to the Vrattsata pass.

According to а legend, it is the chariot of the fleeing king Yoan Sratsimir, according to another - it is the chariot of king Kostadin and queen Elena - the lords of the heavenly fire.

As early as 1877, Felix Kanitz transmitted a legend about this area, which was related to the ruler of the Vidin Kingdom, Ivan Sratsimir, told in the collection "Kral-bair": "According to tradition, it was here that the enraged Christian God wonderfully punished the betrayal of the last Bulgarian king, Yoan Sratsimir Shishman, in an eternally visible way. High on the "Kral-bair" on the right bank of the river can be seen that Yoan, who out of fear surrendered his land to the Turks, petrified during his escape attempt. But not only the treacherous traitor, but also his daughter, the coachman, the car and the four harnessed horses met the same fate. Their blood has reddened the rocks of that place.” 

There is an assumption that the etymology of the toponym "Kral-Bair" should be sought in connection with the old Bulgarian word "karalyuk/karalak" - "a type of bird of the falcon family, which was used for hunting small game". (Regional Local History Society, Ognyan Pishchikov).

A third legend links the rock formations of the Chariots with the Turkish invaders and King Kostadin. When a large army attacked the fortress, its defenders fought bravely, but they were few. Before the fall of the fortress, King Kostadin left it with his chariot through Voyvodin Dol to Patleina. There he met women picking watermelons. He blessed them, telling them: "Today you sow, tomorrow you reap!". The next day the Turks passed by and asked them when the king passed, and the women replied: "When we were sowing the watermelons." The pursuers gave up and turned back, thinking that the king had long since passed.

The three legends were published by Kalina Todorova in the collection "Toponymy of the Vrachanski Balkan Natural Park", 2014. Many more stories about the sights that Vratsa reveals can be read on the site: The three legends were published by Kalina Todorova in the collection "Toponymy of Natural Park "Vrachanski Balkan", 2014. Many more stories about the sights that Vratsa reveals can be read on the site: https://kartanavremeto-vratsa.org/.