The town of Ardino has a population of 3 700 inhabitants and is the centre of a municipality of 52 settlements. The town lies at a distance of 35 km southwest of the district town.

The first written source for the town of Ardino are the memoirs of the French explorer August Vinekel from 1847. The old name of the town is Iridere. In 1934 the town takes the name of Ardino.

The tourist sights on the territory of the municipality are: The Devil's Bridge, the medieval fortress "Krivus", the Thracian sanctuary "Orlovi Skali" and the Thracian fortress "Kaleto"

Tourist sights

The Devil's Bridge at the village of Dyadovtzi is situated over the Arda River. The bridge is preserved in perfect condition. It is 65,7 m long, 3,40 m wide and 8,5 high at the middle vault. The road connecting present-day Plovdiv with the White Sea Region has passed through it. The bridge has three vaults with breakwaters against the current. On one of the key stones of the vault there is a sign saying "hexagon".

The "Krivus" fortress at the village of Bashevo is mentioned by the Byzantine annalist Georgi Aropolit. It has been built on a steep hill surrounded by the Arda River at its three sides. At the southern side there is a citadel -castle. The fortress has been supplied with water from the Arda River through an underground tunnel.

The "Orlovi Skali" sanctuary lies at a distance of 2 km from the town of Ardino. There are 97 niches hewn in the high rocks with sizes of 32x45x20 cm. They are 8-12 m deep. It is supposed that ritual slabs or pottery has been placed in them related to the cult towards the dead.