The Chepelare valley has been populated ever since ancient times evidenced by the different objects and cemeteries of the Neolithic era (VI-V century BC.) mound necropolises from IV-V century AD., Tombs of Bulgarian Christians XII - XIV century and more.

Two of the churches in the city have been declared as artistic monuments of national importance. The most interesting among them is the "St. Athanasius the Great" chapel (1834) erected in just 40 days. In 1841, in its courtyard was built the oldest monastery school in the municipality of Chepelare.

Archaeological monuments of culture of national importance:

- “Tsirikova tsarkva” fortress, located 0,5km from the “Kabata” mountain hut- Orehovo village

- Thracian village - located in the cave "Tyovnata dupka", 2 km. east of Zabardo village

Artistic monuments of national importance:

- "St. Athanasius the Great" church- Chepelare

- "Vaznesenie Gospodne" church – Pavelsko

- "Vaznesenie Gospodne" church – Malevo

- “St. Ilia” church – Hvoyna

In Chepelare operates the Museum of Rhodope karst, the only one of its kind in the Balkan Peninsula, which is located in an area 870 m and 9400 exhibits.

Another uniqueness of the city is the museum collection of skiing and ski sports, located in the "Rhodope spark." The idea emerged after the victory of Ekaterina Dafovska in the Winter Olympics in Nagano in 1998. The exhibition area is 70 meters and it has received 700 exhibits so far.

National Astronomical Observatory "Rozhen" is located at a height of 1 720 - 1750 m above sea level and 14 km from the town of Chepelare. The observatory is one of the five largest ones in Europe. It features 4 telescopes, the largest of which is the two-meter reflective telescope. The only things the observatory isn’t capable of observing are the Sun and man-made satellites.

·    Museums in Chepelare:

·     Museum of the Rhodepe Karst:

A one of a kind museum in the Balkans. It presents the beauty of caves and cave drawings since the dawn of human history. It features 970 museum exhibits. The museum can be visited every day, morning from 9 to 12:00 and in the afternoon from 13:30 to 17:30, except for Sundays and Mondays.

·     Museum of skiing and ski sports in Chepelare

It tells of the rich history of skiing and winter sports in the region of Chepelare municipality. It features _ 900 exhibits - skiing, medals, cups, flags, ski boots, plaques and more. Chepelare is also the birthplace of the Olympic biathlon champion of Nagano'98 - Ekaterina Dafovska.

PAVELSKO VILLAGE:

·     Museum collection in the "Aleko Konstantinov" library:

It presents historical and ethnographic materials from the region of the Pavelsko village. Some of the archaeological findings are of great historical value. Unfortunately, the room in which it is located is poorly maintained - recently some of the exhibits were stolen; the management of the community center does not take the necessary care of the exponents.

OREHOVO VILLAGE:

·     Ethnographic museum collection in the "Rhodope future" library:

The museum collection features an excellently shaped ethnographic exhibition, including all the tools and objects used in everyday life of the local people up to the mid-twentieth century. The exhibition features rich archaeological materials; some of the findings represent exceptional historical value, especially the ceramics. The building, which houses the exponents, is in need of repair and renovation. The museum has been neglected and people do not take much care about it. There is no competent guide who can historically present, describe and interpret the exposition to visitors.

ZABARDO VILLAGE:

·     Ethnographic exhibition at the "Hristo Botev" library:

The ethnographic exhibitions in the village of Zabardo are superbly shaped. It features quite a large amount of exhibits that are skillfully combined with panels of wood carving. The room, in which it resides, had previously been fully refurbished. Other than the exhibition, the visitors can, if they want to, get familiar with the ways they have been created by visiting the Center for Traditional Culture, Tourism and Sustainable Development "Hristo Botev”, located in the same building. Every item in the exhibition can be purchased. The only downside is that there is no qualified curator at the exhibition to explain to all the visitors what, when and how the exhibits were used by the locals in their everyday life. The ethnographic exhibition in the Zabardo village can be visited every day, morning from 8:30 to 12:00 and in the afternoon from 13:30 to 17 hours.

PROGLED VILLAGE:

·     Memorial house museum "Dicho Petrov":

The exposition in it is dedicated to the life and work of Dicho Petrov. There is also an ethnographic exhibition. Currently the house-museum is restituted to its owners. The museum exposition has been preserved, but the museum is not working.