Discover Lovech: History, Nature and Trails along the Osam
Accommodation in Lovech
Lovech offers striking contrasts between old town districts, cultural sites and landscapes along the Osam River. Lovech Zoo is located in Stratesh Park: 450 animals and birds from 64 species live there across 110 decares. The park itself covers 1,000 decares and includes a lake with an area of 2 decares. This gives visitors a choice of distinct themes for their stay: wildlife and an expansive parkland.
Lovech’s History and Culture
A direct road beneath the rocky ridge connects Stratesh Park with the old town district of Varosha. It leads straight to the monument to Vasil Levski and Lovech Fortress. The medieval fortress extends across two terraces on the rocky Hisarya Hill in the old town. It is a monument of national importance and has been designated a museum and tourist reserve.
Varosha is an architectural and historical reserve on the east bank of the Osam. The old part of the town took shape during the Bulgarian National Revival. The Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God (Uspenie Bogorodichno), an immovable cultural heritage site of national importance, is also located in this district. Visitors interested in the town’s history will find several historical highlights, from the fortress to the buildings in the reserve.
The Vasil Levski Museum devotes its two-storey exhibition to Bulgaria’s national revolutionary movement and Levski’s work in the country. Other topics include Lovech’s private revolutionary committee, the Novosel uprising of 1876, and the first and second liberation of Lovech during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878. The museum preserves 6,000 movable cultural heritage items and objects, including the country’s most extensive collection of Levski’s personal belongings.
Architecture and everyday history are also part of the townscape: the Covered Bridge, built by Kolyu Ficheto, became a symbol of Lovech and is unique of its kind on the Balkan Peninsula. Today it serves as a covered shopping street. The Ethnographic Complex, comprising the Drasova House and Rashova House, shows the life of a wealthy merchant from Lovech, including vessels used to make and store wine. It is listed as site number 30 among Bulgaria’s 100 National Tourist Sites.
At the old town bathhouse, Deli Hamam, dating from the 16th century, visitors can learn about water through specially designed multimedia effects and programmes. Today, the bathhouse is a virtual water attraction; it is also a monument of architecture and construction of national importance. On the Street of Crafts, craftspeople give live demonstrations of how Bulgarian folk craft products are made.
Landscapes, Caves and Trails
Devetashka Cave, near Devetaki, is 2,442 metres long, covers 20,400 square metres and reaches a height of 60 metres. It is a natural monument, a protected area and an immovable cultural heritage site of national importance. It is also a bat roost of international importance and is listed as a priority site under the Agreement on the Conservation of European Populations of Bats (EUROBATS).
Along the Osam’s left bank, the Bash Bunar promenade follows the river’s bends for 2 kilometres. In good weather, a marked hiking trail that runs east of the monument to Vasil Levski offers panoramic views of the Osam’s meandering gorge, the Bash Bunar cliffs and, in the distance, the central ridge of the Balkan Mountains. At Zamyka, access begins at the Lovech Hydroelectric Power Plant (Yuzinata); a hiking trail marked with the main colour green leads towards Tabashka Cave.
The Igla rock formation is accessible from the monument to Vasil Levski and from Stratesh Park. Climbing to its summit requires mountaineering skills—a key distinction between reaching the rock formation and undertaking the more challenging summit ascent.
Places beyond the town also offer their own cultural and historical attractions: Staro Stefanovo was declared an architectural reserve in 1982, and 96 sites there are registered as cultural monuments. Tourist attractions include traditional open ovens beside two-storey houses. The Kakrina Inn is one of Bulgaria’s 100 National Tourist Sites.
Places to Help Plan Your Trip
When looking for a holiday apartment in Lovech, you can start by deciding whether the town’s history, wildlife or trails along the Osam will shape your stay. The fortress, Varosha and the museums give the town a strong cultural and historical focus; the cave, river landscape and marked trails offer additional interests. To explore more places, you can also include Lovech, Hlevene and Brestovo.
Other destinations at the same level include Teteven, Apriltsi, Troyan, Ugarchin and Letnitsa.
For the overview of the wider region: Lovech Province.
