The road leads on to Yablamtsa (3,500), an important transport centre. A detour to the right leads to Glozhene monastery, perched on the inaccessible rocks of peak Lisets. Not far from it is the Gradeshnitsa cave with underground lakes and chambers. Further on are the resorts Teteven (pop.
14,0) , in one of the most beautiful spots of the Balkan Range, and Ribaritsa which is 12 km southeast of Teteven between the Rivers Ribaritsa and Beli Vit.
In Teteven is a Balkantourist hotel, Teteven, accommodating 115, with restaurant, night club, cafe, information office (tel.: 2246). Some 7 km away, south of the village of Malka Brestnitsa, is one of the most picturesque caves in Bulgaria — the Sueva Doupka cave. It is 205-metre-long and has 5 halls of different sizes. Further east along E-771 there is a deviation which leads to the picturesque town of Troyan t pop. 24,000) situated along the Beli Ossum river at Troyan Pass. Ruins from the Roman Trajan road are preserved here. The only building of the old town which existed prior to the liberation from the Turks is the police station, which survived the 1877 fire caused by the Turks. Now it bouses the history museum. The town has a museum of arts and crafts and applied arts, the only one of its kind in Bulgaria. The town is a climatic mountain resort. The Troyan hotel, 2 stars, 2 floors, has 4 suites and 122 beds, restaurant, day bar, cafe, an information office (tel.: 42-23 and 23-96).
The resort Oreshak
The resort Oreshak (pop. 2,600) is 5 km east of the town, in the valley of the River Chemi Ossum. It is a well known art centre for applied arts and has a national exhibition of arts and crafts.
10 km from Troyan, on the left bank of the Cherni Ossum is Troyan Monastery — Bulgaria's third largest monastery, founded in 1600 with icons by Zahari Zograph. The encarved wood iconostasis was made by Tryavna carvers. During Ottoman domination the monastery was the cradle of Bulgarian nationalism and spirit. There are 200 beds for guests.
We retrace our steps, cross E-771 and continue northwards reaching the town of Lovech — (pop. 47,000), built on both banks of the River Ossum. Settlements existed here in pre-historic, Thracian and Roman times. The Romans built the strong Melta fortress which the Bulgarian rulers Assen and Peter used in 1187 sofia daily tours. The headquarters of the Internal Revolutionary Committee in the struggle against Ottoman domination was here. Now the town is an industrial and vine-growing centre. Tourist attractions are the old covered bridge on the Ossuin, built in 1871-1874, the Vassil Levski Museum of National-Liberation, Vassil Levski monument, Stratesh Hill park, the ruins of Lovech fortress. Hotels: Hissarya, 2 stars, tel.: 38-21, Balkan, Stratesh, Moskva. Car-repair shop — 4 Byalo More St., tel. 44-24.
35 km to the north is the big economic, administrative, transport and cultural-historical centre of the Danubian Plain — the city of Pleven (pop. 123,000), situated on the Toucheni- tsa river. The city was founded in the 4th-3rd century B.C. when primitive settlements appeared in the Kaiiuka locality. Later, in the 1st millennia the Thracians settled here, followed by the Romans in the 1st century, who built the Storgozia fortress. During the Middle Ages invaders repeatedly destroyed the town and the fortress, which were later restored.
No comments:
Post a Comment