Lovech

Lovech sits on the Osam with the Varosha quarter climbing a hill on one bank and the modern town on the other, joined by a covered bridge that is the town's emblem: the original was built in 1874 by Kolyu Ficheto, the leading Bulgarian builder of the period, with shops along its length inside the covering, and after it burned it was rebuilt in the 1980s in the same form and the shops still trade. Varosha is a quarter of Revival houses on cobbled lanes with several museums, and above it stands the Hisarya fortress with walls, a church and a very large monument to Vasil Levski, who used Lovech as the base of his revolutionary organisation. The town is compact and walkable.

History

The Thracian Meldi founded their capital, Melta, on the site of today's Varosha quarter around the 4th or 3rd century BC, and the Romans set up a station called Prezidium on a main road nearby; in 1187 the peace that recognised the Second Bulgarian Empire was signed at the Hisarya fortress above the town. Hisarya was the last stronghold in the area to fall to the Ottomans, in 1446, Lovech was so rich in the 17th century that it was called Golden Lovech, and between 1872 and 1874 the master builder Kolyu Ficheto built its covered bridge over the Osam, burned in 1925 and rebuilt in 1931 (Wikipedia, Lovech).

Highlights

• The covered bridge with shops - trading along its length as it always did.
• The Varosha quarter - Revival houses on the hill above the river.
• Hisarya fortress and the Levski monument - the hilltop above the quarter.
• Museums in the old houses - the collections in Varosha.

When to go

April to October. Half a day. Museums close on some Mondays. The climb through Varosha to the fortress is steep. Weekdays are quiet.

What to expect

The bridge is a 1980s reconstruction, not the original. The modern town is unremarkable. Museums are small and individually ticketed. The climb to the fortress is steep with steps.

Nearby

Devetashka cave and Krushuna are north-east; Troyan lies south.

Key facts