Lovech reveals its history in many forms: as a landmark, a museum exhibit and part of the everyday cityscape. Landscapes and trails offer further perspectives. The Covered Bridge combines architectural history with present-day use, while the fortress and museums explore different chapters of the past.
Bridge, Fortress and Old Town
Built by Kolyu Ficheto, the Covered Bridge became a symbol of Lovech and is considered unique of its kind on the Balkan Peninsula. Today, it serves as a covered shopping street. Its character is therefore shaped not only by its architecture but also by its function as a shopping street under one roof.
The Varosha architectural and historical reserve encompasses the old part of Lovech on the eastern bank of the Osam River. It took shape during the Bulgarian National Revival. The Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God is located in Varosha and is designated an immovable cultural heritage site of national importance.
The Lovech Fortress extends across two terraces of the rocky Hisarya Hill in the old town. It is a monument of national importance and is designated a museum and tourist reserve. Its location and designation offer two different points of reference for understanding the fortress: its form on the rocky hill and its significance as protected cultural heritage.
Museums and Living History
The two-storey exhibition at the Vasil Levski Museum covers the Bulgarian national revolutionary movement and Levski’s activities in Bulgaria. 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 objects and items, including the country’s largest collection of Levski’s personal belongings.
The Ethnographic Complex consists of the Drasova House and the Rashova House. It depicts the life of a wealthy merchant from Lovech, including the vessels used for making and storing wine. The complex is listed as site number 30 among Bulgaria’s 100 national tourist sites. The houses and their objects thus offer insight into a different aspect of the city’s history than the revolutionary themes explored at the Levski Museum.
Crafts are also part of the Lovech experience: at the Street of Crafts, artisans give live demonstrations of how Bulgarian folk handicrafts are made. For architecture enthusiasts, Deli Hamam offers another contrast. The old city bathhouse was built in the 16th century and is now a virtual water attraction. Specially designed multimedia effects and programs teach visitors about water. The bathhouse is also an architectural and construction monument of national importance.
Landscape and Trails
Stratesh Park is home to both the Lovech Zoo and a lake. The park covers 1,000 decares, while the lake has an area of 2 decares. The zoo occupies 110 decares and is home to 450 animals and birds from 64 species. The figures indicate different scales: the expansive park, the smaller lake and the zoo area within the park.
The Devetashka Cave near Devetaki is a natural attraction in its own right. It is 2,442 metres long, covers 20,400 square metres and reaches a height of 60 metres. Its length, area and height describe different dimensions of the cave. At the same time, Devetashka Cave is an immovable cultural heritage site of national importance, a natural monument and a protected area. As a bat roost, it is of international importance and is listed as a priority site in the Agreement on the Conservation of European Bat Populations (EUROBATS).
Several trails described here offer specific guidance, but they do not form a single route. The access route to Zamyka starts at the Lovech hydroelectric power station (Yuzinata); a hiking trail marked mainly in green heads towards Tabashka Cave. The Igla rock formation can be reached from the Vasil Levski Monument and Stratesh Park. Climbing to its summit requires mountaineering skills. As terrain conditions can vary, it is best to check them before setting out.
A marked hiking trail also leads east from the Vasil Levski Monument. In good weather, it offers panoramic views of the Osam River’s meandering gorge, the Bash Bunar cliffs and, in the distance, the central ridge of the Balkan Mountains. Bash Bunar Avenue itself lies on the left bank of the Osam and follows its curves for 2 kilometres.
Staro Stefanovo is also administratively part of Lovech. It was declared an architectural reserve in 1982, and 96 sites there are registered as cultural monuments. The traditional open ovens beside two-storey houses are a tourist attraction. Staro Stefanovo thus complements the museums and city history with another architectural theme.
Discover more destinations: Lovech, Hlevene, Brestovo, Troyan, Lukovit, Yablanitsa, Teteven, Ugarchin.
For the regional travel overview: Lovech Province.
