Troyan pottery spans the period from the Ceramic Neolithic to the Bulgarian National Revival. The Museum of Folk Crafts and Applied Arts in Troyan traces this development, as well as the history of the Troyan School of Pottery. Its collections showcase craft products, tools and moulds, explain their uses and present various decorative techniques.
Pottery, Crafts and Monastery Art
The museum visit also includes hands-on activities: visits to a pottery workshop and demonstrations of icon painting and woodcarving. Check when these activities are available before your trip. In Oreshak, the National Exhibition of Arts and Crafts displays folk art objects made by recognised master artisans from all of Bulgaria’s ethnographic regions. Visitors can try regional crafts there, such as pottery, woodcarving, pyrography and weaving; dates may change.
Another facet of art history can be found at the Troyan Monastery of the Dormition of the Mother of God, on the banks of the Cherni Osam near Oreshak. It is considered the largest monastery in the Balkan Mountains and the third-largest spiritual centre in Bulgaria. The monastery church features frescoes by the artist Zahari Zograf, dating from the Bulgarian National Revival. Pottery, applied arts and religious painting stand alongside one another here as distinct forms of expression.
Traces of the Via Trayana
Troyan’s Roman history is also linked to an ancient route: the Via Trayana passes through the municipality. Sostra was the sixth station along this road; the Via Trayana connected Lower Moesia with Thrace. There is an improved road and a car park beside the Roman Fortress of Sostra. As infrastructure details may change, check the conditions before your visit.
River Basins, a Reserve and Hiking Trails
About 80 percent of Troyan Municipality lies within the Osam basin; it also extends into the Yantra and Vit basins. Most of the Sopot Reservoir is also within the municipality. The Steneto Biosphere Reserve, part of Central Balkan National Park, is located there too. Features open to visitors in the reserve include the Raychova Dupka, Ptichata Dupka and Kumanitsa caves, the Markova Dupka rock arch, and the waterfalls at Cher nokozhi and Konski Dol. Access restrictions may apply in some areas; check the current park rules before visiting.
Several trails lead from Chiflik into Central Balkan National Park and the Kozya Stena Reserve. One route follows an asphalt road for 3.5 kilometres to the Haydushka Pesenn hut, then continues along a marked hiking trail to the Kozya Stena hut, taking 2 hours and 30 minutes. Avalanche-prone zones are noted for winter; check current conditions then. Another mountain route leads from the Smesite area near Cherni Osam to the Ambaritsa hut. It takes three hours and requires good mountaineering preparation.
The panoramic hiking trail leads from the National Exhibition of Arts and Crafts in Oreshak through the Sadina area to the Natural History Museum and the mountain guides’ school in Cherni Osam. The route passes through a mixed beech forest. At the Natural History Museum, you can also discover more than 700 exhibits and more than 25 species of taxidermied mammals. The exhibition presents the region’s wildlife and natural landmarks in the Balkan Mountains and the nearby Central Balkan National Park.
Mineral Springs and a Festival in Cherni Osam
Warm mineral springs can be found in Shipkovo and Chiflik. Chiflik has several springs with temperatures of up to 55 °C. Another local highlight is the annual “Chukan Bob s Kopriva i Horo se Izviva” festival in Cherni Osam, centred on beans with nettles, as well as music and dancing. Exact dates and the programme may change, so it is worth checking the latest festival information before your trip.
Discover more destinations: Troyan, Oreshak, Balkanets, Shipkovo, Staro Selo, Gorno Trape, Chiflik, Kaleytsa, Debnevo, Balabansko.
For the broader travel overview: Lovech Province.
