On the Road - Lovech, Bulgaria
Welcome to this tiny slice of Lovech, Bulgaria...one of our stops (between Belogradchik & Veliko Turnovo) on our very first road trip in Bulgaria. The highway system in BG takes you right through the heart of villages/towns/cities which allows travelers to get a feel for the place. Let's take a quick look, shall we?
Lovech has a population of almost 37,000 and is located in the northern central part of the country. As it is with every place we visited, there was a long, rich and tumultuous history. Here are a few of the highlights...
There is evidence of Thracian inhabitants dating back to the 3rd and 4th century.
This was the site of the signing of the peace treaty with the Byzantine Empire that marked the beginning of the Second Bulgarian Empire in 1187.
The Turks captured the Hisarya Fortress (where the peace treaty was signed) in 1446.
The 17th century was a time of economic expansion and Lovech was an important trade center.
In the late 1800's, Vasil Levski, a national hero of Bulgaria, was captured here during the revolutionary uprising against the Ottoman rule.
The important Battle of Lovcha during the Russo Turkish War was fought here.
At the end of the 19th century, Lovech became the center for modern foreign language education in Bulgaria
This covered bridge is a major landmark in Lovech. There are only 3 more of its kind in all of Europe, the others being in Lucerne, Switzerland, Florence, Italy and Erfurt, Germany. It was almost completely destroyed by a flood in 1872, rebuilt and then fully gutted by a fire in 1925. After a couple more reconstruction and remodeling efforts, the bridge that stands today is a lovely shop-filled walkway linking the old and new parts of the city crossing the Osam River.
The river was calm so I couldn't resist taking some reflections shots.
Reflection pictures usually lead to other things for me. Trippiness has no borders! :D
I scoured the internet looking or information on this sculpture but to no avail. If anyone knows anything about this, I would love to know the story.
As in many places, the cat population is healthy and growing by the minute. These little darlings have found a friend in this business owner.
We ended our time here with a wonderful meal at Restaurant Drakata. This was the view from my seat at the table.
I hope you enjoyed this visit to Lovech. We were only there for such a short time and I would love to go back and explore more of the surrounding area...NEXT TIME!
Want to see more from my travels around Bulgaria? Check out my previous posts:
https://steemit.com/abstractphotography/@samanthajbarnes/i-ve-gotta-be-me-still-more-from-devetashka-cave-bulgaria
Some photos previously posted at:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008940904112
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Your cat looks like my cat
Did you see him?
Seemed like I saw quite a few calico kitties in Bulgaria.
Nice Post!
Thank you!
Awesome. You really have a great eye! Glad to have met you!
Thanks so much! I am glad to have met you too...you make me want to paint again!
Awesome shots such a beautiful area
Love that covered bridge
Thank you, Jay!
Connecticut is the land of covered bridges, is it not? I remember my mom (she was born in CT) talking about them.
Your welcome
Yes there are many covered bridges here but I haven’t seen that many of them
Nice post!!!
Thank you!!!