A Trip to Lovech

This week, on a beautiful crisp fall day, we traveled to Lovech, which is one of the oldest towns in Bulgaria. The city’s first inhabitants are thought to have been a Thracian tribe. The city has been occupied by one group or another since the 4th-3rd centuries BC.  Lovech has been part of the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman Empires.

 One of the two main attractions in Lovech is the Lovech Castle, or Hisarja Fortress, which is a former Roman citadel that overlooks the city. We climbed a long stairway up the side of the hill to reach the Fortress at the top. 

 The view of the city and the surrounding area was spectacular.  It was apparent why this hill and fortress were a coveted defense location.  At the top is a statue of Vasil Levski who was a Bulgarian revolutionary, well-known as a national hero of Bulgaria

  Nicknamed the Apostle of Freedom, Levski led a revolutionary movement to liberate Bulgaria from Ottoman rule. His statue towers over the city at 42 feet high.

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The other main attraction is the Covered Bridge that connects the old and new part of the city across the Osam River. The original bridge made possible the settlement of the plain across the river from hills of the old town.  It was destroyed by flood in 1872 and was rebuilt by the citizens. Once again it was destroyed in 1925; this time by fire. The citizens all contributed to the rebuilding of the bridge once again.  Today the Covered Bridge houses shops, cafes and restaurants and is a source of pride for the local population as well as a large contributor to the economy.  We did our part to contribute to that economy as we strolled from one end to the other.

 While we are in Bulgaria we love these opportunities to explore the beautiful countryside.  The weather was perfect and the scenery remarkable.  We would hate to leave the country having never had the chance to appreciate the rich culture that of the area. 

Love Elder & Sister Segeberg