The small town of Karlovo lies in a valley of the same name, which in turn is a part of the famous Rose Valley. The town has about 26,000 residents and is situated 141km east of Sofia.
The present-day town is a relatively new one, as it emerged shortly after the Ottoman invasion in Bulgaria in the late 14th c. It rapidly became administrative centre of the Ottoman Empire and residence of Turkish local administrators. In the early 19th century, Karlovo was already in its apogee with hundreds of weaving shops and water mills, manufacturers of braids and coarse woolen cloths, coppersmiths, goldsmiths, leather producers, etc. Goods made in Karlovo were exported to Vienna, Dubrovnik and trade centres in Egypt, Romania, Albania. Ironically, the liberation war in 1877-1878 put an end to the economic prosperity of the town as export routes were broken, while Karlovo was set on fire and largely destroyed by Turkish troops of ‘bashibuzuk’s in 1877. More than 800 local people were slaughtered then.
Even if the town is most famous for its being the birthplace of the greatest Bulgarian patriot of all times – Vassil Levski, it also saw the birth of many other renowned citizens. Among these are Botyo Petkov – respected teacher and father of the revolutionary and poet Hristo Botev; Ivan Bogorov, publisher of the first Bulgarian newspaper; Evlogi and Hristo Georgievi, emerging bourgeois businessmen and patriots, who donated 1mn golden leva for the construction of the first higher education establishment in Bulgaria, the Sofia University.
Most of the landmarks in Karlovo are connected with the life of Vassil Levski. While in town, one can visit the Town Museum of History, the Vassil Levski house-museum, the monument dedicated to Vassil Levski, the Vassil Levski Chitalishte (Comunity Centre and Library) with a permanent art exhibition, or one of the many renovated houses in old style. Outside the town, one can take a 1km walk to the 15-metre high Karlovo waterfall or ride to the Karlovo Baths spa complex.
