The town of Lukovit (approximately 10 000 inhabitants, 135 m above sea level) is situated on the two banks at the mouth of the valley of Zlatna Panega River. It is 125 km north-east of Sofia, 24 km north of Yablanitsa, 12 km south-east of Cherven Bryag and 49 km south-west of Pleven. It is a centre of a large and interesting karst region.
History: There are traces of Thracian, Roman, Byzantine and Old Bulgarian periods. Many rings, fibulas, earrings, ceramic articles and objects and the famous Lukovit silver treasure dating back to the 4th century BC (exhibited in the museum collection of the Community Cultural Centre) were found in the numerous Thracian mounds scattered in the area. A treasure of Roman coins was also found. Byzantine coins dating back to the 12th century as well as coins from the reign of Tsar Ivan Alexander (1330-1371) were found at the Gradishte Hill. The settlement was first mentioned in a document dating back to 1479 under the name of Gorni Lukovit. At the end of 17th century the Turkish troops, defeated near Vienna and Belgrade ruined it in their retreat and forced a lot of the inhabitants to convert to Islam.
The nearby Karlukovski Monastery, where Sofronii Vrachanski found shelter and worked for the benefit of his people, promoted Bulgarian spirit. The national defenders Angel Voivoda and Valchan Voivoda were active in the region. The Apostle Vassil Levski founded a revolutionary committee in Gorni Lukovit. The Revival upsurge found its reflection in the construction of the first school in 1849.
After 18th century Lukovit was the largest village in the Pre-Balkan region and was famous with its 14 water mills on the river Panega. The Orthodox Bulgarians mainly bred cattle, while the Bulgarian Mohammedan grew vegetables. After the Liberation in 1878 the village was proclaimed a town under the name of Lukovit. The crafts declined as elsewhere in Bulgaria after the markets in the Ottoman Empire were lost. The town made some progress in its development after the railway line Cherven Bryag - Zlatna Panega was constructed.
Landmarks: There is a Historical museum collection, housed in the Suznanie Popular Library house (3rd March Square, tel.: 0697 2144), established in 1895. St. Georgi Church is situated in the centre of Lukovit, on the left bank of the river.
Accommodation: Putno Upravlenie Hotel (3rd March Square).
Tourist information is available at the hotel, at Zlatna Panega Tourist Association and at the town-hall (74, Vuzrazhdane Str., tel.: 0697 2559, 4058).
Transport: Bus and railway transport is available. Lukovit is located on the major road Sofia - Pleven - Rousse and all the buses servicing this direction have a transit stop there. In addition there are regular bus lines to Cherven Bryag, Roman, Lovech, Teteven and other smaller villages within the region. The bus station is located in the central part of the town, on the right bank of the river (2, Zlatna Panega, tel.: 0697 2503, 2527). The railway station is at the northeastern end of the town (tel.: 0697 2264, 4194) servicing the railway line Cherven Bryag - Zlatna Panega, through which the town of Lukovit is connected to the national railway network.
