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Settlements: Sevlievo
The town of Sevlievo (about 25 000 inhabitants, 200 metres above sea level) is situated in the mountain valley of the same name, along the left bank of the Rositsa River, a little after its spillway with the Vidima River. It is situated at the distance of 190 km north-east of the capital city, 28 km north-west of Gabrovo, 50 km west of Veliko Turnovo, 37 km south-east of Lovech, 47 km north-east of Troyan, 40 km south-west of Pavlikeni and 41 km north-east of Apriltsi.
History: The settlement emerged in the 15th century as a village producing timber boards but it is likely that it had existed before that, too (10th-12th centuries).
It was mentioned under the name of Selvi for the first time in 1618 where its present name comes from (it is related to the surrounding vegetation). It was completely devastated and put to fire by the kurdzhalii (Turkish brigands) in 1798. The settlement recovered comparatively quickly as an administrative centre with a well-developed craftsmanship - woodworking, leather processing and tailoring, weaving. There was a well-known cattle market here, too but it was the silkworm breeding and the silk-trade which brought the greatest glory to the town and made it famous. There was a great demand for silkworm seed and silk from Sevlievo in Austria, France, Romania. The population of the town was affected by the great plague in 1838.
The town did not neglect its cultural development, either. A community centre was founded there (1870) by Dr. Stoicho Zografski, schools, churches, a clock tower (1777), beautiful houses and bridges were built as well. Petko R. Slaveikov and Martin Sofroniev were teachers here. Hadzhi Angel Ivanov translated the text of church hymns into the language of Slavs and Bulgarians and the Priest Pencho Nestorov translated the Gospel into the Bulgarian language. After the Liberation the town at first declined as a craftsmanship centre but quickly developed after that.
Landmarks: The Town Museum of History located in the building of the first secular (Hadzhi Stoyanov’s) school (in the centre of the town, 6, Petko R. Slaveikov Street, tel.: 0675 4463, 4852), built in 1844, where P. R. Sla-vei-kov was a teacher for a short time. The clock tower (in the centre of the town) built by Bulgarian builder masters (1877-1879) of stone, bricks, mortar and wood. It has an original architectural appearance and is 18 m high.
Saint Prophet Iliya Church (in the centre of the town, 12, Skobelev Street, tel.: 0675 3296), built up in 1834 and having a valuable wood-carved iconostasis. The Holy Trinity Church (in the centre of the town, 12, Sv. Troitsa Street, tel.: 0675 4495) of 1870. The stone bridge over the Rositsa River built by Master Kolyu Ficheto during 1857-1858 and restored after the flood in 1939.
The Monument to Freedom (in the centre of the town) was erected in 1894 and was designed by Otto Horeishi and Arnoldo Zocci (Italian sculptor, author of monuments in Sofia, Rousse, Oriahovo). The pillar of the monument is an original stone column from the Roman town of Nikopolis ad Istrum (beside the village of Nikyup, Turmovo region), and the figure was made in Vienna. The gallows on which the revolutionaries from Sevlievo were hanged in 1876 was in the place of today’s monument. Tabahanata (tannery) - restored and open to visitors.
Accommodation: The Rositsa Hotel (1, Svoboda Square, in the centre of the town). There are several public catering establishments, which serve delicious traditional cuisine. Here are two of them: the Royal Restaurant (in the centre of the town, 10, Slavianska Street, working hours: 9.00 a.m. – 12.00 p.m.) and the Loven Dom (Hunter’s House) Restaurant (on the right bank of Rositsa River, to the south of the stadium).
Tourist information: at the hotel and at the Rositsa-Mazalat Tourist Association (34, Iv. Presnakov Street, tel.: 0675 3005, 3004).
Transport: Bus transport provides regular connections with Sofia, Gabrovo, Veliko Turnovo, Lovech, Pleven, Troyan, Apriltsi, Pavlikeni and other smaller settlements within the region. The bus station (Stoyan Buchvarov Street, tel.: 0675 3628, 3627, 3625) is situated in the western part of the town.
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Bulgaria Regions: Gabrovo
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