General Information
Oryahovo is a port city in northwestern Bulgaria, part of Vratsa Province. It is located in a hilly country on the right bank of the Danube, just east of the mouth of the river Ogosta, a few more kilometres downstream from where the Jiu flows into the Danube on Romanian territory. The town is known for the ferry service that connects it to the Romanian town of Bechet across the river. There are also plans by local private companies for a bridge across the Danube.

Ancient History and Middle Ages
The town’s name has evolved through the course of history, with names such as Vrhov, Orezov, Oreov and Rahovo being mentioned in documents until the current one was officially established in 1886. The area around Oryahovo has been inhabited since ancient times, as archaeological research has proven with findings from the early Neolithic to the Late Middle Ages. A fortress called Kamaka (Камъка) is located 1 km east from Oryahovo, which existed from the 9th to the 14th century. In 1396, the city, already controlled by the Turks, was sacked and its Ottoman inhabitants killed or taken prisoner by French crusaders heading towards Nikopol. The troops of Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund and Polish King W?adys?aw III of Varna passed through the fortress during their unsuccessful crusades (the Battle of Nicopolis and the Battle of Varna, respectively) against the Ottoman Empire.

Bulgarian National Revival
During the Bulgarian National Revival, Oryahovo established itself as an economic and indsutrial centre and a key point for the supply of the Ottoman Empire with goods through the Danube. The town was mentioned as an important Danube port in a 1762 book printed in Brussels. The St George Church was opened in 1837, a secular school was built in the town in 1857 and a community centre (читалище, chitalishte) followed in 1871. During the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78, the town was liberated on 21 November 1877 by Romanian forces after three-day fighting. A memorial by Italian sculptor Arnaldo Zocchi was erected in their honour.

Liberated Bulgaria
After the liberation, Oryahovo was known for the lively trade and rich cultural life. A provincial centre for three months, it became the centre of an okrug for 10 years (1877-1882 and 1884-1889). The architecture from the period is typically influenced by the one of Western Europe, with many such buildings being preserved today.A railway line linking Oryahovo with Cherven Bryag was constructed in 1926, a new church, the Assumption of Mary Church, opened in 1930, and a new building for the community centre was built in 1936 after a project by two Vidin architects.

Some of the first industrial companies in the city, a spare parts factory and a metalworking company, were opened in 1961. Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant, a short drive west of town, is also a mayor employer.

The Sokolski Monastery is a Bulgarian Orthodox monastery founded in 1833 and named after its founder Yosif Sokolski. It is located 15 km southwest of Gabrovo on the northern slopes of the Balkan Mountains in the area of the Sokolovo cave.Originally, a small wooden church was built in 1833 and the frescoes were finished a year later. Hristo Tsokev, a Gabrovo-born artist, donated the church icon, which represents the Virgin Mary and Christ and is considered to be miraculous. In 1862, Father Paul Zograf and his son Nikola from the village of Shipka decorated the church with frescoes.

The monastery has a big yard surrounded by residential and utility buildings. In the centre of the yard, in 1865 the master Kolyu Ficheto constructed a big stone fountain with eight taps. The whole monastery was built during the Bulgarian National Revival with the strong support of the people of Gabrovo and the local villages.

The monastery played an important role during the April Uprising. In this monastery, the leader Tsanko Dyustabanov formed a group of volunteers for the resistance. In a short period of time during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78 the monastery was a hospital.

The Sokolski Monastery was declared a historical site in 1973.

Zheravna is a village in central eastern Bulgaria, part of Kotel municipality, Sliven Province. The village, set in a small valley at the southern foot of the eastern Balkan Mountains, is an architectural reserve of national importance consisting of more than 200 wooden houses from the Bulgarian National Revival period (18th and 19th century), and a quickly developing tourist destination.The village emerged between the 12th and 14th century and grew to become a cultural and handicraft centre in the 18th century. As the local population came to wealth, the architectural appearance of the village was shaped by one- or two-storey wooden houses surrounded by stone walls and cobblestone alleys.

Popular sights in the village include the museum house of the merchant Rusi Chorbadzhi from the early 18th century, the Church of St Nicholas inaugurated in 1834 and housing icons from the 18th and early 19th century, the museum house of the noted writer Yordan Yovkov born in 1880, the art gallery occupying the old class school and the museum house of the educator Sava Filaterov.

As of September 2005 the village has a population of 460 and the mayor is Lachezar Germanov. Zheravna lies at 42°50 N, 26°28 E, at 579 m above sea level.

The town of Sevlievo is situated in the Central Balkan Range, on the two banks of the Rositsa River. It’s located 28 km away from Gabrovo, 45 km from Veliko Tarnovo, 175 km from Sofia.

It arose as a settlement on a naturally protected area at a distance of 3 km from the current town. In the 10th century a defense fortress was built. This medieval town, called Hotalich, had survived for 7 centuries. In the end of the 17th century was conquered by the Turks. It became a regional center, called Selvi, and later was renamed Sevlievo. In the middle of the 19th century, the population increased and crafts and building of churches and schools rapidly developed.

The population joined the April uprising in 1876. Many villages were burnt to ashes, women and children were killed and the leaders were hanged in the City Square.

Sevlievo keeps numerous architectural monuments from the period of the Bulgarian national revival. Most famous among them are: the Clock tower, built up in 1777, the “St. Prorok Ilya” (Prophet Elijah) church built by masters from Tryavna in 1835, the bridge above the Rositsa river, built by Kolyu Ficheto in 1858, the church St. Troitsa (The holy trinity) built by Usta (Master) Gencho in 1870, the “Tabahana”leather workshop – the only preserved workshop from 1873, the Dandolovi houses, consisting of three buildings and a big workshop from 1870, etc.

South of Sevlievo is situated the “Uspenie na Presveta Bogoroditsa” Monastery of Batoshevo. The woodcarvings and the icons in it have been preserved since the period of Bulgarian national revival.

At 4 km northwest is situated the medieval town- fortress, called Hotalich,that keeps a small church, Resident of a Boyar, and rooms.

The Sennik village, close to Sevlievo, is the birthplace of the famous Bulgarian wrestler Dan Kolov.

Near Gorna Rositsa village, there is a motor track, hosted the world motor championship in 2002.