Lovech Province

Lovech Province (Template:Langx, former name Lovech okrug) is one of the 28 provinces of Bulgaria, lying at the northern centre of the country. It is named after its main city: Lovech. As of December 2009, the population of the area was151,153.<ref name="divisions">Template:In lang Bulgarian National Statistical Institute - Bulgarian provinces and municipalities in 2009 Template:Webarchive</ref><ref name="population">Template:In lang „WorldCityPopulation“</ref><ref name="pop-stat-divisions">„pop-stat.mashke.org“</ref> It covers a total area of approximately 4,129 square km and includes 8 municipalities.

Geography and Nature

The region is characterized by a mix of mountainous and lowland terrain, with significant rivers including the Osam, Vit, and Zlatna Panega flowing through it. Much of the province lies within the northern foothills of the Balkan Mountains, contributing to a varied landscape of forests, rivers, and karst formations.

Lovech Province is home to parts of the Central Balkan National Park, one of the largest protected areas in Bulgaria. The park includes several reserves such as:

• Steneto Nature Reserve – known for its deep gorges and rich biodiversity.
• Boatin Reserve – featuring ancient beech forests and habitats for rare bird species.
• Tsarichina Reserve – preserving typical Central Balkan flora and fauna.

Numerous karst caves can be found in the region, including:

• Devetashka Cave – one of the largest caves in Bulgaria, known for its impressive natural arches and archaeological significance.
• Saeva Dupka Cave – famous for its beautiful stalactites and stalagmites, and acoustics suitable for concerts.

Cultural and Historical Sites

The province has a rich historical heritage with over 600 cultural monuments, ranging from Thracian and Roman times to the Bulgarian National Revival. Notable landmarks include:

• Troyan Monastery – the third largest monastery in Bulgaria, founded in the 16th century, known for its frescoes by Zahari Zograf.
• Glozhene Monastery – perched on a cliff near the village of Glozhene, offering panoramic views and historical significance.
• The covered bridge in Lovech – a unique structure built by Bulgarian master Kolyu Ficheto in the 19th century, connecting the old town (Varosha) with the new part of the city.

The architectural reserve Varosha, located in Lovech, preserves numerous Revival-style houses and churches, and the Vasil Levski Museum honors the legacy of Bulgaria’s national hero.

Tourism and Economy

Lovech Province is a growing tourist destination, attracting visitors with its natural beauty, cultural landmarks, and thermal springs. The town of Shipkovo is known for its mineral water and balneotherapy, while Apriltsi, Teteven, and Troyan offer mountain tourism, hiking, and traditional crafts.

Economically, the province is supported by industries such as food processing, woodworking, and machine-building, with tourism playing an increasingly important role.

Municipalities

The Lovech province (област, oblast) contains eight municipalities (singular: община, obshtina - plural: общини, obshtini). The following table shows the names of each municipality in English and Cyrillic, the main town or village (in bold), and the population as of December 2009.

Municipality	Cyrillic	Pop.<ref name="divisions"/><ref name="population"/><ref name="pop-stat-divisions"/>	Town/Village	Pop.<ref name="statistika">Template:In lang Bulgarian National Statistical Institute - Bulgarian towns in 2009 Template:Webarchive</ref><ref name="population"/><ref name="pop-stat">„pop-stat.mashke.org“</ref>
Apriltsi	Априлци	3,554	Apriltsi	3,207
Letnitsa	Летница	5,101	Letnitsa	3,739
Lovech	Ловеч	53,578	Lovech	38,579
Lukovit	Луковит	19,469	Lukovit	9,630
Teteven	Тетевен	22,016	Teteven	10,613
Troyan	Троян	33,827	Troyan	21,997
Ugarchin	Угърчин	7,181	Ugarchin	2,832
Yablanitsa	Ябланица	6,427	Yablanitsa	2,896

Demographics

File:Lovech Province.jpg

Building of Lovech Province administration

Template:Historical populationsThe Lovech province had a population of 169,951 according to a 2001 census, of which Template:Pct were male and Template:Pct were female.<ref name="NSI Census 2001">Template:In lang Population to 01.03.2001 by Area and Sex Template:Webarchive from Bulgarian National Statistical Institute: Census 2001 Template:Webarchive</ref>

As of the end of 2009, the population of the province, announced by the Bulgarian National Statistical Institute, numbered 151,153<ref name="divisions" /> of which Template:Pct are inhabitants aged over 60 years.<ref name="NSI age">Template:In lang Bulgarian National Statistical Institute - Population by age in 2009 Template:Webarchive</ref>

Ethnic groups

File:Lovech-fortress-imagesfrombulgaria.JPG

Lovech's ruined fortress.

File:Glozhene-monastery-imagesfrombg.JPG

The Glozhene Monastery near Teteven.

Total population (2011 census): 141 422
Ethnic groups (2011 census):<ref>Population by province, municipality, settlement and ethnic identification, by 01.02.2011; Bulgarian National Statistical Institute Template:Webarchive Template:In lang</ref> Identified themselves: 130 180 persons:

• Bulgarians: 118 346 (90,91%)
• Romani: 5 705 (4,38%)
• Turks: 4 337 (3,33%)
• Others and indefinable: 1 792 (1,38%)

A further 11,000 persons in the Province did not declare their ethnic group at the 2011 census

In the 2001 census, 167,877 people of the population of 169,951 of Lovech Province identified themselves as belonging to one of the following ethnic groups (with percentage of total population):<ref>Template:In lang Population to 01.03.2001 by District and Ethnic Group from Bulgarian National Statistical Institute: Census 2001 Template:Webarchive</ref>

Ethnic group	Population	Percentage
Bulgarians	152,194	Template:Pct
Turkish	8,476	Template:Pct
Romani	6,316	Template:Pct
Russians	269	Template:Pct
Armenians	12	Template:Pct
Vlachs Template:Small	458	Template:Pct
Macedonians	7	Template:Pct
Greeks	21	Template:Pct
Ukrainians	29	Template:Pct
Jewish	1	Template:Pct
Romanians (self-declared)	3	Template:Pct
Other	91	Template:Pct

Language

In the 2001 census, 168,307 people of the population of 169,951 of Lovech Province identified one of the following as their mother tongue (with percentage of total population): 154,157 Bulgarian (Template:Pct), 6,994 Turkish (Template:Pct), 6,033 Romani (Template:Pct), and 1,123 other (Template:Pct).<ref>Template:In lang Population to 01.03.2001 by District and Mother Tongue from Bulgarian National Statistical Institute: Census 2001 Template:Webarchive</ref>

Religion

Template:Bar box Religious adherence in the province according to 2001 census:<ref>Template:In lang Religious adherence in Bulgaria - census 2001 Template:Webarchive</ref>

Census 2001
religious adherence	population	%
Orthodox Christians	146,778	86.36%
Muslims	10,501	6.18%
Protestants	879	0.52%
Roman Catholics	366	0.22%
Other	688	0.40%
Religion not mentioned	10,739	6.32%
total	169,951	100%

References

<references />

See also

• Provinces of Bulgaria
• Municipalities of Bulgaria
• List of cities and towns in Bulgaria
• List of villages in Lovech Province

External links

• Template:Official Facebook page