GOSTILITSA
Pottery Factory, Oreshak, Troyan Monastery, Cherni Osam
I've put all of these places on one page as they are all in close proximity to each other, so it makes sense to visit them all in one day.
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POTTERY FACTORY
To get to Troyan you can take the 404 road leading west out of Sevlievo. Drive to Kaufland, keep the supermarket on your right as you approach the traffic lights and then drive straight on. Go through the villages of Sennik, Gradnitsa and Berievo still on the 404 following signs for Troyan. At Debnovo the road becomes the 3505, still heading for Troyan. Just outside Debnovo look out for a large bright red building on your right hand side. The pottery factory is the white building immediately after this.
You can buy all kinds of pottery here and if they're not too busy they will let you have a look at the area where the pots are all waiting to be fired in huge kilns, and then the room where the artists paint the designs onto them, including the traditional Troyan drop shaped pattern. For the thrifty among you (like me) there are literally hundreds of 'seconds' available to buy for mere pennies. It might just be that a little bit of the glaze is chipped, or that a plate has a slight curve to it - still perfectly usable but not perfect enough to sell in the shop. I've bought big crock pots, sets of plates, bowls, dozens of herb pots etc mostly for 1 or 2 levs each. Some of the big pots also make nice planters for the garden.
ORESHAK
Continuing on from the pottery factory you will eventually come to the village of Velchevo where you turn right onto the 607 which then becomes the 357 leading into the large village of Oreshak. There are more pottery shops here and restaurants, as well as a large arts and crafts exhibition centre where artists and craftsmen from all over Bulgaria (and beyond) display their work, with an extensive range of traditional items for sale. Some years the village has hosted a huge music and food festival, so check the festivals link on the calendar of events page.
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TROYAN MONASTERY
Just further down the road from Oreshak is the Troyan Monastery. This is the third largest monastery in Bulgaria, where you can enjoy the beautiful frescoes and icons as well as appreciate the architecture of the place and its lovely setting. Probably the best known icon here is the Three-Handed Virgin Mary (because when you love someone very much, two hands are not enough to hug them) which has a couple of legends attached:
A monk from Mount Athos came and stopped at the Troyan monastery on his way to Romania where he was supposed to leave the icon of the Three-Handed Virgin Mary. He only meant to stay for a couple of days' rest but ended up staying for many months, inspired by the life of prayer and fasting the Troyan monks demonstrated. Eventually though he knew he had to continue on his way to Romania, so he saddled his horse, put the icon in his bag and headed off. He hadn't gone but a couple of steps when his horse fell down and could hardly get up. The monk returned to the monastery so his horse could recover, and after a few weeks tried to set off again. Exactly the same thing happened, at which point the monk realised the miraculous icon was meant to stay at Troyan and there it has remained ever since.
Another story occurs during the time of the Ottoman rule. An armed Turkish policeman entered the church whilst people were there praying. Panic ensued at which point the policeman fired his gun into the air. The bullet hit the dome on which is a painting of Christ with his arms outstretched. The bullet ricocheted off the dome, hit the policeman and killed him. They say if you study that painted dome carefully, you can still see the black bullet hole.
August 15th is always a major celebration here and the place will be packed on that day.
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CHERNI OSAM
Continue past the monastery and you'll arrive at the village of Cherni Osam. The main reason to visit this place is the Natural History Museum where you can learn about the flora and fauna of the Balkan National Park. This village is right on the edge of open countryside, so if you continue on, the road narrows and heads off towards the higher peaks - possibly a good spot to stop for a picnic if you don't fancy eating in one of the previous villages.
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