Municipality of Lovech
Last update: 2011-02-14

Infrastructure | Economy| Culture and tourism

Lovech municipality is located in Northern Bulgaria, in the central part of the Danube plain. Its territory of 946 sq. km (or 22.9% of the district of Lovech) occupies the northern foothills of the Balkan Mountain and the terraces of Osam River. A center of the municipality and a district center is the town of Lovech (38,579 people). The population of Lovech municipality is around 53,600 people (December 2009), living in 35 towns and villages.

Infrastructure

Transport

• Road transport: the road network in the municipality has internal and regional importance. The main transport link is the first class road I-4 Sofia-Sevlievo-Veliko Tyrnovo-Shumen, connecting the municipality with the neighbourng districts and with the capital of Bulgaria (Sofia). Another important artery is the second class road II-35, part of the transport axis in the North-South Balkan Pass Troyan-Karnare that connects the district of Pleven with the district of Plovdiv. The road network is composed of 24.5 km 1st class roads, 37.2 km 2nd class, 132.3 km – 3rd class and 189.2 km local roads. The general condition of the road network is average and good; rehabilitation is needed mostly for the 4th class roads.
• Railway: the rail transportation in Lovech covers a relatively small part of the passenger traffic in the municipality with 2 passenger trains per day.
• Air transport: the nearest airports are in Pleven (for cargo), 35 km away, in Gorna Oryahovitsa (100 km) and in Sofia (156 km), international airport.

Energy

The energy system in Lovech is well developed with new equipment. All consumers are connected to “Elektrorazpredelenie Pleven, branch Lovech”, owned by the Czech company CEZ since 2004. The system is securely connected to the national energy system. Osam River is exploited for production of energy. The municipality is partially supplied with gas. There is no common heat-supply.

Water supply and sewerage

The water sources are not located evenly which causes problems in some villages, especially during the summer period. The solution is the finalisation of the construction of Cherni Osam Lake. Large industrial enterprises in the municipality have their own water sources for industrial purposes. The sewerage system in the municipality is unsuffient, covering only the town of Lovech.

Communication

Fixed and mobile telephony and Internet access are provided throughout the entire municipality.

Economy

Lovech municipality is the largest in terms of area and population in the district and has a leading role in the regional economy. The most developed economic sectors are the production of food and beverages, manufacture of machinery, equipment and power tools, bicycles, cement and aggregates. Traditional sectors are logging and timber, production of furniture and clothing industry. Except the development of the traditional sectors, the municipality has also potential for the development of bilogical agriculture, processing of wild fruits, herbs and mushrooms.

Culture and tourism

Tourism in the municipality has been constantly developing in the past few years, which is reflected both in the share of revenues and in the number of accommodations. New resorts and related recreational facilities have been constructed, based on the opportunities, provided by the natural and historical resources.

The most famous site in Lovech is the “Covered bridge”, constructed in 1872-1874 by the famous architect Nikola Fichev. Other interesting venues to be seen are the old houses near the bridge, the monument of Vassil Levski, etc. There are preserved authentic traces of the Antiquity and Middle Ages in the municipality.

The most popular natural landmark of Lovech municipality is the Devetashka cave with horizontal length of 2,442 m, which is populated yearround by colonies of bats. There are many protected natural areas on the territory of the municipality. The cultural calendar of Lovech is rich and varied, comprising a number of events with local and regional importance, as well as initiatives of national and international scope.

Lovech municipality has three museums – the Historical Museum, Vassil Levski Museum and Kukrinsko Hanche Museum. There is also an ethnograpfical complex (in the town of Lovech) with a museum collection. The functioning theater is in the town of Lovech - the Municipal Dramatic Theatre. There are also 4 art galleries (the Art gallery of Lovech, Gallery “Donation Kazakov”, Gallery “Donation Mircho Mirchev” and Gallery “Varosha”).Lovech District