- Gabrovo Province
Infobox Province of Bulgaria
Cyrillic = Област Габрово
Capital =Gabrovo
Municipalities = Gabrovo, Sevlievo, Dryanovo, Tryavna
Area = 2,023 km²
Population = 137,461
Density =
LicensePlate = EB
Governor = Tsvetan Nanov
Website = http://www.gb.government.bg/Gabrovo is a small
province lying at the geographical centre ofBulgaria .Municipalities
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Gabrovo
*Dryanovo
*Sevlievo
*Tryavna Main city
Gabrovo is the main city of the Province of Gabrovo. Long known for producingleather articles andtextiles that earned the town thesobriquet of the “Manchester of Bulgaria”, Gabrovo is a charmingly laid-backprovincial place.To the
Bulgarians , Gabrovo is mainly known as the home ofHumour andSatire , which opened on Aprils Fool’s Day1972 in recognition of the position traditionally occupied by the town in the Bulgarian humour. People in every country telljokes about the supposedmiser liness of a particular community, and in Bulgaria the butt of the jokes has always been Gabrovo.A Festival of Humour and Satire takes place in May, comprising
mask edactor s,folk music , animatedcartoons and the giving ofprizes . There are plenty of restaurants in the city itself but the local people will recommend that you go out of town and visit Bozhentsi and theEtara complex.Bozhentsi and Etara
Bozhentsi is preserved as an old village
museum . There is an ethnographicopen air museum ,Etara , nearby. Strung out along the valley, with its clear bubbling stream and rich bird-life, the Etara complex has the look and feel of a film set, and even though it isartificial , it is nonetheless convincing and a joy to explore.Traditionally
crafts were inseparable from thecharshya (bazaar ), and the reconstructed bazaar of the type once common in Bulgarian towns forms the heart of the open air museum. Throughout much of the dayartisan s are at work here, hammering blades, throwing pots, carving bowls and the like, and everything they make is for sale. Note that many of the artisans leave an hour or so before the complex officially closes.Even if your interest in crafts is minimal it’s difficult not to admire the interiors of the old houses, which achieve great beauty through the skilful use of simple materials. Besides
dwelling s andworkshop s, the bazaar includes a couple of places for grabbing a quick drink, including a traditionalcafé , and abakery sellingTurkish Delight and many other sweet treats.An hour or so walk southwest from Etara,
Sokolsky Monastery perches on acrag above the village ofVoditsi . During Ottoman times the monks offered succour to Bulgarianoutlaws and an assembly point during the uprising against the Turks in1876 . Nowadays it is a discreet, little-visited place, with rosebushes andprivet shrubs laid out in a courtyard dominated by an octagonal stone fountain.Tourism
Places of interest in Gabrovo province include architectural reserve
Bozhentsi , Ethnographic ComplexEtara ,Dryanovo Monastery andSokolski Monastery .Uzana , a local winter resort is some 22 km away. Hiking is widely available in theCentral Balkan National Park . For admirers of historical tourism, Shipka is a must-see.ee also
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Provinces of Bulgaria External links
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