Karlovo

Karlovo (Bulgarian: Карлово) is a beautiful town of about 20,000 inhabitants (2021) in the Balkan Mountains of Bulgaria. It's best known as the birthplace of Bulgarian national hero Vasil Levski who organised an uprising against the Ottoman rule in the late 19th century. Tourists can also enjoy preserved examples of 19th century architecture. For hikers, it's also one of the starting points towards Botev Peak, the highest peak of the Balkan Mountains.

Geography
Karlovo lies in the valley of the Stryama, a part of the Sub-Balkan Valleys - a series of valleys between the Balkan Mountains proper to the north and the smaller Sredna Gora chain to the south; the larger area is known as the Valley of Roses due to the widespread cultivation of oil-bearing roses. Karlovo is close to the southern slopes of Balkan Mountains, on the banks of a small river, Stara Reka ("old river", one of the many with that name), that is a tributary to the Stryama. It's a very scenic part of the country and mountains are visible in all directions.

History
After the Ottoman conquest, at the end of the 15th century the village Sushitsa was awarded to a Muslim lord, Karlizade Ali Bey, who endowed a mosque there. The settlement started growing and a century later it was a small town. The name "Karlovo" (or "Karlova" in older sources) is derived either from the name of the bey, or from the Turkish 'karlı ova', "snowy plain". For the rest of the Ottoman period, Karlovo remained a relatively prosperous provincial settlement, and since the beginning of the 19th century it benefited from the educational fervour of the Bulgarian National Revival, including the establishment of one of the first Helleno-Bulgarian schools there in 1828.

Vasil Levski
Bulgarian national hero Vasil Levski was born in Karlovo in 1837 as Vasil Ivanov Kunchev, the first son of a craftsman. He received both religious and secular education and was studying a craft, but his father died when Levski was 14. Under the influence of his uncle, he pursued a religious career. After becoming a monk in 1858, he reached the rank of hierodeacon, but his heart wasn't in it. In early 1862, he left Karlovo for Serbia in order to join the First Bulgarian Legion, a group of volunteers assisting Serbia against the Ottomans that was organised by another famous Bulgarian revolutionary, Georgi Rakovski. A "lion's leap" over a trench during military training earned him the nickname "Levski" ("lionlike"). The Legion was disbanded and Levski spent the next few years in Bulgaria and Romania, meeting various other revolutionaries who organised armed bands (cheti) abroad that tried to enter Bulgaria and spark a popular rebellion.

After a few failures, Levski became convinced that instead of a spontaneous, externally-instigated revolt, the liberation of Bulgaria would require an internal conspiracy to produce a carefully planned, wide-ranging uprising. In 1868, he entered Bulgaria and started travelling around the country, agitating against Ottoman rule and organising a clandestine network of revolutionary committees. Levski's views of a liberated Bulgaria were quite progressive for his time: he wanted it to be a democratic republic with religious and ethnic equality. Despite his cleverness and daring, he was caught by the authorities and hanged by Sofia in early 1873. Nevertheless, other revolutionaries continued his work, leading to the April Uprising of 1876, which was declared not far away from Karlovo - in Koprivshtitsa ( to the east). The uprising was quickly suppressed, but the atrocities turned public opinion in Europe against the Ottoman Empire, and the Great Powers allowed the Russo-Turkish War of 1878-1879, which lead to the liberation of Bulgaria. Levski could now be openly celebrated as a national hero; due to his religious background and his "proselytising" travels, he was dubbed "the Deacon", "Deacon Levski" and "the Apostle of Freedom", the last name being popularised by the famous Bulgarian author Ivan Vazov.

In the 1930s, increased nationalistic sentiment lead to efforts to recreate Levski's native home as a museum and preserve other architecture in the city. Not to be outdone, later the Communist regime renamed Karlovo to Levskigrad ("Levski's city") between 1953 and 1961.

By train
Karlovo is on the northern railway line between Sofia and Burgas, and there's also a line coming in from Plovdiv in the south. From Sofia there are three fast trains (less than 3 hr) and three suburban trains (4 hr), though delays are common. From the east on the same line there are trains from Kazanlak (1 hr) and Sliven (2.5 hr). Finally there are six daily suburban trains from Plovdiv (1.5 hr).

The trip from Sofia is one of the most scenic railway trips in Bulgaria, especially the descent from the mountain pass at Koprivshtitsa with its loops. It's a single track railway with low speeds so the travel time varies from time to time.



By bus
There are buses from Plovdiv every hour, with a journey time of one hour. Two buses a day come in from Pleven via Troyan, providing the only connection in from the north. There are two daily buses from Sofia that however aren't faster than trains. Moreover there are local buses to surrounding villages, the city website provides more info about this.



By car
There are roads from all four cardinal directions. From the west, Highway 6 from Sofia (140 km) descends into the Valley of Roses, and you can take a side trip to the village of Koprivshtitsa, described as the most beautiful town on the southern slopes of the Balkan Mountains. Another scenic route is Highway 35 from Troyan (65 km), Lovech and Pleven in the north with hairpin curves descending from the mountain pass at 1520 m ASL, joining the road from Sofia west of Karlovo. From the east Highway 6 comes in from Kazanlyk (60 km), Sliven and Burgas. From the south comes Highway 64 from Plovdiv (60 km).

Get around
The town is quite small and you can walk from anywhere to anywhere in less than 20 minutes or so. Taxis are also available (see advice at Bulgaria). There may be an infrequent city bus service too.

See
The center of Karlovo is the площад 20 Юли (July 20th square), about 100 m from ulitsa Gen. Karzov, which forms part of the Sofia-Kazanlyk-Sliven highway. Here you can see some of the pretty houses from the early 20th century, and there are much more of them along ulitsa Vasil Levski leading south to the railway station. The main attraction though is the площад Васил Левски (Vasil Levski square) with a statue of the guy himself and the main cluster of old houses. Just north of the town you can visit a natural attraction - the Suchurum Waterfalls - and right at that point the mountains begin.

Religious buildings






Museums




Houses












There are many other old houses worth passing by. Some function as museums or guest houses for example. Many houses have plaques telling about the life of Levski.

On the way from 20th July square to the waterfalls, along waterfall street (Ulitsa Vodopad), you can see mansions from the early 20th century including examples of Bulgarian functionalism.

Do




The street up to the waterfall is named Waterfall Street (Ulitsa Vodopad). When you've left the city, you have two choices. Cross the river on a bridge, check out the power plant if you like and continue to the waterfall. Alternatively, don't cross the bridge but continue up the mountain to a with great views of Karlovo. If you have time, go see both the waterfall and the lookout point.

Buy
There are souvenirs for sales in museums and houses. Also, local crafts make for fairly nice souvenirs. General Karzov street the main shopping street with many grocery and household stores.



Eat and Drink










In addition to these, some hotels have restaurants too.

Sleep






Go next
Karlovo is the middle of the Valley of Roses, which, true to its name, is famous for roses that bloom in May and June. The region stretching from east to west is also known for its Thracian remains and independence struggle memorials. For instance, in Kazanlak to the east there's a Thracian tomb with frescoes.

The Balkan Mountains is to the north, with some summits higher than 2000 m above sea level. This is the wildest part of the range with very beautiful landscapes, part of the Central Balkans National Park and it merits a hiking tour of a few days. For a quicker trip, you can travel to next door Sopot and take the cable car up the mountain range (1400 m ASL), or drive the scenic serpentine road (Highway 35) up to Troyan.

To the west there's the picturesque village of Koprivštica with well preserved old wooden houses and some independence struggle heritage. The nearest big city is Plovdiv to the south, if you head there you can stop by Hisarya with mineral springs and Roman walls.