Stay in Karashka – There is Plenty to See!

Our guesthouse near Apriltsi, located in proximity to the towns of Gabrovo, Sevlievo, and Tryavna, is a great starting point for an attraction tour. This is definitely an advantage over other guesthouses in Gabrovo province, guesthouses in Sevlievo municipality and guesthouses in Stokite, a village in the area. We recommend a tour of the historical and natural attractions in the region– it takes around 4 hours by car.

The first place to visit is the biggest water cascade in the country, 1.30 h from our guesthouse in Selishte by car – Krushuna Falls.

When you see Krushuna Falls, you’ll feel like you’re on an exotic island. The waterfalls are near Krushuna village, Lovech Region. They are the biggest water cascade in the country with lots of little pools and a diverse wildlife in the area.

There is an eco-trail for the convenience of tourists, which will let you enjoy the amazing scenery for hours, inspired by the crystal-clear water of the cascade and the verdant landscape.

Our next stop is 20minutes away from Krushuna Falls – Devetaki Cave, which was inhabited as far back as 70,000 years ago. Another 20 minutes by car and you’re in Lovech, a town with a medieval fortress and an architectural and historical reserve. You can try some delicious, traditional Bulgarian food in the Old Town of Lovech.

You shouldn’t miss Troyan Monastery, 40 minutes from Lovech, for anything in the world. Founded in 1600, the monastery is famous for its copy of the miraculous icon of The Virgin Mary from Sveta Gora.

Tourists staying at hotels in Central Bulgaria frequently visit the Sokol Women’s Monastery near Gabrovo, which still functions. The current church was built in 1834. It is a beautiful one-nave, one-apse, single-story building with two conchae and an open narthex. The murals were drawn by Father Pavel and his son Nikolay Popovich from the village of Shipka in 1862. The paintings in the narthex are especially well-preserved.

Above the central entrance there is an image of the Deesis and illustrations based on Tsar David’s psalms. There is a mural depicting The Last Judgment on the western wall, and the Assumption of the Virgin in the arcade. The frescoes in the Sokol Church feature bright, clear colors in deviation from compositional tradition. The iconostasis in the church displays some interesting icons, such as Christ Almighty and St. Mary, with twenty miniature scenes. The icon of the Mother of God holding the Child Christ, placed in a small iconostasis on the left side of the church, is believed to work miracles.

The village of Selishte, in which Karashka is located is an awesome vantage point to explore the famous Bulgarian Revival town of Tryavna, 40 min away by car. There is no hotel in Selishte, it being a small village.

You should definitely see St. Archangel Michael Church in Tryavna. According to legend, the church was built in the 12th century. To express their gratitude to God for helping them win the battle in Tryavna Pass in 1190, the Asenev Brothers built three churches dedicated to St. Archangel Michael. One of them was in Tryavna. There is no historical evidence of this, but the church definitely existed in the 18thcentury. It was set on fire during the great Kurdzhali attack on Tryavna in 1798. Father Iovcho wrote in his chronicles, “We found the church burned as if it were a furnace, but it was not destroyed, because it was made of stone.” No services were held in the next 39 days. With time, the locals began to recover from the shock, repaired their church, and services continued.

Sufficient building material was gathered around the construction of the Clock Tower of Tryavna in 1814, and locals were able to develop building skills. They built a new church on the site of the old one in 1819. The Vitanovs, a local family of woodcarvers and icon painters, decorated it as only they could, with magnificent carvings and icons.

The church had its own money in circulation among the parishioners from 1851 and 1866. The money was made by the churchwarden PenchoGeniuv. It had the square shape known as crossbones because of the cross drawn on it. At the beginning of 1853, a tall bell tower was erected by the church. In 1862, the big wooden clapper was replaced with a small bell.

These attractions are just some of the many in Central Bulgaria. Our establishment offers several distinctive advantages over hotels near Apriltsi, hotelsor guesthouses in Stokite, hotels in Gabrovo province and hotels in Sevlievo municipality – a personal touch and accommodation in the heart of the Central Balkans in close proximity to some amazing sights.