Property For Sale in Sevlievo Municipality - North Central Bulgaria

The earliest traces of settlements in this region date back to around 8000 BC and a few Thracian tombs have been discovered.

Villages in the municipality of Sevlievo: Agatovo, Baeva livada, Batoshevo, Berievo, Boazat, Bogatovo, Burya, Bulgari, Damyanovo, Debeltsovo, Dismanitsa, Dobromirka, Dryanat, Dushevo, Dushevski kolibi, Dyalak, Enev rat, Gorna Rositsa, Gradishte, Gradnitsa, Hirevo, Idilevo, Karamichevtsi, Kastel, Koriata, Kormyansko, Kramolin, Krushevo, Kravenik, Kupen, Lovnidol, Malinovo, Malki Vurshets, Marinovtsi, Mladen, Mlechevo, Petko Slaveykov, Popska, Rogulyat, Ryahovtsite, Selishte, Sennik, Shopite, Shumata, Stokite, Stolut, Tabashka,Tumbalovo, Tarhovo, Ugorelets, Valevtsi, Voynishka

The settlement developed during the 15th century as a small village producing timber products including boards for building. Before this it was an administrative, military, and economic settlement between the 10th -12th centuries but exact historical facts are hard to come since the medieval fortress and settlement of Hotalich was situated 4 km northwest of current Sevlievo and it was located here primarily for its strategic importance. Hotalich appeared in the gorge of Rositsa River in the 5th century and Byzantines were responsible for the fort's erection. It protected the country from barbaric assaults from the north and the fort was a massive fortification with Tarnovo, Pliska and Preslav being bigger!

Only in 1979 was the fort discovered beneath the ground by mistake and archaeologists discovered a church and an older temple dating back to the 5th century. They have also discovered many stone buildings beneath the soil, uncovering a tower and two fortified massive walls one of which dates back to the early Byzantine period and the second from the 9th to the 10th Centuries.

During the early 17th Century it was mentioned as "Selvi" or "Servi" where its current name originated from and originated from the vegetation which grew locally in the surrounding land. The settlement developed thanks to its silkworm breeding industry and the silk-trade brought wealth to the town since a large demand grew for silk as far afield as Austria, France, and Romania.

Sevlievo was completely devastated by fire started by the Kurdzhalii (Turkish brigades) in 1798. Afterwards the village developed into a small town being rebuilt and in 1834 the church of St Prophet Eliah was restored and in 1836 the Batoshevo Monastery was rebuilt after the fires.

The population of Sevlievo was to endure another disaster as the great plague in 1838 took its toll of the townsfolk! In 1844, Hadzhi Stoyan Nikolov had a large school built at his own expense and Kolyu Ficheto, the acclaimed master builder of the Bulgarian National Revival period, built the old stone bridge over the river Rositsa during the 1850's. In 1870, Vasil Levski master planned and managed a revolutionary committee which prepared the townsfolk of Sevlievo for the April uprising in 1876. The occupation of the Ottomans ended on the 2nd July 1877 and since this date Sevlievo has grown into a wealthy municipality town, thanks to companies such as American Standard investing millions into one of the biggest factories producing bathroom fixtures and fittings, marketed under such brands as Ideal Standard and Armitage Shanks.

What to do in Sevlievo?

The Monument of Freedom is unavoidable in the centre of Sevlievo and was constructed in 1894. Designed by Otto Horeishi from Austria, who was an artist and sculptor admired by Prince Ferdinand, who in 1908 was crowned as Tsar of Bulgaria after arriving into Bulgaria in 1887, and Arnoldo Zocchi a talented Italian sculptor of the late 19th and early 20th century being born in Florence, the city of so many famous Italian artists, sculptors and master builders and died in 1940 in Rome. The base pillar and foundation stone of the monument is an original stone column from the Roman town of Nikopolis ad Istrum north of Veliko Tarnovo and the figure crowning the column was carved in Vienna. So when you take a photo and admire this work, consider the centuries of history that is actually enshrined in this monument including the Bulgarians who died in the April Uprising and the Russo-Turkish War and the 8 local resistance fighters from Sevlievo were hanged at this very location.

The Town Museum of History is located in the building of the first secular school, named Hadzhistoyanovo School out of respect to Hadzhi Stoyan Nikolov who paid for its construction and again can be found in the centre of the town at 6, Petko R Slaveykov Street. The street name derives itself from Petko Rachov Slaveykov who was teaching for a short while at the school and who was a famous poet, publicist and folklorist. Sevlievo’s current history museum opened its doors in 1954 and its exhibits have increased to 45 000 plus items. The museum has exhibits from the Stone Age to the present time discovered in the immediate surroundings. The collection of exhibits and artifacts follow in a chronological manner in 4 properties. The Hadzhistoyanovo School houses some unique ancient artifacts from the Thracian and Roman periods. Many items were found during excavation works at the ancient settlement of Hotalich. The collection includes unique jewelry and there is also a renaissance period collection. It displays some of the most developed craftwork from the Sevlievo region during the late 18th and 19th centuries along with the associated languish of the Liberation struggles, exhibits of weapons used during the liberation and from 1876, the seal of the Sevlievo revolutionary committee, prior to the liberation in 1877. There are also other historical exhibits which demonstrate the way people lived during these times and house layouts, furniture and utensils and tools.

Tabahanata House is a restored leather and tanning workshop which dates back to the 1700's and is the only such example preserved in Bulgaria. As is often the case, the best way to see these sights is to walk around the centre where you will also come across the clock tower which was built in 1777, 18 m high, the St. Prophet Iliya Church at 12, Skobelev Street, constructed in 1834 laying claim to a beautiful wood-carved iconostasis, which is a timber ornately carved partition. The stone bridge over the river Rositsa built by the famous Kolyu Ficheto during 1857-1858 and comparable to his bridge at Byala.

For dirt riding enthusiats the world championship motocross heats and competitions take place at Gorna Rositsa’s motocross, including the Bulgarian Grand Prix which is a few km's from Sevlievo. Also take a picnic to Hotalich where the old fortifications were discovered only just over 30 years ago, located 4 kms North West of the town.

Alternative spellings of Sevlievo: Sevleyavo, Sevleyevo, Sevlayvo, Sevleevo, Sevleyvo, Севлиево

Nearest Towns: Gabrovo - 27km, Dryanovo – 34km, Veliko Tarnovo – 45km
Nearest Villages: Krushevo - 6km, Yavorets - 10km, Mladen – 13km
Area size of Town of Sevlievo: 41.244km2
Altitude: 100 - 199m above sea level
Post code of Town of Sevlievo: 5400
Latitude: 43.026N Longitude: 25.114E
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