General Information

The Bozhentsi village is situated 16km east of Gavrovo, hestling among beautiful valley at the foot of the Balkan Mountain, with a small river nearby. The village is declared as an architectural and historical preserve and has fully retained its antique style from the time of the Renaissance – a hundred village houses and authentic stone streets. It has 40 inhabitants but it is visited by 30,000 registered tourists each year.

Many creators find privacy, quiet and tranquility here: Orlin Vasilev, Stanislav Sivriev, Rangel Ignatov, Slav Karaslavov, Andrei Germanov, Todor Dinov (the first artist animator in Bulgaria).

Bozhentsi and its vicinity offer a wide range of accommodation options including hotels, guest houses, apartments and villas. A number of hotels and guest houses were built in the last few years making it possible for visitors to Bozhentsi and the region to enjoy their holiday. A number of privately owned villas and apartments also became available for rent directly from the owners. Please make sure that you check our listings of rental guest houses, villas, apartments and hotels in Bozhentsi.

 

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Sights

The antique houses in Bozhentsi are built during 18 – 19 century (Renaissance architecture) and are fully preserved. They are situated on the two slopes of the Bojanka river and are headed towards the street.

You can visit:

• Rennaisance houses – these are two-storied and three-storied houses with stone roofs which are covered with ivy and geranium. The houses´ foundations are made by stone and their main parts are fortified with wooden construction and fences. The houses are grouted with dirt and whitewashed. The inner interior is made from wood. Oak is used for planking and lime and walnut-trees are used for other elements in the house. The yards are surrounded by high stone walls with forged oak gates. The high ground floor includes household and craft rooms, stables, basements, shops. The outer stairs lead to the veranda from which you can enter the dining room, the bedroom and the kitchen which commonly has a large corner fireplace. The upper floor has several recesses. There are white chimneys on the roofs. The ceilings are carved and the rugs are in cheerful tones. The famous house of Doncho Popa looks just like this;
• Authentic workshops where the local craftsmen work like their ancestors did. Traditional Bulgarian souvenirs, wooden dishes, rose-oil, mummer masks, etc. are exhibited there;
• Many taverns which are furnished in the spirit of the Bulgarian traditions;
• The stone bridges over the Bojenka River and the antique fountains which you can find on every corner;
• Small shops;
• Museums with original ethnographic expositions, in the antique church and the building of the school which was built in 1871;
• The church ´Prophet Ilia´ which was built in 1835. It has massive stone walls, vaults and domes, hidden behind a tilted roof, wooden iconostasis, and a bell tower which was forbidden in the time of the Ottoman rule;
• A school built in 1872 in the yard of the church. The building is massive. There is a hall and a library on the first floor and classrooms on the second floor.

History

A legend told from one generation to another till today takes us back to the tragic year of 1393 when the capital of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom Tarnovgrad was captured by the Ottomans.

The widowed Boyar Bojana goes with her children to find a shelter. The only way to the safety and freedom is the way to the Balkan. There, at the foamy streams, in the mountain mazes, far from the enslaver´s sight, Bojana stops and builds the first stone in the village which still bears her name.

There was a fast economic progress during the second half of XVII c. The population got richer – it was dealing with trade and less with crafts. The main goods of the local tradesmen were wool, leather, wax, honey and the products of handy craftsmen – blacksmiths, leatherworkers and tailors.

 

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Entertainment

You can enjoy:

• A walk on the stone alleys in Bozhentsi;
• The fresh mountain air while you are climbing the hills;
• Delicious authentic dishes:
• The barbecue is an attraction that you will never forget: roasting a lamb for about 7 hours on slow fire. The pleasure is to be close to the live coals on the forest meadow and to watch how the barbecue turns its spit. It is a great appetizer for beer, red wine and brandy,
• The Balkan dishes which are cooked in pots: home-made chicken or steak with mushrooms, stewed hare, roasted turkey with cabbage. Fragrant small cakes are served on every table,
• Over 20 private hotels and many small taverns offer brandy, stein of broached beer or tasting wines; Balkan dishes cooked on grill, local steak from neck, pig ears and legs, black-pudding, grilled rissoles, etc.,
• A cafe – ´shekerdjiinitsa´ where the old craft is preserved: cooking white jam, home made Turkish delight, sweets rolled in sesame, sugar cockerels, damson cheese, sugar-candies, white flat-sausages, baklava, Turkish syrup-soaked shredded sweet kadaif, cakes with nuts, etc. You can also order Turkish coffee on sand. You can try the traditional spiral pastry with home-made thick mutton or buffalo milk at the morning.

Your children can participate in the annual children´s painting fair;

You can visit:

• The area zoned for summer houses ´Bozhentsi´ – a complex which is situated on a south slope among plentiful vegetation and a wonderful view towards the Balkan Mountain. There is a spa center, fitness hall, outdoor swimming pool, restaurant-tavern, cafe-confectionery, wine-vault and shops,
• Gabrovo - 8km, Drianovo - 13km, Veliko Tarnovo /the old Bulgarian capital/ - 50km, Arbanasi /architectural preserve/ - 55km, Triavna /the town of the wood-carvers/ - 20km, ´Etara´ /ethnographic complex/ - 20km, the ´Drianovski´ monastery and the ´Bacho Kiro´ cave – 25km.

 

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Sports

The resort offers:

• Pedestrian excursions:
• From Bozhentsi start marked tourist paths to Triavna (2.5h), the ´Drianovski´ monastery (4.5h), the Buzludja peak (10h). A return by car can be arranged.
• Forest walks in the area of Bozhentsi and to the area ´Sechen Kamak´(Cut stone) – 0.5h.
• Cycling trips – there are suitable conditions for cycling tourism on routes with different levels of difficulty.