ABOUT THE TOWN OF MEZDRA
The town of Mezdra (13 502 inhabitants, 230 meters above the sea level) is spread out amphitheatrically along the left bank of the Iskar River where it leaves the Balkan Iskar gorge. It is located 100 km northeast of Sofia, 85 km southeast of Montana, 17 km southeast of Vratsa and 40 km northwest of Botevgrad.
HISTORY
Mezdra has inherited an ancient culture. Remains from the ancient Stone-copper age and the Thracian period were found there. During the Roman Empire there was a big town with a castle on the rocks up above the Iskar River (remains of it can still be seen south of the railway station, in the Kaleto place). It protected the roads to Sofia, Vratsa and Montana. The town declined with the fall of the Roman Empire. During the Bulgarian Middle ages the settlement was recovered, but only to be burned to ashes by the Turkish invaders in 1393. A Turkish document dating back from the 15 century marked the place as Mezra Torbaritsa, meaning “empty bag”. The life in the village revived during the 18 century, yet it remained small and insignificant.
Immediately after the Liberation (1878) there were only about 20 houses in Mezdra and the total of 86 inhabitants. When the railway from Sofia to Varna was constructed in 1897 the village started its rapid development and with the construction of the railway Mezdra – Vratsa – Lom in 1923 it turned into an important distribution point for this part of the country. The village was proclaimed a town in 1950.
LANDMARKS
The “Kaleto” fortress is located south of the railway station. The archaeologists have found out that the foundations of the fortress are of Roman origin and the very wall dates back from the ancient Bulgarian period. These are the best-preserved ancient ruins within the area. The fortress is only 15 minutes walk from the center of Mezdra. The art gallery in the town possesses a rich collection of masterpieces of art, among which one can see some original sculptures of Prof. Ivan Funev.
TRANSPORT
The town has well-developed bus and railway connections with the surrounding smaller towns and villages.
SURROUNDING AREAS
Near the town of Mezdra one can visit the Iskar Gorge, National Park “Hristo Botev” and the Strupeshki Monastery “Prophet Ilia”.
Description
