ABOUT THE TOWN OF MONTANA
The town of Montana has 55 283 inhabitants and it is at 160 m. above the sea level. It is situated at 113 km. north of
Sofia, 24 km. north – east of
Berkovitsa, 102 km. south – east of
Vidin and 49 km. south of
Lom. The town is located immediately to the
Ogosta River.
HISTORY
It is an heir of the Roman fortress settlement Casta ad Montanezium or known also as Montana. After archeological diggings it was prove that the long history of the settlement began on the ridge of the Kale Bair hill. The strategic position of the crossroad of important roads determined the position of the Roman town. In III century it was the most significant town in the province of Dakia under the name of “Ripenziz”. It was destroyed by the Barbarians. During the Turkish rule it was mentioned for first time under the name of “Kultovitsa” in a document of 1575. After the Liberation the settlement was mentioned under the name of “Goliama Kutlovitsa” and it was with less than 1000 inhabitants. In 1891 for the first time it was declared for a town. The town became craft center and major stock market. Tradesmen from all the country as well as from abroad – from Turkey, Romania, Serbia came to the annual market. After the First World War many refugees from Tsaribrod settled here. In 1945 the town was renamed to Michailovgrad, and in 19993 took the name Montana.
LANDMARKS
The past of the
Historical museum of Monatana is a part of the Bulgarian history. 50 years the Museum research, collect, preserve and popularize the culture – historical wealth of the region. The first archeological diggings of the Rome settlement in 1915, under the fortress of “Montana” we can accept as the beginning of the museum work of the town. Another landmark in Montana is the
Record Office – here are preserved the priceless document wealth from all the spheres of the social, political, cultural and economical life of the region. You also can visit the
Art Gallery “Kiril Petrov”. According to the specialists this is one from the richest art galleries in the province.
TRANSPORT
Bus and railway transport are the two types of transport connecting the town with the rest of the country. There are regular bus lines to
Sofia,
Lom,
Vidin,
Belogradchik,
Pleven,
Vratsa and to the smaller settlements. The bus station ( +359 96/23454) and the railway station (+359 96/23846) are near to each other. Montana is transitional railway station on the line Boichinovtsi –Berkovitsa.
SURROUNDING AREAS
South of the town are the remains of the old Rome fortress
Kastra ad Montanezium. From this name and the name of the town. Most of the findings, found there are in the Montana Historical Museum. Only at the distance of 22 km. west of the town is located the
Loupushna monastery.
Iazovir Montana (the Montana Dam) has been turned into a wonderful place for rest, sport, water tourism and fishing. Many holiday bases and establishments are built here and there is a regular bus transport.
Description
