All mountains, lakes and rivers in Bulgaria keep all secrets of the universe. Everyone, who touches to its nature, gifted by the Lord, becomes caught in the magic of Bulgarian fairy-land.

The Nature Park “Roussenski Lom river”

When I stepped on the Down part of Roussenski Lom, it immediately came in my ranking of landmarks in Bulgaria. Travelling along the infinite Danube plain and it doesn’t occur to me what is hidden in this plain field. A turn aside on the right surprisingly leads to completely different enchanting world.
Little river, gathered waters from The Ludogorie (it is a region in northeastern Bulgaria stretching over the plateau of the same name), is blazing a trail for Danube river. It has formed amazing meanders, modeled picturesque outlines on the rocks during the centuries.
Besides it is one of the most beautiful places in Bulgaria, Roussenski Lom is a place, full of energy. If you relax and open your heart as the sky, here you will feel the power, which keep the harmony in this visible world. It is one of the places, where the Magic crops up around you, this phenomenal magic, which has made the matter from the light. Your life changes here. You don’t need to do something particular-just walk around, rejoice at the beauty, enjoy the silence and breathe the crystal clear air. You realize that you become wiser, better person in this time. You put your mind in order and get out of your difficulties and engagements, feel yourself sublimated and calm. Then you just start smiling without any reason.

You are wondering How…

Long time ago water, wind and earth movements patiently have shaped awesome canyon gorge with own characteristic appearance.
The river, cut into the thick layer of limestone in the great number of meanders, coils among forests, cliffs and meadows. A world, rich of biodiversity is hidden among high sheer cliffs, situated in embowered valleys.
The virgin forest “Batakliqta”, the bird paradise, the cliff collossus “Mamula” and a lot of caves, inhabited by people from the rocky period, are some of the scenes of glamour that you should see.
On the border of the Danube plain and Ludogorie, along the Roussenski Lom river and her forming feeders, the Nature has created one of its masterpieces-the picturesque valley of Lomovete.

In the eastern portion of the Danubian plane, just about 20 km south of the city of Rousse, is situated this unique and picturesque site of Bulgarian nature - the Nature Park “Roussenski Lom”. Its name comes from the river “Roussenski Lom” - the last right tributary of the Danube. The park now has an actual size of 3,260 hectares. In 1989 a park-management project was developed.
Remains from the period of hoary antiquity have been discovered in this area. There are lots of signs of Thracian villages and sanctuaries exactly on these places. Land of the Nature Park has become a part of the Roman Empire and as a result there are remains of three fortresses from this period. ater on these areas were fought by The Bulgars. They also built several defences.

Rock Churches

The Nature Park “Roussenski Lom” is a piece of art. Firstly, the game of nature’s elemental force with the land has created unique natural world. Then the man has felt the exclusiveness of this place and added the Middle age genius’s masterpieces to this natural perfection. In the Nature park there are more than 800 plant species, 17 kinds of birds, included in The Red Book of Bulgaria, which fly around you, while walking the paths along the river or climbing up the rocks. The descent to the river is like ascending the time machine. You come up with untouched Romanian road and after a couple of kilometers find virgin pictures of the nature spread around. Somewhere there is no road and you are forced to start climbing…Later on rock monasteries and churches appear in front of your eyes.

The archeological reserve “Rock churches” is a part of The Nature Park. It is situated in the village of Ivanovo and the main object, included in it is “St. Michael” monastery. It was the most important cultural and church center in this area during The Middle Ages. Churches in The Nature Park are in great number. The total number of operative churches in the park is over 30. Openings of caves can be seen high in the rocks, on 40-50 m over the sea level.
Medieval monks lived here in the caves. Here 700 years ago, there was strenuous spiritual life, marked the last decades of the Second Bulgarian kingdom. The monks widened the caves and made them chapels, churches and places for living. They began settling the caves in the region during the first half of 13th century. Some of them were eminent people. Rooms, covered with frescoes and hewn into the rock, are preserved in the area ‘Gospodev dol’ ( “The glen of God”). You can see in the opening of the cave the image of the blessing God and pictured scenes of the Bible in the altar place.
There are two remained churches in the area “Pismata” (“The letters”). You can see interesting frescoes and wall-paintings there. The complex of Ivanovo is included in the list of world cultural heritage in UNESCO.

The Ivanovo Rock Monastery is situated 21km south of the town of Rousse. In fact, the rock monastery is completely different from the other monastery complexes to be found in Bulgaria. In contrast to the traditional monastery complex which consists of 1-2 churches and a residential part, the Ivanovo cloister represents a network of small churches, chapels and cells hewn into the rocks, 32m above the waters of the picturesque canyon of the Roussenski Lom River. This cloister is the most famous one of the group of built-in-rock shrines around for its beautiful and well-preserved wall paintings.

Tourist information center is located in Ivanovo. This is the place where you will be given all information needed for the area, brochures and maps. Rock complexes are 4km. away from Ivanovo, there are signs for orientation. You can reach there both driving on the road and walking marked path.

“CHERVEN”
The archeological reserve “Cherven”, which is situated in the village of Cherven, is also a part of The Nature Park. In the past on the place of today’s village was one of the main cultural centers in Northeastern Danube plain. The only one Bulgarian cliff monastery, which now functions, is located around the village of Basarbovo.

The town of Cherven was situated here in the times of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom (13-th – 14-th centuries), one of the largest military, defensive, administrative, economic and ecclesiastical-cultural centres of the country. The town succeeded early Byzantine fortress, which occupied the highest part of the hill. It existed for a short time but it was later rebuilt and people returned quickly. To the end of the 12-th century there already existed a significant settlement, wich continued expanding and soon turned into a big fortified town. Cherven had the typical characteristics of Middle Ages Bulgarian towns. Built at the top of the rock cliffs was the “inner-city”, placed within a citadel at the highest point of the cliff, around it were the “outer” and “lower” cities. Many crafts developed in Cherven. Iron-producing and iron works as well as goldsmiths and various pottery production outlined among these. The old town went on living only in memories, but thus it stood for the support, which sustained living Bulgarian traditions and ethos along Lom Valley .

The Nature park” Roussenski Lom River” is unique and picturesque nook of Bulgarian nature, which worth visiting, experiencing and keeping deeply in your heart!