The town of Lovech is the centre of the district and has a population of 42 000 inhabitants. It lies at a distance of 173 km from Sofia. It is located at the picturesque meanders of the Osam River between the rocky hills of Hissarlaka and Stratesh. The average altitude of the town is 200 m.

There is a lot of evidence for the first settlers of the district of Lovech - the Thracians from VI-III c. B.C. The most well-preserved Thracian treasures in Bulgaria are discovered in the Lovech District. The treasures of Aleksandrovo and Vladinya date back to V c. B.C. and the treasure of Golyama Brestnitza dates from II c. The treasure of Letnitza dates back to 385-353 B.C. It is of silver with gold decorations and 15 applications.

The first name under which Lovech is mentioned on a Roman road map is Melta. The settlement lies on one of the main roads connecting North and South Bulgaria through the Troyan Pass. The town has been an important economic and cultural centre. It preserves its key strategic significance during the Middle Ages as well. The name Lovech is mentioned for the first time by the Byzantine annalist Yoan Skilitza in XI c. The Lovech fortress is built on the Hissarya hill on two terraces. In 1187 Byzantine is forced to sign a Peace Pact after a three-month unsuccessful siege thus acknowledging the formation of the Second Bulgarian State. The town of Lovech is a bishop's centre since 1235. The town falls under the Ottoman yoke in 1393. During the Ottoman domination the town flourishes and is known under the name of Altan Lovech meaning in translation "Golden Lovech". The Lovech craftsmen and merchants travel all over the Ottoman Empire. The town's population reaches 20 000 inhabitants. From the Revival period in the town is preserved the old quarter Varosha. The covered bridge over the Osam River is among the precious landmarks of the town and the only one of its kind in Bulgaria. The town is liberated by Russian troops in 1877 on July 17^th. Ten days later the Turkish army captures the town again and kills 2 500 Bulgarians. The town receives its true liberation in September the same year.

Lovech is the home town of the writer Dimcho Debelyanov, the composer Lyubomir Pipkov, the first Bulgarian astronaut Georgi Ivanov and other prominent people.

The tourist sights of the town are: the ethnographic museum, the art gallery, the architectural-historic reserve Varosha, the remains of a medieval Bulgarian fortress.

Other landmarks on the territory of the district are: the architectural reserve in the village of Staro Stefanovo, the Troyan, the Teteven and the Glozhen Monasteries.

The following natural landmarks are also located in Lovech District: part of the "Central Balkan" national park, part of the Karlukovski karst region, the Krushun's eco-path, the caves " Saeva dupka", "Devetashkata", "Temnata dupka", the rocky formations - "Strupanitzata", "Kuklite", "Golyama Garvanitza".

Tourist sights

The Drasov's and the Rashov's houses in Lovech have ethnographic exhibitions. The houses are typical buildings for the region from XIX c. and the beginning of the XX c. showing the lifestyles of a rich merchant and an intellectual person from the middle class.

The Covered Bridge over the Osam River in Lovech is the only one of its kind in Bulgaria. The bridge has been built three times. The first bridge has been a wooden one and has been carried away by the river. The second bridge has been built by the master-builder Kolyo Ficheto in 1872-1874. During a huge fire in 1925 the bridge burns down and in 1931 the exact replica of the second bridge is built. The bridge's construction consists of 7 stone foundations on which is fixed a wooden construction of 86 m length and 10 m width. On both sides of the bridge there are 64 small shops, cafes and craftsmen's workshops.

The old Varosha quarter in Lovech has preserved the Revival atmosphere. It is an architectural-historic reserve with 200 monuments of culture of national and local significance. The houses have two floors with a stone ground floor and two bay-window wooden floors. In this part of the town are situated the churches "Uspenie Bogorodichno" /The Assumption/ (1784) and "St. Nedelya" (1535)

The medieval fortress in Lovech is situated on the Hissarlaka hill. It is founded in IX c. A lot of jewels, ceramics and coins have been found on the territory of the fortress during archaeological excavations.

The "Old Stefanovo" reserve in the village of Stefanovo, at a distance of 20 km from the district town is proclaimed for an architectural reserve. It is located on the northern slopes of the Mikren elevations of the Fore-Balkan. The village has more than 100 monuments of culture from the beginning and the middle of the XIX c.