The town of Troyan has a population of 23 000 inhabitants and lies at a distance of 35 km south of Lovech. Troyan is the municipal centre of 37 settlements. The town is situated on the terrace-shaped banks of the Beli Osam River at the northern foot of the Troyan-Kalofer part of the Stara Planina Mountains. The average altitude of the town is 400 m.

The region has been populated ever since ancient times. There are archaeological findings from the ancient times in the region such as Thracian necropolises and a fortress. In the middle of I c. on the territory of the municipality have been established three Roman stations - Sostra, Adraditzes and Montemno. The name of the town comes from the ancient road Via Trayana connecting the Danube River with the White Sea in the I- II c. A.D. The present-day town is established at the beginning of XV c. after the fall of Bulgaria under the Ottoman yoke and is growing fast. In XIX c. there is a boom in the crafts, especially pottery and wood carving. The town is a well-known educational centre during the Revival period. The settlement is mentioned in the Ottoman documents from 1607.

The tourist sights of the town are: the museum of the folk crafts, the art gallery, the church "St. Petka", (1835), the buildings of the old town-hall (1881), the Troyan Monastery and the Oreshaka site.

Tourist sights

The Museum of the folk crafts and applied arts in Troyan represents the typical crafts for the region. Special section of the exhibition is dedicated to the Troyan ceramics.

The Oreshaka site by the village of Oreshaka is established in 1971. It is a national exhibition complex of the art crafts housed in 8 halls. The exhibition complex has been opened in XVIII c. when a craftsman's fair has been organized.

The Troyan Monastery is an active monk monastery. It is under the jurisdiction of the Holy Synod. The monastery is the third biggest in Bulgaria after the Rila and the Bachkovo Monasteries. Annals from 1835 say that the monastery has been founded by the abbot Kalist in 1660. The wall decoration dates back to 1847-1849 and is done by the Samokov icon painter Zahrii Zograf. The gold-coated wooden iconostasis is done by the representative of the Tryavna's wood carving school Nicola Mated in 1839-1840.

Beklemeto is a resort complex situated at a distance of 22 km southwest of Troyan. Beklemeto offers good conditions for winter sports. The total length of the ski runs is 2,5 km.