The town of Etropole has a population of 11 000 inhabitants and is a municipal centre with 9 component settlements. The town is situated along the northern slopes of the Stara Planina Mountains in the beautiful valley of the Malki Iskar River at a distance of 72 km north-east of Sofia. The average altitude of the Etropole Valley is 580 m.

The settlement dates back to VII-VI c. B.C. The first inhabitants are the Thracian tribes the Tribals. The Thracian settlement and later on the Roman one are located at a strategic road. Through this valley pass the troops of Philip Makedonski in 339 B.C., the troops of Alexander Makedonski in 335 B.C., Celtic tribes and Roman legions. Iron, copper, gold and silver is obtained in the region. In XVI c. skilled ore-miners from Saxon settle in the region and introduce a new technology in the ore-mining. The development of the ore-mines stimulates the development of several crafts such as - blacksmith's, coppersmith's, cutlery and goldsmith's trade. During the Revival period Etropole has been an educational centre. The Etropole literary school is established at the end of XVI c. Among its main representatives are the priest-monk Danail Etropolski, priest-monk Rafail, Zaharii and others. In XVII c. written monuments from Etropole reach the Aton Peninsula (present day Greece).

The tourist sights of the town are: The Etropole Monastery, The clock tower from 1718, the building of the town-hall from the Ottoman period, the churches "St. Archaengel Michael"(1600), "St. Georgi" (1836), the ancient Revival period houses - the Pavelponchov's, the Hadzhigrigorov's, the Valchev's, the Arnaudov's and remains of the Thracian fortress Cheti Grad.

Tourist sights

The clock tower in Etropole is finished in 1710. It has been built for an observation point and since 1821 it has a clock mechanism done by the watch maker Dido.

The town-hall from the Ottoman period /the Konak/ is built by master builders from Etropole during 1852-1870. Today it houses the history museum of the town.

The Arnaudov's House in Etropole is a monument of culture. It is a Revival period house with rich wooden carving. It houses the ethnographic exhibition of the history museum.

The Monastery "Sveta Troitza" /Holy Trinity/ lies at a distance of 5 km east of Etropole. The Monastery is situated in a beautiful mountainous site with centuries-old trees. It is founded in XII c. During the Ottoman domination it is the most-important literary centre in the northern Bulgarian lands. At the end of XVI c. the Etropole literary school is established. The date of the building of the old church is not known. The new one is built in 1858. The external decoration of the new church is finished in 1860 and the mural paintings -in 1907.

The remains of the Thracian fortress Cherti Grad in the village of Brusen lie at a distance of 18 km north-east of Etropole. The rocky complex is situated in a beautiful mountainous site with rare plant and animal species.

The remains of a Thracian settlement on Bogotvor hill near Etropole date back to V-IV c. B.C. Within the territory of Etropole there are several Thracian mound necropolises.

The remains of a medieval fortress on Atanas hill near Etropole are built on the foundations of an ancient Thracian sanctuary.

The village of Ribaritza is located at a distance of 5 km east of Etropole. The village is a small resort place where there is a House of Crafts demonstrating the most famous crafts of the region of Etropole.