Sevlievo, Bulgaria

Sevlievo is a town in north-central Bulgaria, between Sofia and Varna.

The earliest traces of life in the region date back to the late Neolithic period (about 8000 years B.C.). There are still some Thracian tombs left. Hotalich Fortress is the last medieval town. It had been inhabited for more than 1000 years and functioned as an important defensive centre. Hotalich existed for centuries together with the settlement on the site of the contemporary town, known as "Servi" and "Selvi". In the middle of the XIX c. the development of crafts led to the concentration of large sums of money in the crafts' societies. Commercial trips far and across the Ottoman Empire, Europe and Russia enriched general knowledge. In 1834 St Prophet Eliah Church was restored. In 1836 the medieval Batoshevski Monastery was re-built. In the middle of the 50s the prominent master of the National Revival Period Kolio Ficheto built the stone bridge over the Rossitsa River.

In 1844 the famous well-to-do craftsman and merchant Hadji Stoyan Nicholov invested his own money in the building of a huge school. In 1870 under the direct guidance of the Apostle of Freedom - Vassil Levski, a revolutionary committee was created. It prepared the population of Sevlievo for the April uprising in 1876. The Bulgarians from this region took an active part in it.

Turkish occupation of the town ended July 2, 1877. As a major cultural institute, the community centre has existed for 127 years. The House of Culture "Mara Belcheva" became the new centre of cultural events.