Botevgrad Location: Botevgrad is located 60 km east of the capital Sofia. It is an important crossroad for East and North Bulgaria. There is an airport only 50 km away and a major railway station just 30 km away. The customs office in the town can process all kinds of cargo. The town is located in the Botevgradska valley 350 meters above sea level. The total area of the municipality comes to 506,6 sq km. Its territories include parts of the West Stara Planina and the pre- Balkan Hills. Its strategic location is determined by the Vitinia Pass which connects South with North Bulgaria. It is also extremely close to the capital and is connected with it through a highway. Municipality Botevgrad borders with the municipalities of Pravets, Etropole, Gorna Malina, Elin pelin, Svoge, Mezdra and Roman. It comprises 1 town and 12 villages. The climate is moderate continental with average annual temperature of 10,9 C and average winter temperature of -1 to +1 C. The municipality has a population of 36340 and 23 700 of the residents live in the town itself. The majority is Christian Orthodox with a minority of Christian Protestants. The municipality has 12 schools with 3 professional high schools most specializing in technologies and computer science. The best developed economical branches are electronics, metallurgy, tailoring and food industry. History: The first historical data about settlements in the area of Botevgrad dates back from the 5th millennium B.C. Remains from Romans and Thracians are evidences for an ancient history that is yet to be fully revealed. The old Thracian settlement used to be on the place of the modern locale Manastirishteto west from the town. At present this is a hops field. The town museum keeps a fine collection from that time - vessels, ceramics, tools, marble plate with the Thracian rider and many other excavations from the region. There are also fragments from a roman column with writings in honor of the emperors Valentinian, Valent and Gratsian. Archeologists date it from 375 A.C as this is the only year the three of them ruled together. Because of the proximity to the Roman path during the medieval times the settlers moved to the forest. They established a new village called Zelin. It was located 3 km south from the present town. The fortress next to the village Bozhenishki Urvich was one of the last to fall under the Ottoman Rule. Later on during the second half of the XVIII century Zelin decays and its residents move to the valley where they establish a new village called Samundzhievo. Samun means bread. The name was derived by the many bread bakeries and mehanas in the area. In 1866 a strategic military road Ruse - Sofia was created. Therefore the settlement was pronounced a town and a regional center of 30 villages and three towns. It was renamed to Orhanie after the sultan Orhan Gazi. The residents did not accept the name and refused to use it. They called it just kasabata which means town in Turkish language. After the liberation, in 01.12.1934 the town was officially renamed to Botevgrad after the revolutionist and poet Hristo Botev. A rapid social and economical progress set in. Landmarks: - Historical Museum and Art Gallery
- The building of the old school, opened in 1826 in a private home
- The clock tower - a symbol of the town, built in 1866. The original mechanism of the clock is preserved in the town museum. A new mechanism was created and installed by masters from Etyra.
- Monuments to Hristo Botev, the Russian soldiers who died in the Liberation War, the Unknown soldier, etc.
- The Bozhenishki Urvich Fortress near the village of Bozhenitsa - a cultural monument of national significance.
- Remains of an Early Byzantine fortress, a cave church and a cave dwelling have been preserved
- The village of Vrachesh 3 km from Botevgrad with remains from an ancient and medieval fortress. The Sts Forty Martyrs' Monastery of Vrachesh is situated 4 km from there
- The Bebresh Dam turned into a resort area
- The nativity of the Holy Virgin's Monastery of Botevrag also known as Zelin
- The village of Skraven with three more significant monuments
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