Zheravna

The village of Zheravna is located on the southern slopes of two small hills in the Eastern Balkan Range. The wooden houses, encircled by stone walls, date back from the 17th century, when sheep breeding and various crafts were the only ways of gaining profit. There are fine woodcarvings which can be seen here, mostly in the Sava Yovkov House.

Quite a lot of the Bulgaria's artists' houses are open to the public, including these of Yordan Yovkov, the novelist, and Rusi Chorbadzhi. While the older houses were entirely wood-built, houses of a later period were with their ground floors made of stone. The houses' interiors are mixed with precision, and show thatBulgarians were very proud of their homes which were their most special place in their lives.

Every building in the Zeravna is a unique cultural monument. It is still as unique and authentic as it had been before. The most appealing sights are: the House-Mouseum of Roussi Chorbadzhi, the House-Mudeum of Sava Filaretov, the House-Museum of Yordan Yovkov (that is the native home of the great Bulgarian writer), the houses of Dimo Kehaya and Todor Ikonomov, respectively. The village preserves wonderful ensembles of Renaissance town layout and architecture like the church complex with St. Nikolai Church founded in 1932.

A must-see is also the remarkable Hilendar Convent where “Slavonic and Bulgarian History” was copied (this particular copy is the so called Zheravna manuscript). The class school from 1867 houses an art gallery. The village is the birth place of many glorious Bulgarians as Yordan Yovkov, Raiko Popovich, Sava Filaretov, Todor Ikonomov, V. Stoyanov, Dr. V. Sokolski, D. Stoyanov Bradata (the Beard), etc. Accommodation facilities in Zheravna can be found in the Zlatna Oresha Hotel Complex) housing 50 beds and a restaurant.