The Vit valley at Aglen

Aglen

A village in Lukovit municipality, Lovech Province — the only settlement in Bulgaria whose name begins with the letter “Ъ”. It sits in the Vit River valley among the limestone rocks of the Lukovit Karst.

Tucked into the picturesque valley of the River Vit, Aglen is a place of singular character and ancient history. It carries the distinction of being the only settlement in Bulgaria whose name begins with the letter “Ъ” — the detail most people learn first and remember longest. But the village's real charm begins when you immerse yourself in its world of rock and its wealth of legend.

The Lukovit Karst Travel guide

Nature and time are the craftsmen that shaped this corner of Lukovit municipality (Lovech Province). Cutting through the limestone beds of the Lukovit Karst, the River Vit has carved a majestic canyon adorned with rock arches, sharp crags and deep, quiet pools.

These lands hold the memory of centuries of human presence. In the localities of Selishteto and Staro selo, on the high terraces above the water, the traces of ancient inhabitants can still be made out. Local accounts remember that people first lived there — closer to the shelter of the rocks and the caves — before, in time, they came down to the welcoming banks of the river.

Aglen is also a place of rich cultural memory. It was here, in 1880, that the celebrated Bulgarian writer, publicist and master of the feuilleton Trifon Kunev was born. The old church of St Archangel Michael, the living traditions and the unhurried rhythm of the countryside make the village a destination not to be passed by, but to be seen slowly and with attention.

Where does the name “Ъглен” come from?

By one explanation the name comes from charcoal-burning: the once-wooded Vit canyon supported the production of charcoal, and the kilns and deposits gave the settlement its name.

By the other explanation the name comes from the rock: sharp limestone teeth and needles rise above the river, for which the first settlers are said to have called the place “Iglen” — the place by the needles.

Both versions are part of the village's memory and of the stories told about it.

Sources and editorial notes

  • Wikidata item Q550547 — Ъглен (village, Lukovit Municipality, Lovech Province, Bulgaria).

  • Редакционен запис на Aglen Tourism: приложен метод, изчислени разстояния по права линия от публикувани координати, и изричен списък на това, което сайтът отказва да публикува без проверка. Виж /bg/editorial-policy/.

  • Статия „Ъглен“, българска Уикипедия.

  • Статия „Трифон Кунев“, българска Уикипедия.

  • Устна местна памет от землището на Ъглен, предадена в разказите на сайта (раздел „История и местна памет“). Първичните записвачи и архивните сигнатури не са установени.

St. Archangel Michael

A historic church that preserves the village's spiritual heritage, built in 1888 in honour of the local people who died as victims of the Turkish raids.

Trifon Kunev

A Bulgarian poet, writer and journalist born in Aglen — the village’s strongest tie to the national record.

The two-legged shadows

A local legend recorded as it is told in the village. It is related as memory, not as documented historical fact.

The golden furrow

A local legend from the land of Aglen, recorded as it is told in the village.

Iglen grad golyama

The tradition of the settlement’s first name — the place by the rock needles above the river. One of the two living readings of where the name “Ъглен” comes from.

The Ottoman registers: the Nikopol sanjak

The earliest written traces the village’s texts point to — the tax defters of the Nikopol sanjak of the 15th–16th centuries — and what remains unestablished about them.

The Revival: the descent to the terraces

The 19th century in Aglen: the village comes down from the heights to the river terraces, raises its church, and gives Bulgaria Trifon Kunev.

Dupkata

A natural rock arch above the Vit River and one of the most photogenic places around Aglen.

Sloncheto

A curious rock form that has become one of the symbols of the region.

The Red Cliff

A striking view of the canyon landscape shaped by the cliffs and the river.

Rachkov Vir

A picturesque river pool, ideal for rest, photos, a natural river jacuzzi, and fishing.

Kaleto

A locality connected with the ancient history of the area and the old roads along the Vit valley.

Lukovit

The municipal centre Aglen belongs to, and the nearest town for shops, transport and services.

Karlukovo

The heart of the karst country — a land of chapels in the sky, of a reputed healing stillness, and of very old silence.

Zlatna Panega

A village in Yablanitsa municipality at the karst spring that gives rise to the Zlatna Panega river.

Prohodna Cave (The Eyes of God)

A through-cave near Karlukovo, known for the two openings in its roof called the Eyes of God.