Town of Kozloduy

The town of Kozloduy (14 286 inhabitants, 40 metres above the sea level) is situated by the river Danube, opposite the second biggest island with the same name. It is 196 km on the north of Sofia, 42 east of Lom, 29 km west of Orya-chovo, 15 km northwest of Mizia and 80 km north of Vratsa. It is a sacred historical town to all Bulgarians and the country’s heart of energy production.

History: At first the settlement was spread over 3 km west of the river Ogosta in the area of Chetate (in Romanian - fortress). There are two versions of the origin of its name: the first comes from the Turkish Kozludere (a low gully), and the second - from the Latin meaning of Kozloduy - “a corner of the ice blocks” – as sometimes in winter ice blocks pile up at this part of the river. It is not known for sure when the settlement has moved to its present place. Most probably it happened at the time of the huge flood of Danube and Ogosta in 1840. Near the town, east of the area Magoura Petra, the remains of the Roman fortification Reganium can be seen and between Kozloduy and Hairedin are preserved parts of the Hairedin defence trench (7th-8th Century). In documents from 17th century the settlement is mentioned under the name of Kotosluk. Kaikchii (boatsmen) from the village drew boats and vessels with ropes upstream. The tra-vel-ler Dome-nico Ses-tini (1780) recorded the well-developed silkworm breeding and leather processing with the herb sumac.

In terms of history Kozloduy is mostly connected with the name of the immortal poet and revolutionary Hristo Botev. On the 17th (29th old calendar style) May 1876, 200 Bulgarian men disembarked the Austro-Hungarian steamer Radetski at the shore of Kozloduy led by their voyvoda Hristo Botev. They embarked on the steamer at different Romanian ports as civil travellers. Then they got off the ship (forcing the captain to stop it at the isolated area of the Bulgarian river bank) as a well-organized revolutionary detachment of volunteers, dressed in their rebel uniforms, going to help the Bulgaria which was already burning. Stepping onto their native land the rebels fell on knees and kissed it. From here started their heroic epic whose summit was later in the week on the ridge of the Vratsa Balkan. Passing through the whole of Northern Bulgaria in ceaseless fighting, under the pursuit of the Turks, the detachment entered into a decisive battle against the dozen times outnumbered enemy around Mt. Okolchitsa. There on 2 June (old calendar style) 1876 the Voyvoda was shot the detachment was defeated and scattered into small groups around the Balkan. 130 men died, 68 were captured and sent on penal servitude and only 8 escaped. The prophetic words of Botev came true: “He, who perishes in a battle for freedom, does not die!”

After the liberation of Kozloduy in 1877, many settlers came into the town from other parts of the country and the Bulgarians became dominant within the ethnic profile of the town. In 1974 the first atomic power station in Bulgaria and on the Balkan Peninsula was built here (it is only one so far).

Landmarks: 5 km northwest of the centre of the town, by the Danube River, is the well-arranged Botev Park. It was created in the place where in May 1876. Hristo Botev and his detachment disembarked onto the native land. There is a stone obelisk, erected in 1936 with the inscription “He does not die”. The old stone cross put there after the Liberation is preserved. The initial letters H.B. are inscribed with evergreen cypresses on the opposite Krushovski Bair (Hill). This is the beginning of a 120-kilometre Botev alley following the path of Botev’s detachment to Mt. Okolchitsa in the Vratsa Balkan. It is marked with 68 stone signs. Every year on 27th May on the shore of Kozloduy thousands of people walk the trail (5-6 days) and reach Mt. Okolchitsa to take part in the national celebrations on 2th June. Near the port, also in the same region, there is the Radetski Restaurant housing a museum in its west wing. Here is the Kozloduyski Bryag Chalet consisting of 2 buildings offering 40 beds in rooms with 2, 3, 5 and more beds. There is a bus line connecting the town and Botev Park.

To the west of the port is the area of Kiler Bair, which is the beginning of the historic Kozloduy Val (dyke) dated back to time of Khan Asparuh’s state. It was built in the end of 7th century and is 32 km long. The dyke ends southwest of the Hairedin village. The highest preserved part of it is 2.60 m. A marked path along the river bank (in the Botev Park) leads there.

Tourist information: At Radetski Tourist Association (13, Sofia Str., tel.: 0973 3505), at Radetski Hotel and at the chalet.

Transport: At present there is only bus transport connecting Kozloduy with the rest of the country. There are regular bus lines to Lom, Vratsa, Oryahovo, Miziya and other smaller settlements in the region. There is a port, but so far there is no regular passenger transport along Danube from Bulgaria. The closest railway station is the town of Miziya on the narrow-gauge railway road on the line Cherven Bryag - Oryahovo.

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