Montana

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Founded in Roman times, centuries ago, Montana was founded as a fortress, named Castra ad Montanenzium (fortress in the mountain). The strategic position of a crossroad of important roads and the carst spring (now captured) determined the position of the Roman town. In 3rd century it was a town in the province of Dakia under the name of Ripenziz. Montanawas destroyed by the Barbarians. In the Middle Ages it was small insignificant settlement - during Turkish rule it was mentioned for first time under the name of Koutlovitsa (a name of Slavic origin). In 1891 Montana was officially declared a town, it bore this name. Then the town was given the name of Ferdinand, after the name of the Bulgarian Prince (later on Tsar). At this time it was a major cattle market and a craft centre. Tradesmen from all over the country as well as from abroad - from Turkey, Serbya, Romania participated in the annual fair. The building of the railway line Boichinovtsi-Berkovitsa in1916 which then passed through. Ferdinand contributed much to the rapid flourishing of Montana. After World War I many refugees from Tsaribrod and Bossilegrad areas settled here. In 1945, in the times, when Bulgaria was Socialist Republic, the town was renamed to Mihailovgrad, and in 1993 again, after about 20 centuries, it took again the name of Montana. Recently it is a center of an administartive region and is situated in north-western Bulgaria along the Ogosta river. Montana is the biggest transport crossroad of Northwestern Bulgaria. It is 113 km north of Sofia


Magura Cave Site
Dedicated to one of the biggest caves in the country, site includes its geology, history, virtual tour, other caves in the region, and guest-book
http://www.magura.hit.bg