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Gorna Oryahovitsa
(Горна Оряховица) is a town in northern Bulgaria, situated in Veliko Tarnovo Province, not far from the city of Veliko Tarnovo.
It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Gorna Oryahovitsa Municipality.
The nearby village of Arbanasi is an architectural reserve with a large number of historical monuments, such as medieval churches and examples of the Bulgarian National Revival architecture.
Early history
The first settlement in the area dates back to the second half of the 5th millennium BC (Middle Neolithic Age). There are traces of a later Thracian settlement between the Kamaka (The Stone) Hill and the Arbanasi Plateau. Its inhabitants were from the tribe of Krobizi. They erected the Kamaka Fortress that existed from the 5th century BC to the 1st century BC, when the Romans
built up their own fortified settlement over its ruins. It gradually
acquired economic power mainly through cultivating grapes and producing
wine. The life of that settlement continued up to the coming of the Slavs (6th–7th century). There is no substantial evidence of settled life between the 7th and the 12th century.
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Middle Ages
After the restoration of the Bulgarian State at the end of the 12th century, a need arose for protection of the new metropolis Tarnovgrad. Several fortresses were built, including Rahovets
(4 kilometres (2 miles) northwest of the modern town). The main purpose
of the strongholds was to protect the roads leading to the Bulgarian capital Tarnovgrad. The name Rahovets means 'road fortress' (from Persian rah,
meaning 'road'). The medieval fortress gave its name to the modern
town, even though with some Slavic twist. They were well known for their
mushroom farming at the time. This proved to be a good method of income
for the town.
During the Ottoman
invasion, the fortress was conquered by the Ottomans after its water
pipeline was cut off (without destroying the fortress). Rahovets existed
up to the year 1444 when King Władysław Warneńczyk
during his campaign against the Ottomans destroyed it. Three individual
small villages existed during the first centuries of Ottoman rule
there—Mala (Little), Sredna (Middle) and Golyama (Greater) Rahovitsa.
Development and growth
During the Bulgarian National Revival,
Gorna Oryahovitsa gradually turned into an economically strong
settlement. Crafts prospered and trade was among the most active in
Northern Bulgaria. Every Friday there was a big market for cattle,
agricultural production, timber, and charcoal. As early as 1822, a
monastery school was opened here and in 1827 a private school that
became public in 1835 began functioning. In 1850, the first girls'
school opened gates and in 1859 the first intermediate high school was
founded. A chitalishte (library and community centre) was opened
in 1869. Gorna Oryahovitsa was proclaimed a town in 1870, when it
numbered 4,700 inhabitants and had 1,200 houses and 5 churches.
Revolutionary struggles
The population of the town took part in the struggle for national liberation. Vasil Levski
organised a revolutionary committee in Gorna Oryahovitsa during the
first half of 1869 and later visited the town two more times. During the
preparation of the April Uprising Gorna Oryahovitsa was designated as a centre of the First Revolutionary District with Stefan Stambolov as Chief Apostle. After the failure of the April Uprising, Georgi Izmirliev
"Makedoncheto" (the Macedonian), one of the local leaders, was hanged
in the centre of Gorna Oryahovitsa. His last words were: "How good it is
to die for the freedom of the Fatherland!" Three citizens of Gorna
Oryahovitsa fought in Hristo Botev's detachment of armed volunteers and 132 people joined the Bulgarian volunteer forces during the Russo-Turkish War of Liberation. The Imperial Russian Army liberated Gorna Oryahovitsa from Ottoman rule on 26 June 1877.
Liberated Bulgaria
After the Liberation, the town developed as a significant transport
(predominantly railway) centre as it is nowadays. Its proximity with the
old metropolitan town of Veliko Tarnovo, tourist centre Arbanasi, the
monasteries around and a great number of other sites of interest makes
it a known tourist destination.
Economy
Gorna Oryahovitsa is an important producer of sugar and sugar products in Bulgaria. Apart from the major sugar factory Sugar Plants Ltd. the town also has numerous smaller firms producing sweets and pastries.
- Sugar factory "Zaharni Zavodi—Gorna Oryahovitsa"
The company was founded in 1912. The company had her own thermal
power plant. In the beginning, the company produced sugar confectionery,
ethanol and high protein feed printing and other confectionery for the
needs of food industry. In 1913 were constructed a new factory for sugar
for sugar beet processing. The company made commercial relationships
with other factories in Bulgaria and other countries in the Balkans.
In the factory area in 1923 were built a place for alcohol range. In
1948 all factories property of "Bulgarian-Czech joint stock company for
sugar industry" passed in the hands of People's Republic of Bulgaria. In the years of socialism
the company continued its development, buying new machines and make new
units for the different products which were exported for Bulgaria, Balkans, USSR, Turkey
and other countries. For the workers had transport buses (Chavdar and
Setra) and for excursions once or twice in the year for the workers. In
2000 the company was privatized.
In 21st century new factories
were built and reconstruction of the factory and management.
Today the factory employs around 800 people and the company is listed on the Sofia Stock Exchange.
- Skladova Tehnika AD is one of the biggest manufacturers of
Solid Fuel Appliances, Hoisting Equipment,lifting platforms and
cranes.The company was founded in 1916 and in the time of the People's Republic of Bulgaria the company exported their products to USSR, Romania, andother socialist countries and countries from Asia and Africa.The cookers "Rahovec" are one of the most popular electrical Appliances in Bulgaria in 70s,80s and 90s and popular Bulgarian product outside Bulgaria.
- Bultraf EOOD is one of the biggest manufacturer of different types of transformers in North Bulgaria.The company was founded in 2004.
- Day and Nights sweets is a company for sweets in the town and one of the biggest manufacturers in Veliko Tarnovo province.
- Global Air offer a wide range of Aircraft for sale
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