One of the most fabulous places in Bulgaria is a small village called Bozhenci. It is situated on the northern hillside of the Central Stara Planina and is gifted by nature with beauty and harmony. It’s 16 km east of Gabrovo and 40 km from Veliko Turnovo.
The history of the village dates from more than 600 years. For all that time it has preserved a lot of the joy and sadness of the people who lived there, and also their culture and custums.
By an ancient legend, Bozhenci is created by the boyar Bozhana, who was trying to escape the Turkish armies when they attacked the capital – Veliko Turnovo, so she found safety in the mountains. She had 9 sons and together they settled in this land and the new village was called on her name.The there were working mainly craftsmanship and trading and bit by bit they got wealthy. Bozhenci got modern and lavish look and became one of the most developed villages in Bulgaria.
The architectural – historical sanctuary has got plenty pretty small houses with unique architecture. Some of them are restored and turned into different tourist objects, museums and guest houses, and others are preserved as they were built. The old church “Saint Ilia” has very interesting story too. It was built in 1835 by the native population.
Nowadays Bozhenci is a part of the One hundred National Tourist Destinations.