Ivanovo

The village of Ivanovo is located in the heart of the Rusenski Lom Nature Park, about 20 km away from Ruse. The combination of rocks, forests, rivers, caves and meadows here is the reason for the extremely rich biodiversity. Over 900 species of plants can be seen throughout the park, and the wildlife is represented by amphibians, reptiles, fish, crabs, snails, 66 species of mammals and 190 species of birds. Here the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) or the majestic Egyptian vulture, a vigorous buteos (Common buzzard) or a saker falcon (falco cherrug) can fly over your head, followed by the ruddy shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea).

The village of Ivanovo emerged during the Second Bulgarian Kingdom and according to some historians Ivanovo was named after the Kings Ivan Asen II and Ivan Alexander, both of them donors to the monastery. During the Russian-Turkish War the village is a front zone and it suffered heavy damage. On 12 October 1877, during a military intelligence, Prince Sergey Romanovsky, a nephew of Emperor Alexander II, was killed just above the village. There is a monument, which can be seen on the right side of the road to the rock churches.

The people of Ivanovo preserve the traditions and customs of their folklore, emphasizing that the Ivanovo cuisine is a collective image of the culinary traditions of the whole region. Ivanovden (The day of Ivan) is celebrated with a big rural party here, with roast meat and Pelin wine, the men dance the traditional “Horo” dance in the cold waters of Lom River. The best part is that every year the number of children, who are named after their grandfathers, called Ivan, is increasing – this is another old tradition of carrying memory across generations.