Balkanets is a small mountain village about five kilometres south of Troyan, right where the climb to the Troyan Pass — Beklemeto — begins. The village sits in the valley of the Knezha river, a tributary of the Beli Osam, among the beech forests of the Troyan Balkan. About two hundred people live here, and the sign at the entrance greets visitors with the words “spirit and nature” — a feeling that stays with you long after you leave.
| Where | Central Balkan Mountains, about 5 km south of Troyan, in the Knezha river valley, at the foot of the Troyan Pass (Beklemeto) |
| Getting there | by car via road II-35 Pleven – Lovech – Troyan – Karnare, turning off at Troyan; no direct public transport, the nearest bus station is in Troyan |
| How long | 1–2 hours for the village itself; longer if you continue up the pass |
| Roman road | remains of the Via Traiana near the village, free access |
| Russian soldiers’ monument | a small park in the village, free access; raised in memory of 13 soldiers killed during the War of Liberation |
| When to go | around Enyovden (24 June), when the free Festival of Herbs, the Mountain and Tourism is held in the “Aydushko sborishte” locality; spring and summer are also good for hiking |
| Parking | on the streets in the village, free |
| Official information | check current details on the Balkanets mayoralty page (Bulgarian only) |
The start of Beklemeto
This is where the Troyan Pass begins — a road that climbs 18 kilometres to the Beklemeto saddle at 1,525 metres, the highest pass in the Balkan range. Near the village, traces of the Roman road Via Traiana, built under Emperor Trajan, are still visible. In 1878, General Pavel Kartsov’s detachment passed through here to take the pass during the War of Liberation — in memory of the thirteen Russian soldiers who died then, a monument stands in the village, set in a small park.
From the air, Balkanets looks like a small open clearing within dense forest — the rooftops cluster along the river, and the valley narrows sharply as it climbs the slope. That combination of settlement and mountain makes the spot a favourite for aerial footage: the view takes in the village, the pass above it, and the plain around Troyan in the distance.
Forests, meadows and the herb festival
The landscape here is not decoration; it sets the rhythm of the year. The fields and meadows around Balkanets suit grazing and herb gathering, while the forests support logging and hiking. Every year around Enyovden (24 June), the “Aydushko sborishte” locality near the village hosts the Festival of Herbs, the Mountain and Tourism — with concerts, folk dancing and competitions, free to attend.
Balkanets makes a convenient base for Troyan, the pass and the historic sites along the Osam valley. About an hour north by car is Lovech, while near the road to Troyan stand the remains of the Roman road station Fortress Sostra. The appeal of Balkanets is not in loud attractions but in the feeling of a living mountain community — fence after fence, woodpiles by the gates, a rhythm that shifts with the season.
Related video: the village and the surrounding mountains are best seen from the air in the episode Bulgaria From Above: Central Balkan – Troyan, Lovech, Balkanets and Fortress Sostra, part of the Bulgaria From Above series.
