For a small village, Koprivshtitsa played an outsize role in the liberation of Bulgaria from Ottoman Turkish rule. You can learn about its history at landmarks including the Georgi Benkovski House Museum and Todor Kableshkov House Museum, which pay tribute to freedom fighters killed in the April Uprising of 1876; the Lyuben Karavelov Museum, the birthplace of the brothers Lyuben and Petko Karavelov, one a revolutionary, the other a prime minister; and the Dimcho Debelyanov House, which was home to a noted poet.
Koprivshtitsa makes a convenient detour on the trip from Sofia to Plovdiv, Bulgaria’s historic second city, and many day trips combine the two destinations. Other popular trips pair it with Starosel, a village known for archaeology and a winery, or Panagyurishte, a town that was important during the Bulgarian Revival. It’s worth exploring with a guide who can put the history and architecture in context.
Koprivshtitsa will be of interest to photographers, architecture buffs, and fans of Bulgarian history.
For its size, Koprivshtitsa offers a wide range of both hotels and restaurants.
Koprivshtitsa is not a good choice for travelers who rely on wheelchairs.
Koprivshtitsa lies in the foothills of the Sredna Gora mountains, about a 70-mile (110-kilometer) drive east of Sofia, and about a 55-mile (90-kilometer) drive north of Plovdiv. There are regular direct trains to and from Sofia (taking 90 minutes to 2.5 hours), but trains from Plovdiv involve one or more transfers.
Most Koprivshtitsa attractions are open Tuesday to Sunday from morning to early evening, but some restaurants and other sights close for winter. The weather is kindest during summer (June through August). Around every five years, in early August, Koprivshtitsa hosts Bulgaria’s biggest folk art festival, the National Fair of Bulgarian Folk Art.
Central Bulgaria’s Sredna Mountains are known as Sredna Gora in Bulgaria (sometimes incorrectly called the Sredna Gora Mountains). Their foothills, like the neighboring Thracian Valley and Rose Valley, house vineyards, making the region a popular destination for wine tourism, as well as for hiking and horseback riding. Koprivshtitsa is one of the Sredna Mountains’ top attractions, but some tours also visit Panagyurishte, known for Bulgarian Revival architecture and a find of Thracian treasure, and Starosel, home to a Thracian temple complex that dates back almost 2,500 years.
