Trojan

Troyan is a town remembering the name of Roman Emperor Trajan, in Lovech Province in central Bulgaria with population of 21,997 inhabitants, as of December 2009. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Troyan Municipality. The town is about 162km away from the country capital Sofia. The nearest civilian airport is Gorna Oryahovitsa, 105km away. The river of Beli Osam passes through the heart of the town. The 2011 Census indicates that the population of the Trojan was 21.194 inhabitants. The racial distribution of the inhabitants is ethnic Bulgarians, with minorities being Roma and Turks . The ethnicity for 10,21% of inhabitants is not known. Donka Mihaylova of Bulgarian Socialist Party has been the town's mayor since 2011.HistoryTroyan was named a town in 1868, when it developed as a craft center for the region. After the liberation it grows slowly. A spark in the town growth was the creation of a small water electrical plant and textile factories. In 1948, the town was connected to the railway Lovech – Levski – Svishtov. Later in time factories producing electrical motors, electrotechnical products, building machines, wool and furniture developed in the town.CultureThe Troyan region is home to the cultural and historical site of the Troyan Monastery. August 15 is the day of the Monastery's Patron Saint, when thousands of people from the country gather to celebrate and see a unique icon of Mary. The icon is unique in that Mary has three hands made of silver. The origins of the icon are unknown but there are many stories, some of which involve miracles.