Община Оряхово

Medieval Fortress “Kamaka”( The stone) – town of Oryahovo

It is located 600 m to the west of the town of Oryahovo. It was built in the ІХ century as a part of the Danube fortification system of the Fist Bulgarian Empire. Between ХІІ-ХІV centuries it has been renewed and plays the part of an important defensive installation. It continued to be used after the fall under Ottoman rule until the end of ХV century. First information about it can be found in Hungarian Diploma of 1283 .The  troops of two Crusades, led by Hungarian kings Sigismund (1396) and Vladisla Yagelo(1444)  crossed  the  fortress .A   two-storey rectangular tower of the fortress is preserved from the Bulgarian Second Empire. The remains of the medieval building and the beautiful panoramic view of the river Danube fascinate the visitors.
There are no organized transport and guide services. Dirt road. The site is accessible to pedestrians and to vehicles.

 

Municipality of Oryahovo is situated in northwestern Bulgaria on Danube river valley. The Danube hilly plane is the most northern geomorphologic region of Republic of Bulgaria. On the ground of its differences it is divided in three sub regions. One of them is the Western (Lom- Oryahovo) lowland. It can be described as mainly flat. Its topographic surface is inclined slightly to the northeast. The asymmetric broad valleys of the rivers Lom, Tsibritsa, Ogosta, Iskar and Vit divide it into several hills between valleys with slant long and flat eastern slopes and short steep descending western slopes. The plane- undulating terrain, the moderate continental climate, the altitude (150 m) and the various soils (predominantly black earth and loess) characterized the geographical features of the municipality.

Town of Oryahovo is located in picturesque hilly area on the right bank of the Danube river. The historical memory has preserved the names of different ages – Vrhov, Orezov, Oreov, Rahovo and Oryahovo since 1886.
The area of the town of Oryahovo was inhabited from hoary antiquity. The conducted archaeological studies demonstrate the existence of settlements of all historical periods – from he early neolith to the late middle Ages. With the Thracian are related remarkable findings – late Mycenaean bronze swords and parts of horse-trappings. For the flowering of the Roman culture attest the remains of the ancient fortresses Variana near the village of Leskovets and Variana near the village of Dolni Vadin.

The total population of the municipality of Oryahovo amounted to 15 000 residents approximately. Sustained population decline, which is typical for the country as a whole retains its trend in the municipality of Oryahovo, as well. The population decreases both in the municipal centre and in the little villages of the municipality. The population of the municipality has decreased considerably. The values, which show the birth rate in the municipality for the period 2001 – 2007 have some fluctuations, resulting in slight increase which is characteristic of the whole country, whose values, however can not reach the rates required for the normal reproduction of the population.