Village of Lopyan

Lopyan village is situated at the foot of the northern slopes of the Central Balkan Mountain, 15 kilometres from Etropole. It is one of the oldest villages in the region. Its story began at the time of the Thracians, when the territory was inhabited by the tribe Luposi. The name of the village most likely came from the name of the tribe. Only 3 kilometres from Lopyan the remains of the Thracian fortress Chertigrad can be seen. It was built in IV-III century BC and probably functioned to VI century AD. In proto-Bulgarian the name of the fortress means devilish town. Among its ruins parts of the fortress wall with a length of 120 metres, width 2.80 metres and height of 4-5 metres are preserved. Today the area surrounding Chertigrad is part of the ecological network NATURA 2000. Another of the landmarks of the village is the church St. Peter and Paul, built between 1858 and 1864. It was built over the rocks. St. Peter and Paul is a small and semi-dug in the ground building. In the vicinity of the village is the nature stone monument Orlov Kamak – Cherveneta Stena (Eagle Rock - Red Wall). The protected area has an area of 45.1 hectares. It has been established to protect rare species of rapacious birds. In the forests of the surrounding hills of Lopyan there are deers, wild-boars, rabbits, foxes, badgers, weasel etc.