Bacho Kiro cave

The Bacho Kiro cave is located in the Northern Bulgaria, near the Drianovo monastery and some 30 km away from the town of Gabrovo. Once known as the Small Cave, it was later (in 1940) renamed to Bacho Kiro, after the famous Bulgarian hero from the April Uprising, who used to hide from his persecutors in its numerous labyrinths. During the Ottoman Yoke, the cave was rarely visited, since people believed it was haunted by evil spirits, dragons, monsters and dark powers. In 1890, Prof. Yurichin conducted the first ever scientific research into the cave. Later on (1971-1976) it was thoroughly examined by a group of Bulgarian and Polish specialists, who found different items dating from 40-70 000 years BC, including nibs, knives, working tools and weapons. From a historical point of view, all these findings prove the fact, that the place has been inhabited since ancient times. The Bacho Kiro cave was declared natural landmark in 1962 and is the first cave in Bulgaria, provided with all utilities. It is a three-floor cave with low entrance and large chamber - the vault is about 20 m high, the length of the cave is 3,500 m. The cave keeps a constant temperature of 11 degrees Celsius all year round.