The town of Troyan is situated in North Bulgaria, 160 km northeast of Sofia ( 400 m above sea-level). It lies along the banks of the Beli Ossam River, in the foothills of the Troyan-Kalofer part of the Balkan Mountain.It has good transport links with all parts of the country, being close to the Hemus highway. It is connected to South Bulgaria via the Troyan Pass and the railway links it to the towns of Lovech and Levski. The name of Troyan originates from the ancient Roman road of ViaTrajaSna, which linked the Danube with the Aegean in the 1-2 c. AD. Archeological excavations show that this region had already been inhabited in the Paleolith. During the Bronze Age, a Thracian tribe inhabited the land along the Azamus River (today Ossam River). A great deal of pottery, bronze vessels, iron weapons, and jewellery has been found from this period.Duringthe first half of the 19 c. numerous crafts thrived in Troyan. The most prominent of them was pottery making. Gradually it initiated the foundation of the unique Troyan School of Ceramics. For centuries the initiative people of Troyan have been selling their handicraft wares both in Bulgaria and in neighbouring countries.Troyan was officially announced a town in 1868.

After Bulgaria's liberation from the Ottoman occupation, the people of Troyan managed to restore their burned-down town and transformed it into a prosperous Balkan town as we see it today. Troyan was the third town of Bulgaria to be supplied with electricity (in 1911) after Sofia and Plovdiv. At present Troyan has a population of over 25,000 people, a well-developed infrastructure, a number of industrial plants and numerous private companies, managed by enterprising businessmen who have established successful contacts with counterpart companies in Western Europe, the USA and Canada.Troyan has a beautiful architectural centre, numerous modern and pleasant cafes, folk-style restaurants, cocktail bars, discotheques and night clubs.

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