- Lom, Bulgaria
Infobox Settlement
official_name = Lom
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = BUL
subdivision_type1 = Province
(Oblast)
timezone=EET
utc_offset=+2
timezone_DST=EEST
utc_offset_DST=+3
map_caption = Location of Lom, Bulgaria
pushpin_
pushpin_label_position =
pushpin_map_caption =Location of Lom, Bulgaria
pushpin_mapsize =
leader_title =Mayor
postal_code_type =Postal Code
|native_name=Лом
image_shield=
|subdivision_name1=Montana
population_total=29981|population_footnotes=
population_as_of=2005-09-13
elevation_m=20
postal_code=3600
area_code=0971
latd=43|latm=49|lats=|latNS=N|longd=23|longm=14|longs=|longEW=E|leader_name=Penka Penkova
Lom ( _bg. Лом) is a town in northwesternBulgaria , part ofMontana Province , situated on the right bank of theDanube , close to the estuary of theLom River . It is 162 km north ofSofia , 56 km southeast ofVidin , 50 km north of Montana and 42 km west ofKozloduy . It is the second mostimportant Bulgarian port on the Danube afterRousse .History
Antiquity and Middle Ages
Lom was founded by the
Thracians under the name of "Artanes" in Antiquity. After them the Romans called the fortress and the town "Almus", from where the name of the today's city and of the Lom River comes.There are no reports proving that there existed a big settlement in the
Middle Ages . It was not until Ottoman rule that it enlarged but for a long time it was under the shadow of the dominant towns of Vidin, Nikopol andSilistra . It is assumed that the Ottoman village was founded in1695 byKara Mustafa andMurad Bey , who were defeated atVienna in1683 and who came here sailing rafts along the Danube.Ottoman rule and Bulgarian National Revival
The name "Lom Palanka" was mentioned for a first time in
1704 . The settlement then called "palanka" was something between a village and a town in size and importance. In1798 Lom suffered from brigand raids. With the development of shipping along the Danube after1830 , the importance of the town grew. The road to Sofia contributed to its progress and turned it into a main export port to Vienna (Austria ). By1869 there were 120 shops, 148 trade offices, 175 food shops, 34 coffee bars, 6 hotels and 2 mills. The town was centred around the old "Kale" (fortress), which was entered through three "kapii" (gates) — Vidinska, Belogradchishka, Sofiyska. The tradesmen from Lom offered goods at the biggest fairs in the region and beyond. In1880 there were 7,500 inhabitants in the town.Lom is proud of its traditions from the period of the
Bulgarian National Revival . In1856 the first community centre in Bulgaria was founded in the town, the first women's society in the country was also established in1858 and one of the first theatre performances took place in the town.Krastyu Pishurka , a noted educator, also worked in Lom.Until the Second world war it was a major market town. After the 1944 the industry developpes — sugar factory, can factory, grain industry. It becomes a port for the southwestern part of Bulgaria.
Landmarks
*Plazha ( _bg. Плажа) - the 500 m. long pebbled beach at the bank of the Danube River, 3 km. from the centre of the city
*Town Museum of History, housed in the building of the old town-hall.
*Preserved foundations of the antique fortress Almus
*Postoyanstvo, the oldest community centre in Bulgaria
*Building of the formerSchool of Pedagogy
*Borunska Church
*Monument of Tseko Voivoda (1807-1881), a participant in the battles for liberation ofSerbia and proclaimed by the Serbian government to be a voyvoda (revolutionary leader)Religion
The majority of the population of Lom is
Christian Orthodox .The second biggest religious group isProtestantism -adventists andbaptists .Honour
Lom Peak onLivingston Island in theSouth Shetland Islands ,Antarctica is named after Lom.External links
* [http://www.lom.bg The Official Site of Lom]
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