Gabrovo

Gabrovo is a city in central northern Bulgaria and the administrative center of Gabrovo Province. It had a population of 48,133 at the 2021 census across 233.817 square kilometers, and the area has been inhabited since Neolithic times, gaining economic importance after Veliko Tarnovo became the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire in the 12th century. According to legend the city was founded by a blacksmith named Racho near a hornbeam tree, from which its name derives, and it stretches over 25 kilometers along the Yantra River while reaching only about one kilometer in width in places, making it the longest town in Bulgaria; it is also internationally known as a center of humor and satire.