Location of the Four Houses

mapThe most comfortable means of transportation to Kostenkovtsi is by car or bus: from Southern Bulgaria – through the Shipka Pass; from Northern Bulgaria – following the route from Veliko Turnovo to Gabrovo, or from Sevlievo to Gabrovo. Public transportation: there are minibuses from the town of Gabrovo that have several courses a day to the Jaltitsata tavern at the entrance of Kostenkovtsi. The buses leave the bus station in Gabrovo at the following times: 07:00, 13:00, 17:00 on weekdays and 08:00 and 17:00 on weekends. 20 minutes later they leave from Jaltitsata tavern to Gabrovo. You can make sure the schedule hasn't been changed at the website of the Gabrovo bus station: www.gabrovo-bg.com/avtobus.

Kostekovtsi Village

The village of Kostenkovtsi is a part of the Lesicharka municipality, together with the small nearby village of Chomatsite (now called Iglika). That is the reason why some maps don't show these two villages individually. The slope that Kostenkovtsi is on faces south toward the mountain. Its altitude is 535 m. The hills are lush with hornbeam, oak, Turkey oak, maple, ash, Tilia and klyuchetitsa trees. The woods are dense and interspersed with hawthorn and dog rose bushes, cornel trees, wild pears, blackberries and other crawling and climbing plants. Almost all of the village houses are built on rock base and part of the stones have been used for construction of the residential and agricultural buildings. Kostenkovtsi has a rich history. The vicinity of the village preserves the remnants of a Roman road, a Thracian fortress, monuments to some of Hristo Botev's revolutionaries, Filip Totyu's band, as well as of the murdered partisan Stefka Tsoneva - Burya. The library of Kostenkovtsi was built in 1926, when it started hosting two plays per year. The new school was built in 1925. The water fountain is also interesting, it was built in the fall of 1849 by Todor Ivan Tonchovetsa, and later new tubs were added in 1926 by the villagers' work group. Even today this water fountain has very good potable water and is being used by the village's residents and guests.