Lom ( ) is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in northwestern

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

, part of

Montana Province Montana Province (, transliterated: ''Oblast Montana'') is a Provinces of Bulgaria, province in northwestern Bulgaria, bordering Serbia in the southwest and Romania in the north. It spreads its area between the Danube river and the Balkan Mountai ...

, situated on the right bank of the

Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...

, close to the estuary of the

Lom River The Lom ( , ) is a river in the western part of the Danubian Plain (Bulgaria), Danubian Plain of northwestern Bulgaria. A right tributary of the Danube, the river is 93 km long. Geography The river takes its source at an altitude of 2,100 ...

. It is the administrative centre of the eponymous

Lom Municipality Lom Municipality () is a frontier Municipalities of Bulgaria, municipality (''obshtina'') in Montana Province, Northwestern Bulgaria, located along the right bank of Danube river in the Danubian Plain (Bulgaria), Danubian Plain. It is named after ...

. The town is north of

Sofia Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...

, southeast of

Vidin Vidin (, ) is a port city on the southern bank of the Danube in north-western Bulgaria. It is close to the borders with Romania and Serbia, and is also the administrative centre of Vidin Province, as well as of the Metropolitan of Vidin (since ...

, north of

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

, and west of

Kozloduy Kozloduy ( ) is a town in northwest Bulgaria, located in Vratsa Province, on the Danube River. The city was liberated from Ottoman rule on 23 November 1877 by the Romanian Army under the command of the Imperial Russian Army. Kozloduy is best know ...

. It is the second most important Bulgarian port on the Danube after Ruse.

Geography

The town of Lom is located near the mouth of the eponymous river Lom. Its development as a large river port center, second in importance to Bulgaria after Ruse, is determined by the fact that it is the closest port to the capital.

History

Antiquity and Middle Ages

Lom was founded by the

Thracians The Thracians (; ; ) were an Indo-European languages, Indo-European speaking people who inhabited large parts of Southeast Europe in ancient history.. "The Thracians were an Indo-European people who occupied the area that today is shared betwee ...

under the name of ''Artanes'' in Antiquity. The

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

built the

fort A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

of ''Almus'' (from where the name of the today's city and of the Lom River comes) on the

Danubian Limes The Danubian Limes (), or Danube Limes, refers to the Roman military frontier or '' limes'' which lies along the River Danube in the present-day German state of Bavaria, in Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania. The ...

frontier system along the

. The town developed around it. There are no reports proving that there existed a big settlement in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

. It was not until

Ottoman rule The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Central Euro ...

that it enlarged but for a long time it was under the shadow of the dominant towns of Vidin, Nikopol and

Silistra Silistra ( ; ; or ) is a town in Northeastern Bulgaria. The town lies on the southern bank of the lower Danube river, and is also the part of the Romanian border where it stops following the Danube. Silistra is the administrative center of the ...

. It is assumed that the Ottoman village was founded in 1695 by

Kara Mustafa Kara Mustafa Pasha (; ; "Mustafa Pasha the Courageous"; 1634/1635 – 25 December 1683) was an Ottoman nobleman, military figure and Grand Vizier, who was a central character in the Ottoman Empire's last attempts at expansion into both Centr ...

and

Murad Giray Murad Giray (1627–1696; reigned 1678–1683) was a Khan of the Crimean Khanate between the first and second reigns of his cousin Selim I Giray. His father was Mubarek, one of the many sons of Selâmet I Giray (1608-1610). Three of his uncles we ...

, who were defeated at

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

in 1683 and who came here sailing rafts along the Danube.

Ottoman rule and Bulgarian National Revival

The name ''Lom Palanka'' was mentioned for the first time in 1704. At the time, the name ''palanka'' was used for settlements that stood between village and city (''grad'') in size and importance. In 1798 Lom suffered from brigand raids. With the development of shipping along the Danube after 1830, the importance of the town grew. The road to Sofia contributed to its progress and turned it into a main export port to

. By 1869 there were 120 shops, 148 trade offices, 175 food shops, 34 coffee bars, six hotels and two mills. The town was centred on the old ''Kale'' (fortress), which was entered through three ''kapii'' (gates), each named after the place that the respective road led to -

Belogradchik Belogradchik (; ) is a town in Vidin Province, northwestern Bulgaria, and is the administrative centre of the homonymous municipality. The town is situated in the foothills of the Balkan Mountains just east of the Serbian border and about 50&nb ...

. The tradesmen from Lom offered goods at the biggest fairs in the region and beyond. In 1880 there were 7,500 inhabitants in the town. Lom is proud of its traditions from the period of the

Bulgarian National Revival The Bulgarian Revival (, ''Balgarsko vazrazhdane'' or simply: Възраждане, ''Vazrazhdane'', and ), sometimes called the Bulgarian National Revival, was a period of socio-economic development and national integration among Bulgarian pe ...

. During the

, the first ''

chitalishte A ''chitalishte'' (, ) is a traditional Bulgarian public institution and building that fulfills several functions at once, such as a community centre, public library, and a theatre. It is also used as an educational institution, where people o ...

'' in Bulgaria (1856) was founded in the town, the first women's society in the country was also established in 1858 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. In 1943, the Bulgarian government transported several thousand Jewish captives from Bulgarian-occupied territory in

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

and

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

to Lom to be embarked on boats bound for

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

, from where they were taken to be exterminated in

Treblinka Treblinka () was the second-deadliest extermination camp to be built and operated by Nazi Germany in Occupation of Poland (1939–1945), occupied Poland during World War II. It was in a forest north-east of Warsaw, south of the Treblinka, ...

. Lom was the main hub for the first deportations of victims of the Holocaust from the Axis-aligned Balkans. After 1944 the industry developed — sugar factory, can factory, grain industry. It became a port for the northwestern part of Bulgaria.

Neighbourhoods

Neighbourhoods of Lom include: *Boruna *Humata *Kaletata *Lyulyatsite *Mladenovo *Mladost *Momin brod *Stadiona *Zornitsa

Landmarks

*Plazha () - 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 former School of Pedagogy *The Church of Boruna *Monument of Tseko Voivoda (1807–1881), a participant in the battles for liberation of

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

and proclaimed by the Serbian government to be a

voyvoda Voivode ( ), also spelled voivod, voievod or voevod and also known as vaivode ( ), voivoda, vojvoda, vaivada or wojewoda, is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe in use since the Early Mid ...

(revolutionary leader)

Religion

The majority of the population of Lom is

Christian Orthodox Orthodoxy () is adherence to a purported "correct" or otherwise mainstream- or classically-accepted creed, especially in religion. Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical co ...

. The second biggest religious group is

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

adventists Adventism is a branch of Protestant Christianity that believes in the imminent Second Coming (or the "Second Advent") of Jesus Christ. It originated in the 1830s in the United States during the Second Great Awakening when Baptist preacher Willi ...

and

baptists Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

Climate

Notable people

Born in Lom

Aleksandar Belev Aleksandar Georgiev Belev (; 1898, in Lom, Bulgaria – 9 September 1944, in Bulgaria) was the Bulgarian commissar of Jewish Affairs during World War II, famous for his antisemitic and strongly nationalistic views. He played a central role in the ...

(1898 – 1944), politician *

Alexander Raichev Alexander Raichev () (11 April 1922 – 28 October 2003) was a Bulgarian music educator and composer. Raichev was born in Lom, Bulgaria, and studied with Pancho Vladigerov at the State Musical Academy in Sofia where he graduated in 1947. He t ...

, composer *

Alexander Chirkov Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are A ...

(1938 – 2020), doctor, performed the first heart transplant in Bulgaria (1986) * Andrej Andreev (1943 –), doctor * Anton Tornjov (1868 – 1942), architect * Asen Parteniev (1876 – 1905), revolutionary * Bojcho Bojchev (1902 – 1971), doctor *

Bojan Smilov Bojan (Serbian Cyrillic and Macedonian: Бојан; Ukrainian, Russian and Bulgarian Cyrillic: Боян, transcribed ''Boyan'') is a Slavic given name, derived from the Slavic noun ''boj'' "battle." The ending ''-an'' is a suffix frequently found ...

(1885 – 1947), politician * Cvetan Minkov (1891 – 1967), writer * Cvetan Todorov (1899 – 1962), linguist * Cenko Tsvetanov (1904 – 1960), writer and bibliographer * Chavdar Chakarov (1977 – 2005), writer * Violeta Minkova (1932 – 1992), actress * Vladimir Shkodrov (1930 – 2010), astronomer * Georgi Ivanov, revolutionary * Georgi Chaushov (1938 –), painter and animator * Dimitar Marinov (1846 – 1940), public figure * Ekaterina Blagoeva (1933 –) geographer and landscape scientist * Emil Andreev (1956 –), writer * Emil Minkov (1930 – 2003), musician * Igor Damjanov (1953 –), politician * Iskra Fidosova (1971 –), politician *

Jordan Gavrilov Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

(1904 – 1997), professor *

Jana Jazova Jana may refer to: Entertainment * ''Jana'' (film), a 2004 Tamil film by Shaji Kailas * Jana (singer) (born 1974), Serbian singer * Jana (Native American singer), née Jana Mashonee * '' Jana of the Jungle'', animated series created by Doug Wil ...

(1912 – 1974), writer * Kiril Drangov (1901 – 1946), revolutionary * Marion Koleva (1956 –), journalist *

Mariyan Ognyanov Mariyan Georgiev Ognyanov (; born 30 July 1988) is a Bulgarian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder. Career Levski Sofia Ognyanov played for Levski Sofia from 2004. On 27 September 2006, Ognyanov scored the first goal by a Bulgar ...

(1988 –), footballer * Milko Bechev (1926 – 1988), architect * Milcho Goranov (1928 – 2008), footballer,

bronze medalist A bronze medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of bronze awarded to the third-place finisher of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The outright winner receives a ...

* Mihail Kantardzhiev (1910 – 2002), chess player * Mihail Lazarov, revolutionary * Nikola Logofetov (1880 – 1945), politician and lawyer * Nikola Parvanov (1837 – 1872), bookman * Obreten Evstatiev (1891 – 1946), conductor * Petar Berkovski (1852 – 1892), revolutionary * Parvan Draganov (1890 – 1945), officer and politician * Simeon Pironkov (1927 – 2000), compositor * Todor Borov (1901 – 1933), bibliographer * Todor Jonchov (1859 – 1940), teacher and public figure *

Todor Petrov Todor Petrov (born 19 March 1960) is the president of the Macedonian diaspora organisation World Macedonian Congress (WMC). Petrov is a councillor in the electorate of Gazi Baba. Life Todor Petrov was born on 19 March 1960 in Gevgelija. He ...

(1919 – 1992), painter * Todor Pironkov (1891 – 1962), artist Louis-Emil Eyer Balkan war

* Ralcho Trashliev (1930 – 2014), psychiatrist, pedagogy professor

Died in Lom

* Krastjo Pishurka (1823 – 1875), national awakener * Miron Iliev (? – 1914), icon painter

Others, connected with Lom

* Louis-Emil Eyer (1865 – 1916), Swiss, co-founder of the sport movement in Bulgaria, physical education teacher *

Jonas Basanavičius Jonas Basanavičius (, ; 23 November 1851 – 16 February 1927) was an activist and proponent of the Lithuanian National Revival. He participated in every major event leading to the independent Lithuanian state and is often given the informal hon ...

(1851 – 1927), Lithuanian popular figure *

Dimitar Spisarevski Dimitar Spisarevski () (19 July 1916 – 20 December 1943) was a Kingdom of Bulgaria, Bulgarian fighter pilot known for taking down an United States, American bomber by Aerial ramming, ramming it during the bombing of Sofia in World War II. Born ...

(1916 – 1943), fighter pilot in the Second World War

Honour

Lom Peak Lom Peak (, ) is a peak rising to 870 m in Friesland Ridge, Tangra Mountains, Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica which overlooks Ruen Icefall to the north. It is named after the Bulgarian town of Lom. Location The pe ...

Livingston Island Livingston Island (Russian name ''Smolensk'', ) is an Antarctic island in the Southern Ocean, part of the South Shetland Islands, South Shetlands Archipelago, a group of List of Antarctic and subantarctic islands, Antarctic islands north of the ...

in the

South Shetland Islands The South Shetland Islands are a group of List of Antarctic and subantarctic islands, Antarctic islands located in the Drake Passage with a total area of . They lie about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, and between southwest of the n ...

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...

is named after Lom.

Municipality

The municipality of Lom consists of the following 9 villages plus the town of Lom itself, which is the administrative centre of the municipality.

Twin towns – sister cities

Lom is twinned with: *

Băilești Băilești () is a city in Dolj County, Oltenia, Romania, with a population of 15,928 in 2021. One village, Balasan, is administered by the city. Geography The city lies in the western part of the Wallachian Plain, on the banks of the Balasan Ri ...

, Romania *

Debar Debar ( ; , sq-definite, Dibra or Dibra e Madhe) is a city in the western part of North Macedonia, near the border with Albania, off the road from Struga to Gostivar. It is the seat of Debar Municipality. Debar has an ethnic Albanian majorit ...

, North Macedonia * Pantelej (Niš), Serbia * Moudania, Greece

References

External links

The Official Site of Lom
{{Authority control Towns in Bulgaria Populated places on the Danube Populated places in Montana Province Port cities and towns in Bulgaria Roman auxiliary forts in Bulgaria