Monument to the Cavalry - Dryanovo

Overview

The Cavalry sculpture depicts a naked woman riding a horse with a proud posture and galloping quickly, judging by her hair blown back. The figures of both the horse and the woman were masterfully sculpted in the late 1970s by Lyuben Dimitrov (the name is carved into the base), a professor of decorative and monumental sculpture at the National Academy of Arts. The limestone sculpture is placed at the end of the overpass, which leads from the town of Dryanovo to the villages of Tsareva Livada and Tryavna. But you are probably wondering why the woman is naked? Legend has it that a proud Bulgarian woman from Dryanovo refused to enter the harem of a noble Turk. To humiliate her, he made her cross the city naked, riding a horse. Instead of being ashamed, however, the people of Dryanovo bowed to her strong spirit, preserved the memory of how an ordinary girl resisted the enslavers and made this monument in her honor.