Racho Kovacha (Racho the Blacksmith) monument

Overview

The statue of Racho Kovacha (Racho the Blacksmith) is located in the town of Gabrovo, on a large rock in the Yantra River. For the locals, Racho Kovacha is considered to be the founder of the town, as the handicraft town appeared after he founded his smithy in the region.

Legend says that there was a large hornbeam tree (Gabar tree in Bulgarian) next to the smithy, which gave the name of the town.
This is the only monument in Bulgaria built in a river. It is believed that the local residents,  famous for their thriftiness and sense of humour, decided to place the monument into the river in order to save space for housing and not to spend money on laying flowers.
The statue is made of bronze, and its sculptor is Lyubomir Dalchev. It depicts a healthy man holding a hammer in one hand and pliers in the other, holding a piece of metal on an anvil.

Racho Kovacha came from the village of Bozhentsi and moved here. Initially, he was shoeing the horses of the caravanserais and repairing their carts. Over the years, Racho has settled down and started a family, and many others have followed him.