Cosmonauts' Alley

Cosmonauts' Alley – the place where space meets Lovech

Imagine – cosmonauts and astronauts from all over the world have been here, leaving their mark not only in history, but also in the very land of the city, planting their birch trees.

It all started on October 10, 1988, when the participants of the Fourth Congress of the Association of Space Flight Participants visited Lovech. Instead of the usual speeches and photos, they decided to leave something more special – they planted birch trees in the central part of the city, on the western bank of the Osam River. The first to reach for the shovel was the Bulgarian pilot-cosmonaut Georgi Ivanov. After him came the names of space legends: Russell Schweikart, Svetlana Savitskaya, John Bartow, Vitaly Sevastyanov, Walter Cunningham, John Fabian, Georgi Grechko, Taylor Wong, Igor Volk, Scott Carpenter, Nikolay Rukavishnikov and many others. Next to each birch tree is a memorial sign with the name of the person who planted it – a living memory for those who looked down on the Earth from above.

The tradition continues! In 1999, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Georgi Ivanov’s flight, Viktor Savinikh, Alexey Leonov and the head of the Bulgarian space program Dimitar Mishev also added their trees to the alley. Five years later, in 2004, for the 25th anniversary of the historic flight of Soyuz 33, birch trees were planted by more legendary cosmonauts – Vladimir Lyakhov, Gennady Strekalov, Dumitru Prunariu, Bertalan Farkas, Alexander Alexandrov and Talgat Musabayev. At that time, Georgi Ivanov dedicated a tree in memory of the fallen cosmonauts.

Over the years, the Cosmonauts' Alley has grown, and in 2009, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of "Soyuz 33", Valery Ryumin, Elena Kondakova, Anatoly Solovyov and Krasimir Stoyanov joined it. Five years later, in 2014, in honor of the 35th anniversary, new birch trees were planted by Pavel Vinogradov, Miroslav Hermashevsky and Vladimir Remek.

Today, as many as 38 birch trees grow here, turning this place into something more than a memorable alley - it is a place for rest, a walk and inspiration. Look at the signs, feel the spirit of space explorers and imagine how these people, who spent time among the stars, stepped right here, where you are standing now.

And if this alley impressed you, know that it is not the only one! There are similar alleys in Baikonur, the Sea Garden in Varna and on the Hill of Liberators in Plovdiv. But here, in Lovech, it brings its own charm and special energy – like a bridge between space and our planet.

Don’t miss out on feeling the magic of this place!