Devetashka Cave

The Devetashka cave is located 18 kilometers northeast of Lovech and 2 kilometers of the village of Devetaki.

The cave is also known as Maarata or Oknata for its seven different-sized holes in the ceiling, through which sunlight penetrates and illuminates the central hall and part of its two fields.

In the beginning of the 1950s, serious explorations of the cave were held, concerning its transformation into a warehouse. The studies showed that the Devetashka cave used to be inhabited (with some interruptions) during almost every historical era.

The earliest traces of human presence date back to the middle of the Early Stone Age before about 70,000 years BC. The Devetashka cave is among the cave deposits with the richest cultural artifacts from the Neolithic (6^thmillennium – 4^{t h} millennium BC).

The entrance of the cave is 35 meters wide and 30 meters high. About 40 meters after the entrance, the cave widens, forming a spacious hall with an area of 2,400 square meters. The height of the hall is 60 meters; at some places it reaches 100 meters.

About 200 meters of the entrance, the two fields separate from the hall. The left one is more than 2 kilometers long, a small river runs along it, which passes through the main hall and flows into the Osam river. The right field is warm and dry. Its entrance is 2.5 meters high and 5.7 meters wide.

The field widens after the entrance and forms a rectangular hall – 50 meters long and 10-15 meters wide. This field ends with a small gallery with a round room, also known as the Altar.

The cave was declared a natural landmark by order No RD 238/ 7 June 1996.