The Big Drinking Fountain - town of Samokov

The Big Drinking Fountain has long become an emblem and symbol of the town of Samokov. It was erected around 1660 on the square in the so-called Gorna Charshia and for 4 centuries it has dominated the city centre and is a complete public building in the Ottoman imperial style, typical of the capital's architecture. In the 19th century, the Big Drinking Fountain, one of the 70 public fountains in the town, was one of the landmarks of Samokov that impressed Konstantin Ireček, who defined the architecture of this now old stone fountain with a Mauritanian style. The Big Drinking Fountain has been declared a cultural monument of "national importance", and its silhouette occupies a central place in coat of arms of Samokov.