Destinations

VELIKO TARNOVO

Veliko Tarnovo is a town in Veliko Tarnovo municipality, a center of Veliko Tarnovo municipality and Veliko Tarnovo Region. Till 1965, the name of the city was Tarnovo, which is still the most commonly used way of the name in everyday conversations.

Veliko Tarnovo is among the most visited Bulgarian cities. It is one of the most ancient cities and has a history of more than five thousand years, as the first evidence of life on these lands is from the 3 thousand years B.C. and is found on the Trapezitsa Hill. The old part of the city – the Tsar castle – which is from the time when it was the capital of Bulgaria by the time of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom (1187-1393) is situated on three hills- Tsarevets, Trapezitsa and Sveta Gora.

Part of the territory of Veliko Tarnovo is pronounced a museum preserve with three zones, which comprises as well as the territory of the ArbanasiVillage.

The two main medieval fortresses used to rise on Tsarevets and Trapezitsa. Tsarevets hill is surrounded by the River Yantra from three sides. By the time of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom it was occupied by the tsar`s family, the boyars and the patriarch. It is encircled by a fortified wall, built on natural vertical rocks. The fortress used to have three entrances. The main entrance had a moving bridge above a cut rock and then there were three successive gates, the second – The Small Gate connecting Tsarevets with Asenova Mahala neighbourhood, and the third- Frenkhisar. From all the towers the only one kept till now is the Balduin Tower. In the middle of Tsarevets there is situated the castle which consists of an official hall , St. Petka Church, home and farm buildings , water stores and premises for the guards. It was protected by strong stone walls and battle towers. Tsarevets Hill is pronounced an architectural- museum reserve.

The fortress on Trapezitsa Hill is the second most important after Tsarevets. In the 12^th- 14^th centuries it was called “ The Glorious Town Trapezitsa” . Protected by strong fortress walls , following the rocky wreath of YantraRiver was also built up with dwellings. There were built other seventeen temples. In that fortress was situated the “ St. Ivan Rilski “ Monastery, where in 1194-1195 the relics of the Rila saint were brought, they were stored there almost three thousand years. Exactly from the capital of Asenevtsi , the cult to the Bulgarian national saint goes beyond the range of the kingdom and acquires common Orthodox dimensions.

At the bottom of the hills Tsarevets and Trapezitsa from both sides of the river Yantra , still from the time of the first Asenovtsi , there was a differentiated neighbourhood which is later mentioned in the written resources as a Nov Grad ( New Town) – the nowadays Asenova Mahala Neighbourhood. Its fortification took place in the 13^th century when the capital grew and both hills went down on two additional fortress walls to the river, as thus secured the protection of this part of the medieval town. In Asenova Mahala Neighbourhood there are preserved the churches till now- the St Dimitar Solunski Church , St. Forty Holy Martyrs Church, St. George Church and St.St. Peter and Pavel, which are also cultural monuments and are subject to archeological , historical and art investigation, conservation and restoration.

St. Dimitar Church has a close relation to the Bulgarian history. It is situated beneath the northeast slope of Trapezitsa , on the right bank of Yantra River. By its architectural style it is single-hulled, single-apsidal, cross –domed with front-apsidal space and narthex. The church is connected with an important event from the Bulgarian history- the announcement of the uprising of the two brothers Asen and Peter against the Byzantine rule, revival of the Bulgarian country and pronouncing Tarnovo for its capital. In the first few decades of the revived Bulgarian state it was the Tsar church of Asenevtsi, who was its church-donors. The legend of the brothers uprising lies on the basis of a story told by the Byzantine chronologist Nikita Honiat. The legend says that the two brothers from Tarnovo Asen and Peter proclaimed that the protector of Thessaloniki , the soldier –martyr St. Dimitar had left his town and the famous temple and came to Tarnovo to help the Bulgarian people in their liberation.

During the second half of the 13^th century , for nearly a century the church and the monastery around it were destroyed ( most probably by an earthquake) . Around the 60s of the 14^th century , south from the church was built a single-hulled church. That second church existed up to the 17^th century. The whole yard and the ruined monastery buildings were turned into a big necropolis. Burials there date back to mainly Roman the time of the Ottoman Rule and are mainly Christian.

In the period of the Revival , that church is connected with the tobacco guild. From the wall decorations of the church there are preserved only separate fragments of the altar part. Some parts of the composition Worship of the Sacrifice, Divine Mass, could be recognized as well as other images of saints. There are two pictorial layers noticed there. The first layer is after the middle of the 14^th century , and the second one is from the middle of the 16^th-17^th centuries. Archeological investigations of the church and the monastery complex are executed by a team lead by Associate Professor Ya. Nikolova and M. Robov. A mass architectural restoration of the church takes place in 1977 by a project of architect T. Teofilov. The artistic restoration is done by a team led by B. Dzhivdzhanova.

“St. Forty Holy Martyrs” Church is the most popular medieval Bulgarian monument in Veliko Tarnovo. It was built and decorated by the Bulgarian ruler Ivan Asen II and it was dedicated to the big victory of the Bulgarians at Klokotnitsa in the battle with the army of the Epir despot Sir Teodor Komnin on 22^nd March 1230. In the 13^th -14^th centuries the church was the main one at the monastery “ Velikata Lavra”, which was located at the bottom of Tsarevets on the left bank of Yantra river. It was also a Tsarchurch by the time of Ivan Asen II.

It consists of two parts – a prolonged basilica with six columns, set in two rows, three semispherical apsidal and one narrow narthex from the west, and an attached building , constructed later to the west side of the church. In St. Forty Holy Martyrs church are preserved some of the most significant written memorials –Omurtagova, Asenova and Granichna column from the Rodosto Fortress from the time of Khan Krum. The inscription on the Asenova Column is dedicated to the big victory of the Bulgarians by Klokotnitsa in 1230, which turns Bulgaria into a mighty power on the Balkans. It is written in 13 lines in Bulgarian language. Opposite the Asenova column is the Omurtagova Column, showing up the construction activities of the remarkable ruler. The systematic archeological investigations started in 1969. Extremely large interest provokes the founded in October 1972 Burial of Kaloyan. It is a burial of a man , 1,9 meters tall , with a rich army clothing, decorated with a complex embroidery with an woven golden lace and pearls, there is a preserved golden ring –stamp on his hand , weighing 61,1 gr, with a heraldic image of bars and a negative inscription : “ Kaloyanov`s Ring”. With the same heraldic sign in 1981 was found another stamp – indisputable evidence of the emblem of the Bulgarians at the time of the Asenovtsi.

“St.St. Peter and Pavel “ Church was built around the end of the 13^th or the 14^th century and was additionally built in the 16^th- 17^th century. In the rich internal wall decoration we can differ three stages- from the 14^th century, the 16^th century and the 17^th century. After the fall of the town under the Turks rule the Bulgarian patriarch moved there and the whole patriarch library. Here served for about two years the Bulgarian patriarch Eftimiy Tarnovski , just before he was sent to an exile in 1393. St. George Church is comparatively small and is built on the place of a medieval Bulgarian church. It was destroyed by the Turks in 1612. It has interesting decorations in the spirit of the Tarnovo Art School.

Among the numerous cultural and historic monuments , there are also real architectural masterpieces in the town. They were built by the great Revival architect , the initial master Nikola Fichev ( Usta Kolio Ficheto): the churches “St.St. Konstantin and Helen” ( 1872-1874), “ St. St. Cyril and Methodius” ( 1861), The house with the monkey ( 1849), The Inn of Hadzhi Nikoli ( 1858) and others. Rich and interesting is the historical fate of the Konakat ( today “ Revival and Constituent Assembly “ Museum), built in 1872 by Kolio Ficheto: in 1873 here was captured and questioned the Apostle of the Bulgarian freedom Vasil Levski; after the bloody suppression of the April Uprise in 1876 in this building the Turkish court was in sessions and judged the revolutioners Bacho Kiro, Tsanko Dyustabanov, George Izmriliev, Ekim Tsankov and many others; in 1877 in front of the Konaka the people of Tarnovo greet the Russian liberating armies; in 1879 here reside the Constituent Assembly ( issued the First Bulgarian constitution) and the First Great National Parliament and in1885 it was decided that the Joint between Principality Bulgaria and East Rumelia is to be recognized.

That museum together with the archeological, the church and the ethnographic complexes, “ New History “ Museum and the preserves Tsarevets and Arbanasi are parts of the historical museum in Veliko Tarnovo.

Ethnographic complex Samovodskata Charshiais typical street from the revival period with crafts workshops, small shops and characteristic houses. Samovodska Charshia is created in the 60s – 70s of the 19^th century, when Tarnovo begins to grow westwards from the economic center Bazhdarlak. There are two main crafts and trade streets formed with many crafts and trade shops on them , workshops and inns. One of them starts from a small square , now famous as the Samovodski Pazar. In the years of the Revival period here are the grocer`s , the shoemaker`s , the blacksmith`s and other markets, hadzhi David`s , hadzhi Velikov`s and Atanas Ionoolu`s inns.

One of the typical pictorial streets in the revival town with many restored houses is Gurko Street . The houses are build up next to each other , one above the other and all of them over viewing the river. Gurko Street is a reincorporates romance and beauty – one unique and attractive street.

Sarafkinata House is on of the architecture jewels of Veliko Tarnovo. It is situated on Gurko Street and is a part of the total effect of the Revival town. The house is built in 1861 for the necessities of trader from Tarnovo, known as Dimo Sarafina ( a person who deals with an exchange of money). From its realization we can understand his intentions – the house is very impressive and it was planned to be the home as well as his work place. Before it was completed , however, the owner dies and it was never used by its intentions. The houses is inherited by his wife Anastasia Sarafkata and later it becomes famous as the Sarafkinata House. On the fourth floor there are defined four exhibition halls: “ Crafts”, “ national folklore clothing, textiles and jewels”, “ Ritual objects” and the interior of the Tarnovo revival guest room.

On the 5^th floor there was made an attempt to be presented the history of Veliko Tarnovo through photographs from the region of Veliko Tarnovo, which could be referred to the arts section more than to the crafts.

Other sights of the town are the ArtGallery . House – museum “ Emiliyan Stanev”. The Prison museum ( 1862), where were imprisoned the fighters for national freedom Vasil Levksi, Filip Totyo, Stefan Kardzha, Bacho Kiro; the Asenevtsi Monument ( Bulgarian tsar dynasty from 1185 to 1277), the monuments of Vasil Levski , Patriarch Eftimiy, Velchova zavera, Mother Bulgaria ; Stambolov Bridge.

Especially fascinating for the guests of Veliko Tarnovo is the Audio-visual show “ Sound and Lights” - that is a unique attraction for Europe. Similar kinds of attractions can be seen in not more than three places round the world. Similar show can entertain the visitors of the Egyptian pyramids . Dramatic music, colourful lights, lasers and church bells, gathered in one , tell us the glorious and tragic history of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom ( 1185- 1393). The performance is a unique attraction and is a part of the magic of Tsarevgrad Tarnovo. The first show was in 1985and was dedicated to the 800^th anniversary from the Asenevtsi Uprise . The hundreds colour lights , the three lasers represent moments of the Bulgarian history, the fights against the Ottomans hordes, the years of Ottoman Yoke and the Revolutionary movement and the Liberation.

http://veliko.tarnovo-bg.info/

http://www.veliko-tarnovo.net/english-vijte/

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