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Veliko Turnovo – Unique Vacation Experience in Bulgaria

Veliko Turnovo is located in central Bulgaria, in the foothills of the Balkans. It stretches over the historic hills of Tsarevets, Trapezitsa and Sveta Gora, towering over the wide bends of the Iantra River. The city is over 7000 years old. Veliko Tarnovo impresses with its original Renaissance architecture: old houses, situated one on top of the other, towers, splendid museums and monasteries with icon paintings that attract tourists from all over the world. Capital of the Second Kingdom of Bulgaria, Turnovo offers some of the most abundant and important cultural and historical attractions in Bulgaria. It also offers a lively and modern nightlife and nature with great opportunities for sports and relaxation.

Veliko Tarnovo has a rich historical past. The first clues about life date back to the third millennium BC. The first inhabitants were the Thracians and their settlement existed until the end of the Bronze Age. The next inhabitants were the Byzantines. A large Slavic settlement stood here during the 8th century BC. The old Bulgarian settlement appeared during the 9th century. and during X c. the Tsarevets, Trapezitsa and Sveta Gora hills were already richly populated. Brothers Asen and Peter successfully organized a revolt against Byzantine rule in 1187 and declared Veliko Tarnovo the capital of Bulgaria. Turnovo grew into a well-fortified city and an important political, administrative, economic, and cultural center in Europe for the next 200 years. Contemporaries referred to it as “The Second Constantinople” and “The Third Rome”.

The most important vestige of these times is the Tsarevets archaeological reserve, a restored fortress that surrounds the Tsarvets hill. One of the main attractions of the fortress are the Baldwin Towers where the Latin Emperor Baldwin was captured and imprisoned during the crusade in the early 13th century. The Palace of the Bulgarian Tsars was a self-contained fortress with the fabulous Throne Room and St. Petka Palace Church. The Bulgarian Patriarchate was located at the highest point of the fortress. In recent years, the fortress has received more acclaim with the “Lights and Sound” show, a program that combines light and sound effects to reproduce the history of the ancient Bulgarian capital.

Venturing beyond the fortress walls, one enters a preserved historic neighborhood with narrow, winding cobblestones lined with artisan shops, cafes, restaurants, and boutique hotels. You can admire the many Renaissance houses completely renovated in a typical Bulgarian style, interspersed with ruins and ancient churches. Gurko Street and the Samovodska Charshia ethnographic complex reveal a wide variety of Renaissance houses that appear to have landed on top of each other, with unobstructed views over the Iantra River. The Sarafkina house, built in 1861, is a particularly beautiful specimen.

There is also plenty to do in and around Veliko Turnovo, including fourteen monasteries built during the Second Bulgarian Kingdom in the 12th-14th centuries. Many of them were destroyed during the Ottoman rule and were renovated by the self-taught Bulgarian architect and builder Kolio Ficheto and painted on the wall by Zohari Zograf during the 19th century. One of the largest is the Preobrajenski monastery which was founded in the time of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom during the 13th – 14th centuries c. by Queen Sara, wife of Tsar Ivan Alexander. It had an important role for the spiritual life of the capital. It is situated 6 km from Veliko Tarnovo in a beautiful area with vertical rocks in the canyon-shaped gorge of the river Iantra.

Turnovo has a lot to offer for people interested in history and architecture, but it is also a very vibrant and energetic city with long pedestrian areas, restaurants, shops and cafes. It is a favorite destination for Bulgarians of all ages and interests, as well as international tourists.

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