21 Chitalishtna Str., Veliko Tarnovo
BG
Tsarevets Fortress
Meeting with the past of Bulgaria and
its great tsars
Tsarevets Architectural and Museum Reserve is one of the most significant medieval cultural monuments not only in Veliko Turnovo, but throughout Bulgaria. The fortress is located on the hills of Tsarevets, Trapezitsa, Momina fortress and Sveta Gora. In the central part is the palace complex, at the southeastern end is the Baldwin Tower, and the Patriarchal Church on the top. Among the rulers, who ran the state from Tsarevets, are the tsars Asen I, Petar IV, Kaloyan, Ivan Asen II, Ivan Aleksandar, Ivan Shishman. A unique attraction is аthe audio-visual performance “Sound and Light”, which through hundreds of colored lights, music, sound of bells and lasers presents moments of the Bulgarian history.
Churches and Monasteries
Veliko Tarnovo – the center of spiritual and cultural life of the Bulgarian state
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The Asenevtsi Monument
The Assenevtsi monument is also known as “The Horsemen” and is dedicated to the four Bulgarian tsars Asen, Petar, Kaloyan and Ivan Asen II. It was opened in 1985 on the occasion of the 800th anniversary of the brothers Asen and Peter’s uprising and the proclamation of Turnovo as the capital of the Second Bulgarian State. The magnificent monument is impressive in size and is located on a picturesque spot near the Stambolov Bridge, at the foot of Sveta Gora, by the Yantra River.
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Holy Forty Martyrs Church
The emblematic Holy Forty Martyrs Church is the most famous medieval Bulgarian monument in Veliko Turnovo. It is located at the foot of Tsarevets Fortress. It was built by the Bulgarian ruler Ivan Asen II in honor of the great victory of the Bulgarians at Klokotnitsa over the troops of the despot of Epirus Theodore Komnenos. The tombs of one of the greatest Bulgarian tsars, Kaloyan, Ivan Assen II and his wife Ana-Maria, are located in the church.
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The cathedral temple
The cathedral church “St. Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary” is located in the Bolyarska neighborhood on a small square in the old part of Veliko Tarnovo. It was built on the old church “The Nativity of Virgin Mary”, a work of Kolyu Ficheto. At the site of the church that was destroyed by an earthquake, a new temple was erected, with the same facade built by Grandfather Grozyu in 1933 – 1934. The cathedral is one of the most magnificent buildings in the old Bulgarian capital.
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Preobrazhenski Monastery
The Preobrazhenski Monastery is the largest of the monasteries located around Veliko Tarnovo and the 4th largest in Bulgaria. It was founded during the Second Bulgarian State in the 13th–14th centuries. The main part of the buildings were built by Master Kolyu Ficheto. The walls of the main Church of the Transfiguration are painted by the great Zachari Zograf. The monastery is active, male. It is located about 7 kilometers from Veliko Turnovo on the road to Samovodene.
Mini Bulgaria Park
Mini Bulgaria Park “Turnovgrad – The Spirit of Millennial Bulgaria” is the first park with models of historical and natural landmarks in Bulgaria. It is located at the foot of Tsarevets Fortress, just below the Baldwin’s Tower. The area of the park is 12.5 decares and presents the models of the most famous landmarks in Bulgaria. They include St. Alexander Nevski Monument Temple, the National Theater “Ivan Vazov”, Rila Monastery, Bachkovo Monastery, the Great Basilica in Pliska, the Ancient Theater in Plovdiv, the fortresses and palaces of Bulgaria, and many others.
Museum
Cultural and historical and architectural heritage of the old capital
The museum work in Veliko Turnovo has an extremely rich 140-year history. The rich historical past of the Veliko Turnovo region has left behind a large number of architectural and museum sites and exhibits representing different historical epochs from the Roman and early Byzantine periods, medieval Bulgaria, Bulgarian Revival, to post-liberation history and modern times. In the city and the surrounding area you can visit the house-museum “Petko R. Slaveykov”, Sarafkina House Museum, Nativity of Christ Temple – Arbanassi, Arbanassi Architectural and Museum Reserve, Nikopolis ad Istrum Archaeological Reserve, and many others.
- - The Prison Museum
- - Archaeological Museum
- - Art Gallery
- - The Museum of New and Recent History
- - Emilian Stanev House-Museum
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National Revival and Constituent Assembly Museum
The National Revival and Constituent Assembly Museum is located in the northern part of Saedinenie Square in Veliko Tarnovo. The exposition is located in the old Turkish Konak building. This architectural monument was built in 1872 by the great builder of the Bulgarian national revival Master Kolyu Ficheto. The exposition of objects and documents is spread over three floors.
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Wax Museum
The Wax Museum is located near Tsarevets Hill. The exhibition features 29 sculptural figures of tsars, boyars, clergymen and craftsmen spread over two floors. Live pictures of life in medieval Bulgarian society, and most of all the grandeur of Turnovgrad during the reign of the Asenevtsi dynasty, have been recreated.