The old capital of Bulgaria

The Medieval Town of Tarnovo was the old capital of Bulgaria during the 12th - 14th cc. period and included the castles situated on the Tsarevets, the Trapezitza, the Momina Krepost and the Sveta Gora Hills and the downtown Hill. The two main architectural complexes are in the centre - the King’s town, called the New Town (the present Assenov Quarter) was built in the 13th c. along the two b...

The old capital through the ages

Veliko Tarnovo is one of the most ancient Bulgarian towns. The picturesque situation and panoramic view of the town, its centuries-old history and culture, its rich cultural and historical heritage wins Veliko Tarnovo the recognition as a historical, cultural and tourist centre of contemporary Bulgaria. The town was founded at the foot of the Northern Fore-Balkan Range. Historians date it back to...

Bishop's bridge

In the old part of Veliko Tarnovo, in Dolna mahala where Yantra passes between the hills Tsarevets and Trapezitsa the bishop’s bridge connects the two banks of the river, as in the old times, and unites the valuable cultural monuments in the region. It was built during 1856 in the place of an old medieval bridge from the time of the brothers Asen and Peter. The road from the main entrance of...

Veliko Tarnovo in 1871 - memories of a traveller

During my first visitation in Tarnovo in 1871 the Turkish mjutesarif(governor) sent me quickly a zaptie-chaush(a Turkish soldier) to escort myself during my walks in the Turkish district because it was quite of dangerous place. Naturally I visited Haidar bei. The Tarnovo’s streets ascend and descend up and down; that’s why it was in vain to search some car to rent it. Setting out on fo...

Veliko Tarnovo in the past

The panorama of Tarnovo - there are Tzarevetz, picturesque walls, towers, mosques, minarets, churches, cupolas, bridges, gardens, rocks and the river Yantra. In the West  on the steep left river bank was located the Cristian quarter. There were built houses, shops, inns - pressed one to each other in a very narrow streets(the so called “cobblestone pavement”). It’s hard to...

The Railway Bridge

Nestling in the pretty nature of the old capital Veliko Tarnovo, as if hiding from human eyes, covered up from one side by the monumental building of the city art gallery and from the other side by Trapezitsa hill, one of the two railway bridges is proudly hanging over Yantra. It’s two ends covered by exuberant vegetation, the bridge seems to start from nowhere and leads to nowhere as if bui...