Veliko Turnovo: the Old Capital of Bulgaria
Turnovo is positioned centrally in Bulgaria, close to the Stara Planina mountains and the river Dunav. It is spread over the historical hills of Tsarevets, Trapezitsa and Sveta Gora, towering over the wide curves of the Iantra river. The age of the city is about 7 thousand years. Veliko Tarnovo impresses with its original renaissance architecture – antique houses, the unique Veliko Turnovo hotels, situated one above another, towers, splendid museums, and monasteries with icon-paintings that attract tourists from all over the world. Capital of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom, Turnovo offers some of the most abundant and important cultural and historic attractions in Bulgaria. It also offers lively modern night life and nature with great opportunities for sports and rest.
Veliko Turnovo (?????? ??????? ?????? in Bulgarian) has a rich historical past. According to archeological discoveries, life in that area seems to have began around 3 thousand years ago.c. The original settlers in these parts were the Thracians who populated the area until about the end of the Bronze age. The next inhabitants were the Byzantines. A big Slav settlement was situated here during the VIII a.c. The Old-Bulgarian settlement appeared during the IX c. and during the X c. the hills Tsarevets, Trapezitsa and Sveta Gora were already richly populated. The brothers Asen and Peter organized successfully a revolt against Byzantine rule in 1187 and declared Veliko Tarnovo the capital of Bulgaria. Veliko Turnovo was an important stronghold and a cultural center for the following two centuries. The contemporaries referred to it as the The Second Constantinople and The Third Rome.
The most important remnant of these times is the archaeological preserve Tsarevets, a restored fortress that surrounds the hill Tsarvets. One of the main attractions of the fortress is the Baldwin towers where the Latin Emperor Baldwin was captured and locked during the crusade in the early 1200’s. The palace of the Bulgarian tsars was a self-contained fortress with the fabulous Throne Hall and the palace church St. Petka. The Bulgarian patriarchate was situated on the highest place within the fortress. In recent years, the fortress has received further acclaim with a “Lights and Sound” show – a program that combines sound and light effects to reproduce the history of the old Bulgarian capital.
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