The old capital

Veliko Tarnovo is not the oldest Bulgarian town, but no doubt, according to foreigners’ and Bulgarians’ confessions it is the most Bulgarian town! He is the old capital of Bulgaria. Town, whose spirit represents Bulgaria and its deep roots and its way to the future. Seven thousand year of history have been stored within the hills, embraced by the magnificent meanders of the Yantra River.The preserved remains of the fortresses, palaces, and churches are speechless witnesses of the acme of the Bulgarian culture in XII-XIV century. Here every stone speaks of the heroic path of the Bulgarian people during the centuries – of the liberating revolt in 1185 against Byzantium, of the famous battle at Adrianopol in 1205 and the capture of the emperor of the Latin Empire Baldwin of Flander, of the glorious victory at Klokotnitsa, of the official entering of the victor Ivailo in Veliko Tarnovo in 1278. Every stone of Tsarevets and Trapezitsa reminds of the epic battles for defending the capital and the Bulgarian state in 1393 from the Ottoman conquerors. The ruins are evidence of the brutal attitude to the defenders and the barbaric devastation of the cultural monuments by the oppressors.

Veliko Tarnovo is a town which grabs the visitor at the first sight with its unique location as if it has been dumped on the steep hills by the fantastic curves of Yantra decorated by the lace rock wreath. It arouses rapture and enchants every visitor mostly with its houses – light, perching one over another, huddled together, as if the nature has defined for every house a definite place and form. This is a town that impresses and influences with its original, unique, and specific Renaissance culture. It gives a unique impression that is incomparable to anything.

For poets, scientists, and travelers Veliko Tarnovo is a place where nature was extremely generous and did not spare forms and hues. Here there are masterpieces of Kolyo Ficheto from the time of the Bulgarian Renaissance.

Today every visitor in Veliko Tarnovo remains enchanted by the beauty and grandeur of the town, by its landmarks, by the atmosphere that combines past and present and turns Tarnovo in an attractive place. A place where one can see cobblestone streets and modern transport centers, scenic old houses and modern buildings, young students having fun and old women sitting and chatting in the evening on Gurko Street.

Veliko Tarnovo becomes more and more attractive town for tourists from Bulgaria and abroad and also for a significant number of investors who find in Tarnovo their necessary resources and infrastructure. With every year the tendency for the town to turn in one of the most visited towns in Southern Europe increases. This will additionally contribute for its turning into a real European town – a town opened to the future and the innovations but retained its individuality and history.