Shoumen is Preslav

19 km south of Shoumen is Preslav (pop. 14,000) and a further 2 km south are the ruins of Veliki Preslav. During the reign of Tsar Simeon (893-927) the town was for a short time an important cultural and trade centre. It fell under Byzantine domination from 971-976 and from 1001-1187, In 1388 it was seized by Ottoman invaders and destroyed. It was rebuilt in the 16th-19th century north of the ruins and was called Eski Stamboul (the old capital). So far some 2 000 metres of fortress walls have been discovered.

Most of the remains have been uncovered including north and south gates, towers, palace compound, monasteries, workshops as well as two monasteries, several churches, cottages and other buildings from the 9th-10th century. In 1978 near the ruins of the palace compound, gold treasure was discovered comprising a necklace, rings, etc., the work of local masters.

Ten kilometres east of Shoumen, near the village of Mut- nitsa is the Madara National Historical and Archaeological Reserve with its magnificent bas-relief, cut into the rock of the ancient Madara fortress of a horseman followed by a dog and a lion pierced by a spear. The inscription beneath dates from the reign of Khan Omourtag (816-831). The Madara Horseman is one of four sites in Bulgaria (the Kazanluk Thracian Tomb, Boyana Church and Ivanovo rock churches near Rousse) to be included in UNESCO’s World List.

On the terrace below the relief are ruins of buildings from different eras — palaces, a Proto-Bulgarian heathen shrine (9th century), churches and monasteries from the late Middle Ages. Stairs cut into the rock lead to the Madara plateau and fortress, used until the Ottoman invasions. To the southwest, at the foot of the plateau, are remains of Roman houses and farm buildings.

10 km along the main E-70 road is Kaspichan and 6 km from there the ruins of the first Bulgarian capital of Pliska. The town was founded after the establishment of the Bulgarian state. In 811 it was plundered and burnt by troops of the Byzantine Emperor Nicephorus I. It was restored during the reign of the Bulgarian Khan Omourtag. After Pres lav was declared capital of Bulgaria in 893, Pliska retained its role as a major centre. In 1001 it was again seized by the Byzantines. The town fell into decay after the invasions of the Pechenegs and other tribes.

Pliska

Pliska covered an area of 23 sq km and was planned with a concentric fortification system. The town had two belts of fortifications: a rampart with moat and fortress walls with mo-numental gates and guard towers. Between the two fortification systems were the dwellings of the common people and many churches, while the houses of the boyars, temples and palaces were in the inner town sofia guided tours.

Some 1.5 km from the Eastern gate in the outer town are the ruins of the Great Hasilica. A tomb was discovered here in 1978 containing gold jewellery, probably the work of local masters.

4 km away along E-7Q is the town of Novi Pazar (pop. 17,0) which has glass, porcelain and glazed earthenWare in-dustries. A mediaeval necropolis was unearthed near the town.

Hanski Stan Motel, one star, petrol station.

40 km further on is the Iaige industrial centre ofDevnya (pop. 15,500). Here, during the reign of Emperor Trajanus (98-117) the Roman town of Martianopolis was founded near the Karst springs.

Shoumen is Preslav

19 km south of Shoumen is Preslav (pop. 14,000) and a further 2 km south are the ruins of Veliki Preslav. During the reign of Tsar Simeon (893-927) the town was for a short time an important cultural and trade centre. It fell under Byzantine domination from 971-976 and from 1001-1187, In 1388 it was seized by Ottoman invaders and destroyed. It was rebuilt in the 16th-19th century north of the ruins and was called Eski Stamboul (the old capital). So far some 2 000 metres of fortress walls have been discovered.

Most of the remains have been uncovered including north and south gates, towers, palace compound, monasteries, workshops as well as two monasteries, several churches, cottages and other buildings from the 9th-10th century. In 1978 near the ruins of the palace compound, gold treasure was discovered comprising a necklace, rings, etc., the work of local masters.

Ten kilometres east of Shoumen, near the village of Mut- nitsa is the Madara National Historical and Archaeological Reserve with its magnificent bas-relief, cut into the rock of the ancient Madara fortress of a horseman followed by a dog and a lion pierced by a spear. The inscription beneath dates from the reign of Khan Omourtag (816-831). The Madara Horseman is one of four sites in Bulgaria (the Kazanluk Thracian Tomb, Boyana Church and Ivanovo rock churches near Rousse) to be included in UNESCO’s World List.

On the terrace below the relief are ruins of buildings from different eras — palaces, a Proto-Bulgarian heathen shrine (9th century), churches and monasteries from the late Middle Ages. Stairs cut into the rock lead to the Madara plateau and fortress, used until the Ottoman invasions. To the southwest, at the foot of the plateau, are remains of Roman houses and farm buildings.

10 km along the main E-70 road is Kaspichan and 6 km from there the ruins of the first Bulgarian capital of Pliska. The town was founded after the establishment of the Bulgarian state. In 811 it was plundered and burnt by troops of the Byzantine Emperor Nicephorus I. It was restored during the reign of the Bulgarian Khan Omourtag. After Pres lav was declared capital of Bulgaria in 893, Pliska retained its role as a major centre. In 1001 it was again seized by the Byzantines. The town fell into decay after the invasions of the Pechenegs and other tribes.

Pliska

Pliska covered an area of 23 sq km and was planned with a concentric fortification system. The town had two belts of fortifications: a rampart with moat and fortress walls with mo-numental gates and guard towers. Between the two fortification systems were the dwellings of the common people and many churches, while the houses of the boyars, temples and palaces were in the inner town sofia guided tours.

Some 1.5 km from the Eastern gate in the outer town are the ruins of the Great Hasilica. A tomb was discovered here in 1978 containing gold jewellery, probably the work of local masters.

4 km away along E-7Q is the town of Novi Pazar (pop. 17,0) which has glass, porcelain and glazed earthenWare in-dustries. A mediaeval necropolis was unearthed near the town.

Hanski Stan Motel, one star, petrol station.

40 km further on is the Iaige industrial centre ofDevnya (pop. 15,500). Here, during the reign of Emperor Trajanus (98-117) the Roman town of Martianopolis was founded near the Karst springs.

Before Vama

Some 18 km before Vama, is the Stone Forest — a semidesert area covered with yellow sand and groups of stone columns up to 6-7 m high. They are supposed to have been formed as a result of the action of the wind, water and sand, which eroded the softer rocks, leaving the hardei ones. Recently another group of stone trees was found near the village of Beloslav.

SOFIA – KARLOVO – KAZANLUK – MOUNT SHIPKA – SLIVEN – ROURGAS – SLUNCHEV BRYAG (440 km)

This route runs along one of Bulgaria’s most modem mo-torways, E-772, between the Balkan Range and Sredna Gora mountain towards the sea, crossing the famous Valley of Roses. The road climbs the Sarantsi saddle and Gulubets hill and then descends into Zlatitsa-Pirdop valley to the town of Srednogo- rie (pop. 15,800) which was founded in 1978 by merging the towns of Zlatitsa and Pirdop and has refineries for copper, blue vitriol, rare and white metals. 20 km south is the Pana- gyurski kolonii resort.

Bulgaria’s largest Coppermine (Medet) is nearby.

16 km from Srednogorie a detour leads to Koprivshtitsa (pop. 3,600) situated on both sides of the Topolnitsa River at an altitude of 1,060 m. Every street and every house here is a monument to the heroic past of this region. It was here that the first shot was fired on 20 April 1876 to mark the outbreak of the April Uprising against the Turks. Many historical and architectural monuments from the National Revival period have been preserved. The houses of Koprivshtitsa. are particularly interesting — higti spacious buildings with carved wooden decorations, solid stone walls and heavy wooden gates. The oldest architectural monument is the Pavlikenska House, early 18th century. Other buildings include craftsmen’s writers’and revolutionaries’houses. Koprivshtitsa was the first town liberated by the partisans on 24 March 1944.

Hotels: Koprivshtitsa, one star, tel. 21-18; Barikadite — (18 km southwest, 3 storeys, 30 beds, restaurant, night club and national taverna. Tel. 20-91).

The next stop along the E-772 isKlissoura (pop. 2,000) — a small mountainous town burnt down during the April 1876 Uprising. The village of Rozino follows, famous for its rose gardens and rose-distilleries. Next is Sopot (11,000), buried in greenery and steeped in the romanticism of the National Revival period. The patriarch of Bulgarian literature — Ivan Va- zov (1850-1921) was bom here and his birth place is now a museum of the National Revival Period, The Museum of Ivan Zagoubanski, courier for the underground Iskra newspaper published in Munich. Balkantourist hotel — Stara Planina — 2 stars, accommodating 84, restaurant. Tel.: 21-23 and 21-25.

Karlovo (pop. 26,000) is situated in the centre of the Valley of Roses and is an important transport junction. The town was well-known in Vienna and Egypt during the National Revival period, thanks to its trade with attar of roses and craftsmen’s goods. The revolutionary during liberation from Ottoman domination — Vassil Levski (1837-1873) was bom here and his birth place is now a museum sofia guided tours.

Koprivshtitsa. The monument to GeorgiBenkovski

Balkantourist hotel — Rozova Dolina, accommodating 105; a restaurant. Sofia hotel, a tourist hostel. The next town in the Valley of Roses is Kalofer (pop. 6,000), situated on both banks of the Toundja river, 17 km from Karlovo. It was founded in the 16th century, by refugees after the Ottoman invasion. It developed rapidly probably as a crafts centre. It is the birth place of the poet-revolutionary Hristo Botev (1848 -1876). Roza hotel 2 stars, 2 floors, 50 beds, a tourist hostel.

Further east 39 km from Kalofer is Kazanluk (pop. 58,0) , founded in the 15th century. It was known in the past only as a producer of attar of roses, but today it is an important industrial centre as well.

Before Vama

Some 18 km before Vama, is the Stone Forest — a semidesert area covered with yellow sand and groups of stone columns up to 6-7 m high. They are supposed to have been formed as a result of the action of the wind, water and sand, which eroded the softer rocks, leaving the hardei ones. Recently another group of stone trees was found near the village of Beloslav.

SOFIA – KARLOVO – KAZANLUK – MOUNT SHIPKA – SLIVEN – ROURGAS – SLUNCHEV BRYAG (440 km)

This route runs along one of Bulgaria’s most modem mo-torways, E-772, between the Balkan Range and Sredna Gora mountain towards the sea, crossing the famous Valley of Roses. The road climbs the Sarantsi saddle and Gulubets hill and then descends into Zlatitsa-Pirdop valley to the town of Srednogo- rie (pop. 15,800) which was founded in 1978 by merging the towns of Zlatitsa and Pirdop and has refineries for copper, blue vitriol, rare and white metals. 20 km south is the Pana- gyurski kolonii resort.

Bulgaria’s largest Coppermine (Medet) is nearby.

16 km from Srednogorie a detour leads to Koprivshtitsa (pop. 3,600) situated on both sides of the Topolnitsa River at an altitude of 1,060 m. Every street and every house here is a monument to the heroic past of this region. It was here that the first shot was fired on 20 April 1876 to mark the outbreak of the April Uprising against the Turks. Many historical and architectural monuments from the National Revival period have been preserved. The houses of Koprivshtitsa. are particularly interesting — higti spacious buildings with carved wooden decorations, solid stone walls and heavy wooden gates. The oldest architectural monument is the Pavlikenska House, early 18th century. Other buildings include craftsmen’s writers’and revolutionaries’houses. Koprivshtitsa was the first town liberated by the partisans on 24 March 1944.

Hotels: Koprivshtitsa, one star, tel. 21-18; Barikadite — (18 km southwest, 3 storeys, 30 beds, restaurant, night club and national taverna. Tel. 20-91).

The next stop along the E-772 isKlissoura (pop. 2,000) — a small mountainous town burnt down during the April 1876 Uprising. The village of Rozino follows, famous for its rose gardens and rose-distilleries. Next is Sopot (11,000), buried in greenery and steeped in the romanticism of the National Revival period. The patriarch of Bulgarian literature — Ivan Va- zov (1850-1921) was bom here and his birth place is now a museum of the National Revival Period, The Museum of Ivan Zagoubanski, courier for the underground Iskra newspaper published in Munich. Balkantourist hotel — Stara Planina — 2 stars, accommodating 84, restaurant. Tel.: 21-23 and 21-25.

Karlovo (pop. 26,000) is situated in the centre of the Valley of Roses and is an important transport junction. The town was well-known in Vienna and Egypt during the National Revival period, thanks to its trade with attar of roses and craftsmen’s goods. The revolutionary during liberation from Ottoman domination — Vassil Levski (1837-1873) was bom here and his birth place is now a museum sofia guided tours.

Koprivshtitsa. The monument to GeorgiBenkovski

Balkantourist hotel — Rozova Dolina, accommodating 105; a restaurant. Sofia hotel, a tourist hostel. The next town in the Valley of Roses is Kalofer (pop. 6,000), situated on both banks of the Toundja river, 17 km from Karlovo. It was founded in the 16th century, by refugees after the Ottoman invasion. It developed rapidly probably as a crafts centre. It is the birth place of the poet-revolutionary Hristo Botev (1848 -1876). Roza hotel 2 stars, 2 floors, 50 beds, a tourist hostel.

Further east 39 km from Kalofer is Kazanluk (pop. 58,0) , founded in the 15th century. It was known in the past only as a producer of attar of roses, but today it is an important industrial centre as well.

Thracian settlement

There was once a Thracian settlement here which the Romans made into a fortress called Abritus. During Ottoman domination the town was a major crafts, trade and administrative centre. A monastic school was opened here in the 17th century, followed by a class school in 1812 and a girl’s school in 1848. The library club was founded in 1869. The town was liberated from Ottoman domination in 1878 by Russian troops, under Prince Dondukov-Korsakov.

The town then developed as the centre of a rich agricultural region, with craft and trade but poorly developed industry. Under socialism, Razgrad has quickly become an industrial , administrative and cultural centre with the glass and porcelain works being one of the largest in Europe.

The town has a theatre, district history museum, and various specialised schools.

Hotels: Razgrad, 3 stars, 20 floors, 16 suites, 21 single and 104 double rooms, restaurant, night club, coffee-shop, hairdresser’s, post office, information bureau.

Abritus, accommodating 140, 33 Beli Lom Blvd., tel. 27-06, Republika Restaurant.

Balkantounst bureau, 29 lenin Blvd., Tel,: 26-37

Union of Bulgarian Motorists, 3 Nozharska St.

Tourist attractions:

The ruins of the Roman fortress town of Abntus, discovered in 1953, the town was surrounded by a fortress wall 1215 m high and up to 3 m wide, with four gates. Near the eastern gate there is a 3rd-century building with 23 rooms which was probably the house of a rich landowner sofia guided tours.

The town was captured by the Goths in 251 and in the 6th century it was destroyed by the invading Avars and Slavs.

Tounst attractions:

Ibrahim Pasha Mosque, 1614;

The clock tower, 1864;

Kovanluka Park some 8 km southw’est of the town with ponds, sports grounds, a hotel-restaurant and a national taverna ‘Kolibite’.

During excavations in 1982, under a mound neai the village of Sveshtari, some 6 km northwest of Isperih in the Razgrad district, archaeologists discovered a 3rd century B.C. Thracian tomb. In ancient times this part of Bulgaria was inhabited by the Thracian tribe of the Getae. The tomb has a corridor leading to it and its walls, like the tomb itself, are made of large, well-cut slabs. The entrance is lined with rectangular columns with capitals decorated in red and blue rosetts. Above the columns is a frieze decorated with rosettes and garlands. The tomb proper consists of three chambers united by a semi-cylindrical vault.

The central chamber is decorated with a frieze depicting three female figures in high relief, dressed in long sleeveless robes tied with belts. Their hands are raised as if to support the frieze and they are in the style of the Cariatides in Athens. Another scene is of a goddess offering a wreath to a horseman. This is in black and white and is unique. There are two stone beds in the chamber, probably intended for a Thracian ruler and his wife. The tomb had already been plundered hundreds of years ago — there are traces of extensive damage in the three rooms: broken door slabs, ar-chitectural details, human and animal bones. Investigations continue.

Thracian settlement

There was once a Thracian settlement here which the Romans made into a fortress called Abritus. During Ottoman domination the town was a major crafts, trade and administrative centre. A monastic school was opened here in the 17th century, followed by a class school in 1812 and a girl’s school in 1848. The library club was founded in 1869. The town was liberated from Ottoman domination in 1878 by Russian troops, under Prince Dondukov-Korsakov.

The town then developed as the centre of a rich agricultural region, with craft and trade but poorly developed industry. Under socialism, Razgrad has quickly become an industrial , administrative and cultural centre with the glass and porcelain works being one of the largest in Europe.

The town has a theatre, district history museum, and various specialised schools.

Hotels: Razgrad, 3 stars, 20 floors, 16 suites, 21 single and 104 double rooms, restaurant, night club, coffee-shop, hairdresser’s, post office, information bureau.

Abritus, accommodating 140, 33 Beli Lom Blvd., tel. 27-06, Republika Restaurant.

Balkantounst bureau, 29 lenin Blvd., Tel,: 26-37

Union of Bulgarian Motorists, 3 Nozharska St.

Tourist attractions:

The ruins of the Roman fortress town of Abntus, discovered in 1953, the town was surrounded by a fortress wall 1215 m high and up to 3 m wide, with four gates. Near the eastern gate there is a 3rd-century building with 23 rooms which was probably the house of a rich landowner sofia guided tours.

The town was captured by the Goths in 251 and in the 6th century it was destroyed by the invading Avars and Slavs.

Tounst attractions:

Ibrahim Pasha Mosque, 1614;

The clock tower, 1864;

Kovanluka Park some 8 km southw’est of the town with ponds, sports grounds, a hotel-restaurant and a national taverna ‘Kolibite’.

During excavations in 1982, under a mound neai the village of Sveshtari, some 6 km northwest of Isperih in the Razgrad district, archaeologists discovered a 3rd century B.C. Thracian tomb. In ancient times this part of Bulgaria was inhabited by the Thracian tribe of the Getae. The tomb has a corridor leading to it and its walls, like the tomb itself, are made of large, well-cut slabs. The entrance is lined with rectangular columns with capitals decorated in red and blue rosetts. Above the columns is a frieze decorated with rosettes and garlands. The tomb proper consists of three chambers united by a semi-cylindrical vault.

The central chamber is decorated with a frieze depicting three female figures in high relief, dressed in long sleeveless robes tied with belts. Their hands are raised as if to support the frieze and they are in the style of the Cariatides in Athens. Another scene is of a goddess offering a wreath to a horseman. This is in black and white and is unique. There are two stone beds in the chamber, probably intended for a Thracian ruler and his wife. The tomb had already been plundered hundreds of years ago — there are traces of extensive damage in the three rooms: broken door slabs, ar-chitectural details, human and animal bones. Investigations continue.

Kiril and Metodii

Hotels: Miziya, 1 star, 3 storeys, 140 beds, restaurant, night club and coffee shop. Tel. 25-33. Balkan and Moskva — Gladston St. Balkan tourist Office — tel. 25-33.

Bulgarian Motorists’ Union — 1 Kiril and Metodii St., tel. 40-14; car repair shop — tel. 46-03.

From Turgovishte take the road for Shoutnen (pop. 94,500) — large administrative, industrial and cultural centre. The Romans built a strong fortress here on the ruins of a fortified Thracian settlement. In the 6th-7th century it was captured by the Slavs. During the First Bulgarian State the fortress was part of the fortified quadrangle Pliska-Madara-Shou- men fortress — Khan Omourtag’s settlement on the River Ticha. It was also an important point during the Second Bulgarian State. In 1388 the town yielded to Ottoman invaders and in 1444 was seized by the troops of Wladyslaw III Yagelo (Var- nenchik). After his defeat at Varna, the Ottomans retrieved the fortress abandoning it later because it was heavily damaged. In the 18th and 19th centunes German, French and Belgian engineers helped turn Shoumen once more into a strong fortress, this time it formed part of the fortified quadrangle Rous- se-Silistra-Shoumen-Varna.

During the National Revival, Shoumen was a centre for Bulgarian national culture, influenced by Austro-Hungary. One of these emigrants was Lajos Kossuth who became a leader of the revolution. The first Bulgarian orchestra was founded in 1851, and the Bulgarian national theatre was founded in 1856,

Today Shoumen is one of the country’s biggest industrial centres.

Tourist sights:

District History Museum, 10 d. Blagoev St. The exhibition is arranged in several buildings.

Tombul Mosque — the largest in the country, preserved from Ottoman times, built with material from the old Bulgarian capitals of Pliska and Veliki Preslav, Madara and the Shoumen fortress. The courtyard of the mosque housed a Turkish primary school, a theological school and a library. There is an ethnographic exhibition in the school.

lt 300 Years of Bulgaria Memorial — stands on Ilchov Bair hill.

Vassil Kolarov Museum, 11 T. Ikonomov St.

Lajos Kossuth Museum, where he lived in 1849-1850.

The Common Grave with a monument to those who fell against capitalism and fascism sofia guided tours.

Hotels: Madara — 3 stars, 7 floors, accommodating 140, restaurant, coffee shop, national taverna, information and rent-a-car offices. Tel. 5-75-98.

Sofia — 37 Tsar Osvoboditei St.

Balkantourist office, hotel Madara, tel. 5-75-98

Car-repair shop, 14 Gagarin St., tel. 5-20-84

Shoumen-Razgrad (49 km)

A short detour northwest leads to (pop. 55,000).

Yantra Railway Station Square

Yantra, Railway Station Square, tel.: 2-48-12 and 2-53-72, two stars, 320 beds, restaurant.

Bouzloudja, Palaouzovo quarter, accommodating 160.

The Inn, 15 Opulchenska St., national tavema.

The Mogdyov compound, May 1st square, restaurant 90, national tavema, 1 Aprilovska Street.

A Rest and Tourism bureau — 2 Opulchenska St.

An open-air museum is 8 km south of Gabrovo, bearing the old name of the river Yantra — Etura, It is an architectural- ethnographic compound, with several workshops which are now an ethnographic rarity. 26 crafts which flourished in Gabrovo during the National Revival are exhibited, and many are originals. There is a two-storeyed Bulgarian house from the Na-

tional Revival Period built in the architectural style typical of the region. The interior design is executed in the folk style of the last century. There is a national tavema on the ground floor. On the right bank of the Sivak River (Yantra’s left tributary) there is a workshop for making knives, the mill, a woodturning lathe for plates and small bowls, a tower, a saw mill.

4 km from the Etura perched on a rock is the Gabrovo (also known as Sokol) monastery, It was founded in 1833, The church with its frescoes (1834) is of particular interest and also the old fountain.

There is a hotel nearby accommodating 50, and a hotel- restaurant sofia guided tours.

VELIK0 TURNOVO – OMOURTAG – TURGOVISHTE – SHOUMEN – PRESLAV – MADARA – NOVI PAZAR – VARNA (240 km)

From Veliko lumovo to the Black Sea coast at Varna, passing through Antonovo (pop. 2,000) — which was important centre during 1943-1944, when the Omourtag partisan detachment operated in this area. Late in 1943 the fascists sent troops, police units and gendarmerie who terrorised the population. 25 km east, along E-771 is Omourtag (pop, 10,200t, founded in the 16th century, the town is now an industrial and agricultural centre.

Our next stop is Turgovishte (pop. 46,000), on the river Vrana. This town was founded during Ottoman rule. In those times it was known as a large fair centre called Eski Djoumaya.

Southeast of the town is a large park with pond and restaurant. A museum has been set up in the old secondary school; the poet and public figure Petko Slaveikov taught here.

Bulgaria’s prettiest towns

We now head for one of Bulgaria’s prettiest towns, Gabrovo (pop. 80,000), situated in the mountains in the narrow valley of the Yantra. The town was founded in the 14th century. Legend says that after Bozhena founded the village of Bozhentsi, her son Racho settled on the banks of the Yantra and built himself a smity near an ancient tree, and later the town was named after that tree. During Ottoman rule many crafts developed such as homespun and furriery. Gabrovo was famous in the Ottoman Empire for craft.

The town flourished in the 19th century, with the innovation of the water wheel from Transylvannia. Woollen braid, homespun articles, rugs, wood and iron articles were manufactured which found a market beyond the boundaries of the Ottoman Empire. The economic rise boosted the town’s cultural development and a monastery school was founded in 1825, and in 1835 the first new Bulgarian secular school was set up with the assistance of merchants from Gabrovo, who lived in Odessa. The citizens of Gabrovo took an active part in the rebellions and uprisings of the 19th century as well as in the Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878) defending Mount Shipka. The Gabrovo population were most active in the war against fascism and capitalism. Partisans from the Gabrovo-Sevlievo detachment fought fierce battles against the police and gendarmerie on Mount Bouzloudja and near the village of Balvan.

After the socialist victory. Gabrovo developed by leaps and bounds. Old industrial enterprises were modernised and new branches established.

The town has a theatre, children’s art school, district museum, library, art gallery, summer theatre, theatre of Humour and Satire — a festival of humour and satire is held here bi-annually in May. An international biennial of cartoons is also held attended by guests from Aberdeen and many other coum tries.

A technological institute was opened in 1964, in addition to pedagogical institute, technical colleges and secondary schools.

Monuments and sights

The District History Museum, 7 Balvan St.

The Aprilov Grammar School founded 1872 where many prominent Bulgarians studied sofia sightseeing.

The clock tower in May 1st Square, built in 1835.

A group of houses from National Revival times in Opulchenska St.

Church of Virgin Mary, with its remarkable iconostasis.

In front of the Aprilov Grammar school is the Vassil Aprilov Monument built in 1935 to mark the centenary of the opening of the first Bulgarian secular school.

The monument to Racho the Blacksmith stands on a rock in the middle of the Yantra.

The Ossuary in the new part of the town is a compound of sculptural figures, a sacrificial altar, a rostrum and memorial plaques with the names of fallen partisans from 1923-1944.

Mitko Palaouzov Monument built near the school where the young partisan studied.

Hotels: Balkan, 14 Emanouil Manolov St., tel. 2-19-11, two stars, accommodating 415, restaurant, three banqueting halls, coffee shop, day bar.

Nowadays Veliko Tumovo

Nowadays Veliko Tumovo is one of Bulgaria’s university towns with many secondary and special schools, a theatre, an art gallery and museums.

Major historical monuments and tourist sites

Tsarevets — a fortified hill, towering over the Yantra fortress wall, the defence towers, Patriarch’s residence and As- sension Church and palace.

District History Museum

District History Museum is the country’s second largest. Displayed here are many monuments of Thracian, Roman, Byzantine, Slavonic and Bulgarian cultures.

Holy Martyrs Church (1230) with its famous stone columns with inscriptions by Khan Omourtag and Tsar Ivan As- sen III.

Church of St Dimiter is at the foot of the Trapezitsahiil.

It was in this church that Peter and Assen declared the 1185 Uprising against Byzantine domination.

Church of Saints Peter and Paul, built and painted in the 14th century.

The National Revival Museum in the Nikoli Inn.

Old Gurko Street is a typical Turnovo street. Most of the houses here were built during Ottoman rule. Of particular interest are Granny Mata’s house and Sarafka’s house.

Monuments; Velcho Conspiracy monument, erected in 1935 to commemorate the centenary of the uprising; Vassil Levskimonument; to those who died in the wars of 1885, 1912-1913 and 1915-1918.

Hotels: Veliko Turnovo, 2 Emil Popov St., 195 rooms, restaurant, day bar and night club cafe, free shop, hairdresser’s, indoor swimming pool, rent-a-car bureau. Tel. 3-05-71 sofia sightseeing. Etur, 4 Ivailo St., 7 floors, two stars, 12 suites, 128 beds; restaurant, night club, hairdresser’s, rent-a-car and information office. Tel. 2-68-51, Yantra, 1 Velchova Zavera St., two stars, 4 floors, 2 suites and 105 beds, restaurant, night club, cafe, information and rent-a-car office. Tel. 2-03-91.

Union of Bulgarian Motorists — 6 Tolbukhin St. Tel.: 2-14-69.

Some 50 km from Vehko Turnovo along E-85 is the pictu-resque town of Gabrovo. On the way is Dryanovo (pop. 11,0), situated on the banks of River Dryanovo. In the Middle Ages there was a Bulgarian fortress built on the plateau over the Dryanovo Monastery. In the Tryavna Pass in 1190 Peter and Assen defeated troops of the Byzantine Emperor Isaak Angel II and laid the foundations of the Second Bulgarian State. The mins of the Roman Diskoduraterra fortress are 7-8 km to the northeast. The town was most prosperous during the National Revival. It is the birth place of the great Bulgarian builder and architect, Master Kolyu Ficheto.

Tourist sights: The Kolyu Ficheto Museum — an original house built in traditional Bulgarian national style. Church of St Nikola was built by Kolyu Ficheto in 1851, The Lafchiev house 1840, is a masterpiece of National Revival architecture.