Veliko Tarnovo (, sometimes transliterated as
Veliko Turnovo) is
a city in north central Bulgaria and the administrative centre of
Veliko Tarnovo Province. Often referred to as the "
City of the Tsars", Veliko Turnovo is located on the
Yantra River and is famous as the historical capital of the
Second Bulgarian Empire, attracting many tourists with its unique architecture.
The old city is situated on three hills,
Tsarevets, Trapezitsa and Sveta Gora raising amidst the meanders of the Yantra. Tsarevets housed the palaces of the Bulgarian Emperors and the Patriarchate, as well as a number of administrative and residential edifices surrounded by thick walls. Trapezitsa was known for its many churches and as the main residence of the nobility. In the Middle Ages it was among the main
European centres of culture and gave its name to the Tarnovo Artistic School of
architecture,
painting and literature.
Veliko Tarnovo is an important administrative, economic, educational and cultural centre of
Northern Bulgaria.
In present days, Veliko Tarnovo's population grew really quick, speccialy in the past 5-6 year. Today (according to unofficial sources), the population is around 105 000 inhabitans, this not include the Metro Area(In American style-which is 30-40 miles radius of circle around the city), which is going to be more then 250 000 inhabitans. Largest neighberhood is called "Pishmana". It was build during the communist era in the begining of the 70's, type block apartments or so called "projects".Today's population is around 40 000. Interesting fact is that neighberhood is build on really small area and the number: people per square mile are enormous.
History
Prehistory and Antiquity
Map of medieval Tarnovo
Veliko Tarnovo is one of the oldest settlements in Bulgaria, having a history of more than 5 millennia, as the first traces of human presence dating from the
3rd millennium BC are on
Trapezitsa Hill.
Middle Ages
Veliko Tarnovo grew quickly to become the strongest Bulgarian fortification of the
Middle Ages between the 12th and 14th century and the most important political, economic, cultural and religious centre of the empire. The city was described by Bulgarian cleric
Gregory Tsamblak in the 14th century as "a very large city, handsome and surrounded by walls with 12,000 to 15,000 inhabitants".
In the 14th century as the
Byzantine Empire weakened, Tarnovo claimed to be the
Third Rome based on its preeminent cultural influence in the
Balkans and the
Slavic Orthodox world.
As the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire, Tarnovo was a quasi-cosmopolitan city, with many foreign merchants and envoys. It is known that Tarnovo had
Armenian,
Jewish and
Roman Catholic ("Frankish") merchant quarters besides a dominant Bulgarian population. The discovery of three
Gothic statuette heads indicates there may have also been a Catholic church.
Ottoman rule
View over Veliko Tarnovo and the surrounding area in the morning
Kolyu Ficheto's imposing Cathedral of the Birth of the Theotokos, completed 1844 and reconstructed 1913
The city flourished and grew for 200 years. Тhe political upsurge and spiritual development were discontinued in 1393 on
17 July, when after vigorous resistance to a 3-month siege Veliko Tarnovo was seized and the whole Bulgarian Empire was destroyed by the invader the
Ottoman Empire. Medieval Bulgaria's towns and villages, monasteries and churches, were burnt to ashes.
Veliko Tarnovo, known in the Middle Ages as Tarnovgrad (Търновград) and known during the Ottoman rule as
Tırnova, was the location of two uprisings against
Ottoman rule, in 1598 (the
First Tarnovo Uprising) and 1686 (the
Second Tarnovo Uprising), both of which failed to liberate Bulgaria.
Tarnovgrad (
Tırnova to Ottomans), along with the rest of present-day Bulgaria, remained under Ottoman rule until the 19th century, when national identity and culture reasserted themselves as a strengthening resistance movement. The idea of the establishment of an
independent Bulgarian church and nation motivated the 1875 and 1876 uprisings in town. On 23 April 1876, the
April Uprising marked the beginning of the end of the Ottoman occupation. It was soon followed by the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878).
Samovodska Charshiya Street in the Old Town.
Liberated Bulgaria
On 7 July 1877,
Russian general
Joseph Vladimirovich Gourko liberated Veliko Tarnovo, ending the 480-year-rule of the Ottoman Empire. In 1878, the
Treaty of Berlin created a Principality of Bulgaria between the
Danube and the
Stara Planina range, with its seat at the old Bulgarian capital of Veliko Tarnovo.
On 17 April 1879, the first National Assembly convened in Veliko Turnovo to ratify the state's first constitution, known as the
Tarnovo Constitution, the key result of which resulted in the transfer of Parliament from Tarnovgrad to
Sofia, which today remains the Bulgarian capital.
In deference to the city's past,
Tsar Ferdinand Saxe-Coburg Gotha chose the
St Forty Martyrs Church in Veliko Tarnovo as the place to declare the complete independence of Bulgaria on 5 October 1908.
In 1965, the city, then officially known as
Tarnovo, was renamed to
Veliko Tarnovo (Great Tarnovo) to commemorate its rich history and importance.
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Main sights
One of Bulgaria's primary tourist destinations, Veliko Tarnovo boasts many historical monuments and landmarks, such as
- ruins of the castle Tsarevets on the hill of the same name, which housed the royal and patriarchal palace
- Trapezitsa, the second fortress of the inner city on the right bank of Yantra
- museum of the Bulgarian Revival and the Constituent Assembly, located in the old Ottoman municipal building built by Nikola Fichev
- Archeological Museum, which keeps numerous founds and remains of the ancient history of these lands
- Samovodska Charshia, the old trade street which sheltered skilful craftsmen through the Revival Period and even today many of the houses and the workshops are fully restored
- the House with the Monkey and Mother Bulgaria monument, both on the main street
- Gurko Street, an illustration of Bulgarian Revival architectural style where it is possible to visit the Sarafkina House
- church of St. Constantine and Helena, with panoramic view over the Yantra River and the Asens' Monument
- Stambolov's Bridge, which is the way to the Asens' Monument and the City Art Gallery
Higher education
- * Combined Forces Facility (Former Higher Military School of Ground Forces, now also providing basic military knowledge for air force and navy cadets)
Photos
500px
Notable people
Born in Veliko Tarnovo
Died in Veliko Tarnovo
- Bacho Kiro (1835–1876), revolutionary, teacher and writer
Alexander "Sasho Myxata"- Street comedian (1954-2005) R.I.P big homie
Living in Veliko Tarnovo
- Varban Minev (born 1948), Chairman of The National Association "Traditzia" in Veliko Tarnovo and Honorary Citizen of the town
Twin cities
Veliko Tarnovo is
twinned with the following cities:
Honour
Tarnovo Ice Piedmont on
Livingston Island in the
South Shetland Islands,
Antarctica is named after Veliko Tarnovo.
