Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
History
The strategic geography of Târnovo's hills attracted settlers from early times. Neolithic
people in 5500 BC, and Thracian tribes three millennia later, inhabited Tsarevets Hill (on
which the fortress stands today) and Trapezitsa Hill opposite. The Romans built the f ort-
ress's first walls and, in the 6th century Byzantine Emperor Justinian created a citadel.
Slavic tribes captured it in the 7th century, but it soon was fought over in the interminable
wars between Byzantium and the First Bulgarian Empire.
In 1185, under brothers Asen and Petâr, Târnovgrad became a hotspot for rebellion
against weakening Byzantine rule. With their foundation of the Second Bulgarian Empire,
it replaced the destroyed Pliska and Veliki Preslav as the new capital, becoming second
only to Constantinople in importance. Trade and culture flourished for the next 200 years.
On 17 July 1393 the Ottomans captured Târnovgrad, destroying the citadel. No longer
very strategic in the middle of a vast empire, the town stagnated through Ottoman times
until Bulgarian nationalism asserted itself during the mid-19th century. In 1877, during
the Russo-Turkish War, Russian General Gurko liberated Târnovgrad.
Because of its importance during the Second Bulgarian Empire, Veliko Târnovo (as it
was renamed) was the location for writing Bulgaria's Constitution in 1879, and was where
the independence of the Bulgarian state was officially proclaimed in 1908. In 2012 it was
the site of spectacular fireworks and speeches from top leaders during a huge celebration
of 140 years of independence.
Sights
Most churches are closed on Wednesdays.
Tsarevets Fortress
(adult/student 6/2 lv, scenic elevator 2 lv; 8am-7pm Apr-Sep, 9am-5pm Oct-Mar)
The
inescapable symbol of this proud medieval town, this reconstructed fortress dominates the
skyline, and is one of Bulgaria's most beloved monuments. It features remains of more
than 400 houses, 18 churches and numerous monasteries, dwellings, shops, gates and
towers.
Tsarevets Museum-Reserve is located on Tsarevets Hill, which has been settled since
time immemorial due to its strategic location. Thracians and Romans used it as a defens-
ive position, but the Byzantines built the first significant fortress here between the 5th and
7th centuries. The fortress was rebuilt and fortified by the Slavs and Bulgars between the
MEDIEVAL FORTRESS
