Sights in Veliko Târnovo
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Tsarevets Fortress
The inescapable symbol of this proud medieval town, this reconstructed fortress dominates the skyline, and is one of Bulgaria's most beloved monuments. The 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 defensive 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 8th and 10th centuries, and again by the Byzantines in the early 12th century. When Târnovgrad became the Second Bulgarian Empire's capital, the fortress was truly mag…
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Tsarevets Museum-Reserve
The inescapable symbol of this proud medieval town, this reconstructed fortress dominates the skyline, and is one of Bulgaria’s most beloved monuments. The 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 defensive 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 8th and 10th centuries, and again by the Byzantines in the early 12th century. When Târnovgrad became the Second Bulgarian Empire’s capital, the fortress was truly m…
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Church of Sveti Dimitâr
Across the river, enclosed by a high wall, is Târnovo’s oldest church, the beautifully proportioned Church of Sveti Dimitâr. Built in the so-called Târnovo style, it was named after St Dimitrios, patron saint of Thessaloniki in northern Greece. During the church’s consecration in 1185, Tsars Asen and Petâr proclaimed an uprising against Byzantine rule, which would create the Second Bulgarian Empire (1185–1396). It’s often closed, but a warden at the Church of Sveti Petar & Pavel can open it on request.
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Church of Sveti Petar & Pavel
Two blocks north, the late-13th-century Church of Sveti Petar & Pavel features three layers of remarkable 11th- and 17th-century murals. This is the most interesting of the churches, mainly as there are some surviving early-11th-century wall paintings. The best preserved is in the corner to the left of the altar, where Jesus on the cross is being comforted by the Virgin Mary.
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State Art Museum
Dramatically situated in a tight bend of the Yantra River, the State Art Museum contains paintings of Veliko Târnovo and the region by numerous artists. The 2nd floor exhibits more artworks, mostly on permanent loan from galleries in Silistra, Dobrich and Ruse. Guided tours (in English and French) are available for about 5 lv extra per person; entry is free on Thursdays.
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House-Museum
Built in 1861 by a rich Turkish merchant and moneylender, this fine five-storey National Revival–period style house-museum displays antique ceramics, metalwork, woodcarvings and jewellery, and has some fascinating exhibits about traditional costumes and breadmaking. Revival-period furniture fills the upper floor, along with vintage family photos on the walls.
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Archaeological Museum
Housed in a grand old building with a colonnaded terrace and courtyard full of Roman sculptures, the archaeological museum contains Roman artefacts from Nikopolis-ad-Istrum and more Roman pottery and statues from elsewhere. Medieval Bulgarian exhibits include huge murals of the tsars, while there’s also some ancient gold from nearby Neolithic settlements.
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Church of Sveti Georgi
The nearby Church of Sveti Georgi, probably built in 1612 on medieval church ruins, was initially destroyed by the Ottoman invaders, but restored during their rule in the early 18th century. It boats impressive murals inside. The Tsarevets Fortress ticket office arranges visits.
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Church of Sveta Bogoroditsa
There are also notable frescoes at the Church of Sveta Bogoroditsa, the town’s main cathedral. Located just off ul Ivan Vazov, the church’s large green neo-Byzantine domes distinguish it on the old town’s skyline.
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Forty Martyrs Church
The Forty Martyrs Church, in the old Asenova quarter, was originally built in 1230 to celebrate Tsar Asen II’s victory over the Byzantines. It was used as a royal mausoleum, and then as a mosque by the Turks.
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Museum
This museum, in a former Turkish town hall built in 1872, was where Bulgaria’s first National Assembly was held seven years later to write the country’s first constitution.
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Church of the Assumption
The tiny Church of the Assumption, built in 1923 over a ruined 14th-century church, is usually closed, but it's very pretty with blue-painted bas-reliefs decorating its sides.
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Monument of the Asens
The Monument of the Asens is an awe-inspiring commemoration of the establishment of the Second Bulgarian Empire in 1185; there are great views over the town and river.
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Church of Sveti Nikolai
Up in Varosha, visit the Church of Sveti Nikolai, built in 1879.
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