Lying at the foot of the Old Plain, Veliko Tarnovo belongs to the oldest and most beautiful cities of Bulgaria. Its symbol is the Old Town on the hill with cobbled streets and the remains of the fortress.
Veliko Tarnovo was founded by the Thracians in the 13th century BC, but traces of settlement were found here before about 3,000. years BC The first settlement was located on the slopes of the Cerewec Mountain, where a fortified city was built in the Byzantine period.
Veliko Tarnovo experienced a period of greatest prosperity between the 12th and 14th centuries, when it was the capital of the Bulgarian state and an important administrative, commercial and cultural center of the Balkans. It is from this period that the most important monuments of the city come from.
On the Cerewec hill you can see, among others the former fortress with fortifications and the Ascension Cathedral, as well as medieval churches with valuable frescoes from the 13th century. The remains of 17 medieval churches with fragments of paintings, mosaics and ceramics details as well as former chapel chapels have been preserved in the area of the Trapezica Hill.
Today, Veliko Tarnovo is above all one of the symbols of Bulgarian statehood and a place where you can experience the vivid history of this country.
