Veliko Tarnovo
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| Veliko Tarnovo | |||
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  Veliko Tarnovo
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| Coordinates: | |||
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| Country |  Bulgaria |
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| Provinces (Oblast) |
Veliko Tarnovo | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor | Rumen Rashev | ||
| Elevation | 325 m (1,066 ft) | ||
| Population (2007-09-13) | |||
| - Total | 101,815 | ||
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) | ||
| Postal Code | 5000 | ||
| Area code(s) | 062 | ||
Veliko Tarnovo (Bulgarian: Велико Търново, also transliterated as Veliko Turnovo) is a city in north central Bulgaria and the administrative centre of Veliko Tarnovo Province. It 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.
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[edit] History
[edit] Prehistory and Antiquity
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.
[edit] 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. 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.
[edit] Ottoman rule
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 Kingdom was destroyed by the invader-The Ottoman Empire. The Medieval Bulgaria, towns and villages, monasteries and churches, were burnt to ashes.
Veliko Tarnovo, known in the Middle Ages as Tarnovgrad (Търновград), 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, 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).
[edit] 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 October 5, 1908.
In 1965, the city, then officially known as Tarnovo, was renamed to Veliko Tarnovo (Great Tarnovo) to commemorate its rich history and importance.
[edit] Places of interest
One of Bulgaria's primary tourist destinations, Veliko Tarnovo boasts many historical monuments and landmarks, such as the ruins of the castle Tsarevets on the hill of the same name, which housed the royal and patriarchal palace, and Trapezitsa, the second fortress of the inner city on the right bank of Yantra. Other attractions are the St Demetrius of Thessaloniki Church, St Forty Martyrs Church, the numerous Bulgarian National Revival buildings with their typical architecture, the museum of The Bulgarian Revival and the Constituent Assembly, located at the old “Konak” (Turkish municipal building), build by the unsurpassed master Nikola Fichev, [[[the 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, you can’t miss to see them, “Gurko” street- a unique illustration of Bulgarian Revival architectural style where you can visit “Sarafkina house”, the church of “St. Constantine and Elena” and enjoy the gorgeous view of the Yantra River and the Asens’ Monument, the Stambolov’s Bridge which is the way to the Asens’ Monument and the City Art Gallery.
[edit] Higher education
- Veliko Tarnovo University
- The "Vasil Levski" National Defence University with its
- Combined Forces Facility (Former Higher Military School of Ground Forces, now also providing basic military knowledge for air force and navy cadets)
[edit] Photos
[edit] Notable people
[edit] Born in Veliko Tarnovo
- Patriarch Evtimiy (c. 1325–c. 1403), cleric
- Gregory Tsamblak (c. 1365–1420), cleric, Metropolitan of Kiev
- Petko Slaveykov (1827–1895), writer and politician
- Stefan Stambolov (1854–1895), politician, Prime Minister of Bulgaria
- Vasil Zlatarski (1866–1935), historian
- Vesela Lecheva (born 1964), sportswoman and politician
- Mariya Ilieva (born 1977), singer
- Kaloyan Stefanov Mahlyanov (born 1983), professional sumo wrestler (Kotooshu Katsunori)
[edit] Died in Veliko Tarnovo
- Saint Sava (c. 1175–c. 1236), first Archbishop of Serbia
- Bacho Kiro (1835–1876), revolutionary, teacher and writer
- Dobri Voynikov (1833–1878), cultural figure
- Kolyu Ficheto (1800–1881), architect
[edit] Living in Veliko Tarnovo
- Trifon Ivanov (born 1965), former international football player.
[edit] Twin cities
Veliko Tarnovo is twinned with the following cities:[1]
