History
Monasteries |
Old Bulgarian Capitals | Museum
Towns
Pliska - the first Bulgarian Capital 
Pliska was the first Capital (after 681-893) of the First Bulgarian
Kingdom. Its ruins lie 3 km north of today's village of Pliska (prev.
name Aboba). Its name was mentioned in many resources most si- gnificant
of which are the Bulgarian apocryphal chronicle from XI c. AD as the
town of Plyuska founded by Asparuh Khan, the By- zantine authors George
Cedrin, John Zonara, Anna Komnina as Pliskusa. The town had area of
23 km2 and was surrounded by 21 km long defensive line built up of moat
and rampart. The Inner town had area of 0.5 km2 rectan- gular shape
and had 2.6 m thick and about 12 m high fortress walls, cylindrical
towers at each corner, and two other towers at each wall.
Veliki Preslav - the second Bulgarian Capital
Veliki
Preslav ( The Great Preslav ) was the se- cond Capital of the First
Bulgarain Kingdom. Tzar Simeon ( 893-927 ) erected the new capital which
became a powerful cultural, political and admini- strative centre of
the young christian state. The town had area of about 5 km2 surrounded
by fortress walls up to 3 m thick.
Veliko Turnovo - the Capital of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom
The old Bulgarian capital of Veliko Turnovo, residence of the Second
Bulgarian Kingdom (1187-1393), the city in which 22 tsarsn succession
bore the scepter of authority, was situated on three hills: Tzarevetz,
Trapezitza and Sveta Gora. Tzarevetz is a natural inaccessible fortress
where the royal palace, patriarchal church and a The Baldwin Tower multitude
of smaller cross-domed churches once stood. The outer walls of the fortress
have been restored and all archaeological finds inside are displayed
intact and exhibi- ted as they were discovered. Central among them are
the ruins of the royal palace with the Baldwin Tower and the patriarch's
church. Many churches have been pre- served as monuments of early medieval
architecture and painting.
Trapezitza hill rises on the opposite bank of the Yantra River. Here
were the boyars' homes and some public buildings, churches above all.
Seventeen of these have been unearthed. At the foot of the two hills,
outside the fortress walls, several mediaeval churches from the Second
Bulgarian Kingdom have been preserved: St. Dimiter of Salonika, Holy
Forty Martyrs, Sts. Peter and Paul. Between the 12th and the 14th century
Sveta Gora Hill was the centre of Bulgaria's religious and cultural
life. It is the Turnovo literary and painting school that has given
the world the Manasses' Chronicle and King Ivan Alexander's Four Gospels.
It exerted a significant and lasting influence throughout South-East
Europe.
