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Top 10 Historical places to visit in Bulgaria

2018-06-22T11:44:00.000+02:00

Bulgaria being the amazing country that it is, I decided to make a list of the 10 favorite places we visited during our road trip. Keep in my mind that i'm a history enthusiast and this list reflects that.

10)Pliska,
Founded by Khan Asparukh, it became the capital of the first Bulgarian Empire in 681 AD until it was replaced for the nearby Preslav in 893 AD.
The place itself is in ruins being destroyed twice by Byzantine troops, however enough remains to give you an idea of the city's structure in long bygone days. Make sure you don't miss the Great Basilica, which lies just outside the walled city of Pliska, it's a great location to make some pictures!

The Great Basilica

9)Kaleto Fortress,
On top of the alien looking Belogradchick rocks in Bulgaria's extreme northwest we find the unique-looking Kaleto Fortress. Initially build by the Romans for its excellent defensive values, it was later expanded by the Byzantines, Bulgar's and Ottomans. It was mainly used by the Ottomans to suppress local revolts. Due to its remoteness we found it a very tranquil place to visit.

Kaleto Fortress

8)Varna
Situated on the Black Sea coast, Varna was founded under the name Odessos by Greek colonists in 585BC. It grew into a trading center and remained so under Roman,Byzantine and Ottoman rule. Somewhat known for the important battle that took place in 1444 AD when the Ottomans decisively defeated the Christian coalition and consequently secured their European holdings.
Visit the park-museum Vladislav Varnenchick to learn more about the battle. It lies just outside the City center so a car or public transport might be needed.
If you have the time visit the Archeological museum, it has a ton of Thracian treasure items and is probably the best museum in Bulgaria. I wrote about it in my Thrace article.
The Roman Thermae, the Cathedral of Assumption and the Primorski Park are also great places to include in your visit.

The park-museum Vladislav Varnenchick

7)Nezebar
One of the few places I visited in Bulgaria that was touristy due to many people from Sunny Beach taking a day-trip by boat to explore this cozy little town.
Founded by Greek colonists under the name Mesumbria in 512BC, its main attraction is probably the beautiful Byzantine churches scattered around the peninsula. I said probably because if you are into gift shops you will most likely have the time of your life since there are about a thousand of them, and yes they all sell the same stuff. That being said Nezebar is a great place to take a stroll, see some churches and have a bite to eat whilst enjoying the ocean view.
Half a day should be plenty of time to see everything.

6)Boyana Church
Some eight kilometers south of Sophia's City center, we entered the peaceful Boyana suburb. Known for its rich inhabitants, it boasts one amazing attraction, the 13th-Century Boyana Church. I was in awe entering this modest sized church. Its murals are truly the pinnacle of Bulgarian medieval artwork and have not seen its equal anywhere else. Pictures are strictly forbidden and you can't stay longer than 10 minutes inside the church. Unless you bought another ticket, then you could go in again for 10 minutes...:) No, but seriously, I was contemplating going in a second time, I cannot recommend this place enough.

Boyana Church entrance

5)Svetshari Tomb
This one is a bit off the beaten track, a stunning 3th century B.C. Getae tomb that was discovered in 1982. The tomb has many unique features including high relief sculpted female figures in the main chamber. You can only visit the area with a guide, you have limited visiting time inside the tomb and taking pictures is strictly forbidden. Strict but fair, they really try to keep the tomb in the best possible condition. Our guide spoke excellent English and was very insightful. If I could only visit one tomb in Bulgaria it would definitely be this one.

Pictures are strictly forbidden so I took this picture from http://videlei.com, thanks Videlei!

4)Shipka Monument

Counting down to number 4, the Shipka Monument is located on the peak of the Mt Stoletov and is a symbol of Bulgarian national pride. The aforementioned Mt Stoletov needs to be tamed before the visit can begin so please proceed to the stairs and start climbing the 1000 steps.

If you don’t feel like doing 1000 steps(yellow belly!) you can continue to follow the road by car until you're almost at the summit. The peak of the Mt Stoletov is dominated by the 32m-high Freedom Monument. This impressive monument was built to commemorate the Russian & Bulgarian soldiers who died during the Battle of Shipka Pass. No love for the Turkish soldiers it would seem, maybe because of the 300-year long Ottoman repression, who knows. I wrote an article about the Battle of Shipa Pass if you're looking for more information.

Shipka Monument

3)Fortress of Veliko Tarnova

The seat of power during the second Bulgarian Empire, the city breathes medieval history at every turn. In 1185 AD the brothers Asen and Petâr organised a rebellion against the weakening Byzantine Empire and established Veliko Tarnova as their capital. It was captured by the Ottomans in 1393 and lost its importance during Ottoman rule. The fortress was destroyed during its capture and wasn't rebuilt until the independence of Bulgaria.

Explore the Royal Palace, Execution Rock and Baldwin's Tower. Being named after its unfortunate resident Baldwin I of Flanders, who after sacking Constantinople and becoming Emperor of the Latin Empire in the 4th crusade, was captured in battle by the Bulgar's and spend his last days in captivity.
Take your time visiting because this castle has many stories to tell! The Asenovtsi Park, surrounded by the Yantra River merits a visit as well. It boasts an enormous statue of the founders Ases en Pêtar and their successors.

Veliko Tarnova landscape with view on the Asenovtsi Park

2)Plovdiv
The oldest remains of settlements found in Plovdiv date from 7000 BC, making Plovdiv the oldest continuously inhabited city of Europe. In about 5000 BC the Thracians settled here, establishing a fortress in today's old town. The settlement was captured by Philips II, father of Alexander the Great who gave the city the name Philippolis. In 46 AD Plovdiv was annexed by the Roman Empire who built the beautiful streets, aqueducts and buildings that we can still admire today. You can also spot many houses in the colorful Bulgarian National Revival Style of the 1850's, often build by Plovdiv's wealthy merchants.
Plovdiv's odd mix of Roman streets and Bulgarian Revival architecture matches matches perfectly together. Walking the old roman streets really makes you feel like your back in ancient times.
The Roman Amphitheater is a sight so see, I could hardly believe the mint condition it was in, especially considering it was unearthed and rediscovered due to a landslide.
Other sites that are worth a visit are:
-Nebet Tepe, the 7000 year old ruins of the Thracian Fortress.
-The Archaeological Museum, features some impressive Thracian treasures.
-Regional History Museum, centered around the 1876 April uprising.
-Church of Sveti Konstantin & Elena
-Stadium of Philippopolis, the 2nd century Roman stadium
-Dzhumaya Mosque

The Roman Amphitheater

Plovdiv is an amazing city and deserving of its second place on our list, just like Veliko Tarnova it breathes history. Now let's continue to our favorite place in Bulgaria...

1)The Rila Monastery
High in the desolate Rila Mountains, we find the remote Rila Monastery. The Monastery was built by the disciples of the hermit St Ivan of Rila(876-946AD).
During the following centuries the magnificent Monastery became an important place for both the Eastern Orthodox church and the Bulgarian culture. The Monastery itself is still fully functional with monks living inside the walls. I recommend spending a night here, while the rooms are spartan, it's quite the spiritual experience.
I wrote an article on spending a night in the Rila Monastery with some extra information surrounding the visit, definitely go for it if you have the chance!

The Rila Monastery with a view of the Rila Mountains in the background

Thanks for reading my top 10 Historical places in Bulgaria, I hope you enjoyed it. Don't hesitate to contact me if you're visiting Bulgaria and you need some information about historical places to visit! Feel free to recommend me other countries to visit, I'm always planning my next destination:)

Discovering Ancient Thrace in Bulgaria

2018-01-24T19:28:00.000+01:00

During my holiday to Bulgaria I became intrigued by an ancient people who thrived many centuries before Rome was even founded, the Thracians. I decided to make this blog post to share my experience on discovering this fascinating culture. Bulgaria is an interesting country, while tourism is slowly but surely increasing, the country still has lots of hidden gems. I will focus only on the (sometimes hidden) gems related to the Thracian culture but obviously there are many more.

Thracian is a general term used to describe a number of Indo-European tribes that lived in large Parts of Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. According to the famous Greek historian Herodotus they were the second most-numerous people in the world in the 5th Century BC, only surpassed by the Indians. Herodotus even went as far as to say that the Thracians could conquer the world if they we're not internally divided. The Thracians were often used as mercenaries by the Greeks, renowned for their "Peltast" skirmisher units. During the campaigns of Alexander the Great in Persia, he used a large amount of Thracian Peltasts in his army.

A map of displaying various Greek city states(Varna Archaeological Museum).

After the defeat of the Persians by the Greeks, the Thracian tribes in modern-day Bulgaria, Thracian-Turkey & Greece(between the Hebrus and the Strymon) united and formed the Odryssian Kingdom in about 470 BC. The Odryssians build beautiful burial tombs lavished with precious objects. Today some of those tombs have been rediscovered and are open to the public. Some tombs have been recognised by UNESCO as a world Heritage site. I made a list of my favorite places to visit if your interested in learning more about the Thracians.

1) The Thracian tomb of Kazanlak

This beautifully frescoed tomb was build for a Thracian king in the 4th Century BC. It was discovered in 1944 during the construction of a bomb shelter and has been made an Unesco World Heritage site. Unfortunately the tomb is not open to the public, no need to despair however because an exact replica has been constructed in the same area. The 3lev entry free is more than worth it. The tomb itself is small and when there are too many people around it might lose a bit of its mystique. Definitely worth a visit!

Replica of Kazanlak Tomb

2) The tomb of Svetshari

This one is a bit off the beaten track, a stunning 3th century B.C. Getae tomb that was discovered in 1982. The tomb has many unique features including high relief sculpted female figures in the main chamber. You can only visit the area with a guide, you have limited visiting time inside the tomb and taking pictures is strictly forbidden. Strict but fair, they really try to keep the tomb in the best possible condition. Our guide spoke excellent english and was very insightful. If I could only visit one tomb it would definitely be this one.

Pictures are strictly forbidden so I took this picture from http://videlei.com, thanks Videlei!

3) The Valley of the Thracian King's

The Kazanlak valley gets her nickname from the large amounts of Thracian tombs that are scattered among the valley. According to current estimates there are around 1500 tombs in the valley and only about 300 have been researched. Be aware that you have to pay for each separate tomb you want to visit. This might not seem like a big deal but keep in mind that visiting these often small tombs takes about 5-10 minutes each. Then consider paying 3-6leva for each tomb and you might be a lots of leva lighter at the end of the day. I still visited about 8 tombs in the valley but would have done more if they had some sort of day pass. Also guides are obligatory and very little English was spoken by them, that being said they were very friendly and guides not speaking English always adds a touch of authenticity for me. Anyway my favorites tombs were:

-The Tomb of Seuthes III (Suspected tomb of the Odryssian King Seuthes III who ruled from 331BC- 300BC).
-Thracian Tomb Shushmanets(A larger tomb supported by a lovely Doric column).
-Ostrusha Mound(Look for the fresco of the young woman).

The Kazanlak Valley

4) Varna archaeological Museum
This enormous museum is very well organised, the exhibits are in chronological order starting with the Prehistory and ending with the Ottoman Period. Every exhibit has English explanatory texts, which isn't always the case in Bulgaria. The highlight of the museum is the Thracian exhibit where you can find 6000 year old gold jewellery, the oldest worked gold ever found in the world. Pretty special right? The other exhibits are definitely worth a look too, so take your time visiting what is probably the best museum in Bulgaria for History Buffs.

Grave 43 from Varna's Chalcolithic necropolis

5) Sophia National archeological Museum
The structure was originally a mosque build in 1496, you will find a large amount of Roman and Medieval items. The best part of the museum is definitely the "Vault" exhibition with all it's treasures, it almost feels like walking into the cave of Ali Baba. Amongst many others look for the golden mask of the Thracian King Teres, a Bronze head of (probably) Seuthes III and the Vulchitrun treasure. Another item that caught my interest was the golden Ezero ring because it hold an inscription that consists of 61 letters. This is very significant considering that the Thracians left no written records and only three other significant inscriptions are known to this day.

The golden mask of the Thracian King Teres

The golden Ezero ring

6) Plovdiv archaeological Museum
Another enormous archeological museum that holds tons of Thracian, Roman and Ecclesiastical artefacts. I really liked this museum, everything is well organised and has clear english information next to it. The pièce de résistance is without a doubt the Panagyurishte treasure, consisting of an amphora, a phiale and 7 rhytons. All of these objects are in pure (24 karat) gold and weigh a little over 6kg.

The Panagyurishte treasure

That's my little résumé of the things you can visit in Bulgaria about the Thracian culture. Hope you enjoyed it!

Vercingetorix 28mm

2018-01-03T23:37:00.000+01:00

Today I painted the notorious and unfortunate Avernian chieftain, Vercingetorix. The figure is from the warlord games "Hail Caesar" range and is a delight to paint. Just a word of warning though the figure is quite large in scale. I have added a bit of historical information below the pictures for those interested.

When Julius Caesar's conquest of Gaul was complete he had several revolts to deal with in the following years. The most organised and successful of these revolts was in 52 BC under the command of Vercingetorix, an ambitious young nobleman of the Averni tribe. Initially he was ejected from the tribe by his uncle and other tribal leaders for trying to raise a rebellion against the Romans. Vercingetorix was however able to raise a strong force and took control of the Avernian capital of Gergovia. He continued by forging alliances with other Gallic chieftains who were eager to be rid of Roman dominion.
Vercingetorix gave Caesar a lot of logistic problems by using a scorched earth policy. He was even able to defeat the Roman conqueror at the battle of Gergovia in the same year. Vercingetorix tried to follow up on his victory, but suffered heavy losses with a failed ambush attempt whilst pursuing the Roman army. Afterwards he decided to retreat to the town of Alesia.

Caesar followed the Avernian chieftain to Alesia and build a fortification wall around the city to seal in the defenders. Vercingetorix had, however already summoned his allies to come to his aid. When Caesar got wind of these intentions he ordered his troops to build a second wall of outer fortifications effectively sealing his troops in between the village of Alesia and the Gallic relief force.
According the Caesar's "Commentarii de Bello Gallico" on one occasion the combined forces launched an attack that almost broke through the fortifications and it was only when Caesar personally led his last reserve troops into battle that he was able to repulse both the relieve force and the besieged (Lets face the fact that modesty wasn't Caesar's strong suit).

Vercingetorix surrendering to Caesar, painting by Lionel Royer

After being repulsed the Gallic relief force tried to flee but were intercepted and slaughtered by the Roman cavalry. At this point the brave Avernian chieftain had little other choice then surrender to Caesar. According to the Greek biographer Plutarch Vercingetorix rode from the village of Alesia into the roman camp with his finest horse richly adorned. He dismounted before Caesar, took off his armor and kneeled before his nemesis. Caesar had him imprisoned for 5 years in the Mamertine prison(Tullianum) until he could use the Avernian chieftain in his Triumph in 46 BC.
After the humiliation of being dragged through the streets of Rome during Caesar's Triumph, he was executed in his prison, most likely by strangulation.

And with that ends my little blog post, thanks for reading, feel free to subscribe to my feedburner to follow my slow, but steady progress in painting miniatures.
Feedback is always appreciated!

Leo