Ancient settlement of Etar, Bulgaria.


Gurkho Street in Veliko Tarnovo.

PLACES OF HISTORIC AND CULTURAL INTEREST

UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES
Nine sites in Bulgaria have been inscribed on the World Heritage List to be protected for future generations. whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/bg

VELIKO TARNOVO
...the medieval capital of Bulgaria has more
than 7,000 years of history.
www.velikoturnovo.info

GABROVO
Gabrovo sits in the Northern foot of the
Balkan Mountains along the banks of the Yantra River.
www.gabrovo.bg

ETAR, GABROVO
The Etar architectural ethnographic complex is the
first one of its type in Bulgaria.
www.etar.org

ARBANASSI
Arbanassi is known for its rich history and large
number of historical monuments.
www.arbanassi.org

BOJENCI (Bhozentsi)
The village is noted for its well-preserved Bulgarian National Revival architecture.
www.bojentsi.com

DRYANOVO MONASTERY
The historical Dryanovo Monastery is situated in the picturesque gorge of the Dryanovo river.
www.bulgarianmonastery.com

TRYAVNA
Human settlement in Tryavna can be traced back to Thracian times. www.tryavna.bg

TRYAVNA MUSEUMS
8 museums displaying the architecture, iconography, wood carving and modern art of Tryavna
www.tryavna-museum.com

Bulgaria is punctuated by the kinds of places that some travellers dream of, with medieval monasteries and wondrous caves with ancient wall frescoes. There are remains of Greek temples to Apollo, Roman ruins as well as fortresses and palaces. To see how life used to be lived, visit old towns where folk arts are still practiced and festivals where folkloric legends are celebrated.

Bulgaria, Home to Nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites
UNESCO’s World Heritage is the “designation for places on earth that are of outstanding universal value to humanity and as such, have been inscribed on the World Heritage List to be protected for future generations to appreciate and enjoy.”

Geshaview is at the centre of Bulgaria’s cultural heart in the triangle of Sevlievo, Veliko Tarnovo and Gabrovo.

The culture, history and heritage of Bulgaria has been formed by a number of ancient civilizations, most notably the Thracians, Greeks, Romans, Slavs, and Bulgars. Thracian artifacts include numerous tombs and golden treasures, while the ancient Bulgars have left traces of their heritage in music and early architecture. Thracian rituals such as the Zarezan, Kukeri and Martenitza are to this day kept alive in the modern Bulgarian culture.

Varna Necropolis is the site where the oldest treasure of worked gold in the world, dating back to the 5th millennium BC, came from.

Bulgaria functioned as the hub of Slavic Europe during much of the Middle Ages, exerting considerable literary and cultural influence over the Eastern Orthodox Slavic world. Bulgaria also gave the world the Cyrillic alphabet, the second most-widely used alphabet in the world.

There are nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Bulgaria:
• The early medieval large rock relief Madara Rider.

• Two Thracian tombs (one in Sveshtari and one in Kazanlak).

• Three monuments of medieval Bulgarian culture (the Boyana Church, the Rila Monastery and the Rock-hewn Churches of Ivanovo).

• Two examples of natural beauty:
The Pirin National Park
The Srebarna Nature Reserve.

• The ancient city of Nessebar on the Black Sea coast is, historically, one of the most important centres of seaborne trade in the Black Sea.

Bulgarian history enthusiasts are bound to be excited by the remnants of numerous occupying empires such as Roman amphitheatres, Thracian tombs and Turkish fortresses.

Veliko Tarnovo is one of the oldest settlements in Bulgaria with a history of more than 5 millennia.
Often referred to as the ‘City of the Tsars’, Veliko Tarnovo is located on the Yantra River and is famous as the ancient capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire, and attracts many tourists with its unique architecture.

The town of Tryavna first became a regional centre as early as XVIII century although earlier records indicating human settlement in Tryavna can be traced back to Thracian times.

The links on the right will, we hope, give a guide to the Bulgarian culture and historical sites that are within easy reach of the Geshaview village.

Geshaview... the perfect location for discovering the cultural history of Bulgaria.