Veliko Turnovo, Bulgaria

Yesterday I visited Veliko Turnovo, one of Bulgaria's most ancient cities. It was founded in the 4th century and became the centre of Bulgarian power during the 12-14 century. During that time it was the political, economic, cultural and religious center of Bulgaria. It was the capital of Bulgaria and included the castles of Tzarevetz, which housed the king and military on Tzarevetz hill. The fortress was built on two banks surrounded by the Yantra River between two hills. The two main architectual complexes are the King's Palace and the Patriachal Church. The fortress was conquered by the Turks in 1393.

Also, situated in the city of the place where all of the kings of Bulgaria are burried.

I visited two eastern orthodox monasteries. Before the destruction of Bulgaria by the Turks in the 14th century there were forty monasteries in Bulgaria. In Veliko Turnovo and its vincity there were over 14 monasteries built during the 12-14 century. I visited the Petropavlovsky monastery situated on the Arbanassi plateau. It is referred to as the "Peter and Paul" monastery. During the time of slavery in the 1700's it became a prominate place for Bulgarian revolutionaries. In 1913 the monastery church was destroyed by fire but rebuilt during the communist period.

The second monastery was the Kapinovo monastery fromt the 14th century. It was being refurbished due to smoke damage from lighting of candles. You can see the difference between the old "smoked" area and the new cleaned area.