Veliko Tarnovo Велико Търново
Collage of views of Veliko Tarnovo
Coat of arms
Veliko Tarnovo Location of Veliko Tarnovo
Coordinates: 43°05′N 25°39′E / 43.083°N 25.65°E / 43.083; 25.65Coordinates: 43°05′N 25°39′E / 43.083°N 25.65°E / 43.083; 25.65
Country	Bulgaria
Province (Oblast)	Veliko Tarnovo
Government
• Mayor	Daniel Panov
Population (Census February 2011)[1]
• City	68,783
• Urban	164,746
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Postal code	5000
Area code	062

Veliko Tarnovo (Bulgarian: Велико Търново) is a city in north central Bulgaria and the administrative centre of Veliko Tarnovo Province. Often referred to as the "City of the Tsars", Veliko Tarnovo 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. Until 1965 the name of the town was Tarnovo, and this is still the common name. The old city is situated on three hills, Tsarevets, Trapezitsa and Sveta Gora raising amidst the meanders of the Yantra. Tsarevets housed the palaces of the Bulgarian Emperors and the Patriarchate with the Patriarchal Cathedral, as well as a number of administrative and residential edifices surrounded by thick walls. Trapezitsa was known for its many churches and as the main residence of the nobility. In the Middle Ages it was among the main European centres of culture and gave its name to the architecture of the Tarnovo Artistic School, painting of the Tarnovo Artistic School and literature.

Veliko Tarnovo is an important administrative, economic, educational and cultural centre of Northern Bulgaria. As of February 2011, the town has a population of 68,783.^[1]

Climate[link]

Veliko Tarnovo has a Humid continental climate according to the (Köppen Climate Classification).

History[link]

Prehistory and Antiquity[link]

Veliko Tarnovo above the Yantra River

Map of medieval Tarnovo

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 B.O.T are on Trapezitsa Hill.^[2]

Middle Ages[link]

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. The city was described by Bulgarian cleric Gregory Tsamblak in the 14th century as "a very large city, handsome and surrounded by walls with 12,000 to 15,000 inhabitants".^[3]

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.

As the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire, Tarnovo was a quasi-cosmopolitan city, with many foreign merchants and envoys. It is known that Tarnovo had Armenian, Jewish and Roman Catholic ("Frankish") merchant quarters besides a dominant Bulgarian population. The discovery of three Gothic statuette heads indicates there may have also been a Catholic church.^[4]

Ottoman rule[link]

Samovodska Charshiya Street in the Old Town.

View over Veliko Tarnovo and the surrounding area in the morning

Tsarevets and Stara Planina as seen from the village of Arbanassi

Kolyu Ficheto's Cathedral of the Birth of the Theotokos, completed 1844 and reconstructed 1913

The city flourished and grew for 200 years. Тhe political upsurge and spiritual development were discontinued on 17 July 1393. After vigorous resistance to a three-month siege, Veliko Tarnovo was seized and the whole Bulgarian Empire was destroyed by the Ottoman Empire. Many medieval Bulgarian towns and villages, monasteries and churches, were burnt to ashes.

Veliko Tarnovo, in the Middle Ages known as Tarnovgrad (Търновград) and during the Ottoman rule as Tırnova, 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. Tarnovo was a district (sanjak) centre at first in Rumelia Eyalet, after that in Silistria Eyalet and finally in Danube Vilayet before becoming part of the Principality of 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).

Liberated Bulgaria[link]

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 5 October 1908.

In 1965, the city, then officially known as Tarnovo, was renamed to Veliko Tarnovo (Great Tarnovo) to commemorate its rich history and importance.

Population[link]

According to Census 2011, Veliko Tarnovo has a population of 68,783 inhabitants as of February 2011.^[1] The number of the residents of the city reached its peak in the period 1986-1991 when exceeded 70,000.^[5] The following table presents the change of the population after the liberation of the country in 1878.

Main sights[link]

One of Bulgaria's primary tourist destinations, Veliko Tarnovo boasts many historical monuments and landmarks, such as

• Ruins of the castle Tsarevets on the hill of the same name, which housed the royal and patriarchal palace
• Trapezitsa, the second fortress of the inner city on the right bank of Yantra
• Church of St Demetrius of Thessaloniki
• SS. Forty Martyrs Church
• Church of SS. Peter and Paul
• the numerous Bulgarian National Revival buildings with their typical architecture
• Museum of the Bulgarian Revival and the Constituent Assembly, located in the old Ottoman municipal building built by Nikola Fichev
• 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
• Hadji Nikoli inn - built by Mastar Koljo Ficheto, today restaurants, cafes, museum and art-gallery
• the House with the Monkey and Mother Bulgaria monument, both on the main street
• Gurko Street, an illustration of Bulgarian Revival architectural style where it is possible to visit the Sarafkina House
• Church of St Constantine and Helena, with panoramic view over the Yantra River and the Asens' Monument
• Stambolov's Bridge, which is the way to the Asens' Monument and the City Art Gallery

Higher education[link]

• 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)

Festivals[link]

• Stara Planina Fest „Balkan Folk“ Stara Planina Fest „BALKAN FOLK“
• National Championship of Folklore "Euro Folk" National Championship of Folklore "Euro Folk"

Panoramas[link]

500px

500px

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500px

Gallery[link]

• 

  The Baldwin's Tower.

• 

  Tsarevets

• 

  The first National Assembly of Bulgaria

• 
• 

  The Memorial "Mother Bulgaria"

• 

  Tsarevets

• 

  The royal palace in Tsarevets

• 

  "St St Forty Martyrs" Church

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  "St St Forty Martyrs" Church

• 
• 

  The Baldwin's Tower.

• 

  The lion monument of Tsarevets

• 
• 
• 

  Tsarevets

• 

  "St Dimitar" Church

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  "St Dimitar" Church

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  "St St Petar and Pavel" Church

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• 
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  Monument of Stefan Stambolov

• 
• 
• Tsarevets-gruev-1.JPG

  Tsarevets

• 

Notable people[link]

Born in Veliko Tarnovo[link]

• Patriarch Evtimiy (c. 1325 – c. 1403), cleric, the last patriarch of The second Kingdom of Bulgaria
• Gregory Tsamblak (c. 1365 – 1420), cleric, Metropolitan of Kiev
• Stefan Nedev Karagiosov (1818 – 1879), merchant, first industrialist in Tarnovo, member of the Tarnovo municipality
• Hadji Nikoli (1826 – 1892), merchant, participant in the Bulgarian Independent Orthodox Church Fight
• Petko Slaveykov (1827 – 1895), writer and politician
• Stefan Stambolov (1854 – 1895), politician, Prime Minister of Bulgaria
• Vasil Nikolov Karagiosov (1856 – 1938) - teacher, politician, grantor - contributor, industrialist, German honorary vice consul, monk in the Zograph monastery "St.martyr George" - Mount Athos
• Sava Mutkurov (1852 – 1891), major-general, politician, Rgent of Principality of Bulgaria
• Vasil Zlatarski (1866 – 1935), historian
• Stanislav Nedkov (born 1981), professional fighter in the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship)
• Vesela Lecheva (born 1964), sportswoman and politician
• Krassimir Balakov (born 1966), footballer
• Maria Ilieva, singer
• Kaloyan Stefanov Mahlyanov (born 1983), professional sumo wrestler (Kotooshu Katsunori)
• Stefan Dimitrov (footballer) (born1984), footballer
• Nikolay Nenovsky (born 1963), economist
• Plamen Dejanoff (born 1970), artist

Died in Veliko Tarnovo[link]

• 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

Living in Veliko Tarnovo[link]

• Trifon Ivanov (born 1965), former international football player.
• Varban Minev (born 1948), Chairman of The National Association "Traditzia" in Veliko Tarnovo and Honorary Citizen of the town

Twin cities[link]

Veliko Tarnovo is twinned with the following cities:^[1]

Honour[link]

Tarnovo Ice Piedmont on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is named after Veliko Tarnovo.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Veliko Tarnovo

• Veliko Tarnovo at the Open Directory Project
• Official Tourism Site of the Veliko Tarnovo of Bulgaria
• The Official Web Site of Veliko Tarnovo
• In Your Pocket guide to Veliko Turnovo
• Veliko Tarnovo in English
• Veliko Tarnovo Tourist Information and media
• Veliko Tarnovo - Photo Blog
• Veliko Tarnovo Photos
• Yantra Today Daily newspaper
• Sports news from Veliko Tarnovo and the region
• Veliko Tarnovo Photos
• Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria - Veliko Tarnovo

v t e Cities and towns of Bulgaria 1,000,000+ Sofia (capital) 300,000+ Plovdiv Varna 100,000+ Burgas Pleven Ruse Stara Zagora 50,000+ Asenovgrad Blagoevgrad Dobrich Gabrovo Haskovo Pazardzhik Pernik Sliven Shumen Veliko Tarnovo Vratsa Yambol 20,000+ Aytos Botevgrad Dimitrovgrad Dupnitsa Gorna Oryahovitsa Karlovo Kardzhali Kazanlak Kyustendil Lom Lovech Montana Nova Zagora Petrich Razgrad Samokov Sandanski Sevlievo Silistra Smolyan Svishtov Targovishte Troyan Velingrad Vidin 10,000+ Balchik Bankya Bansko Berkovitsa Byala, Rousse Province Byala Slatina Cherven Bryag Chirpan Elhovo Etropole Gotse Delchev Harmanli Ihtiman Isperih Karnobat Kavarna Knezha Kostinbrod Kozloduy Kubrat Levski Mezdra Momchilgrad Nesebar Novi Iskar Novi Pazar Panagyurishte Parvomay Pavlikeni Peshtera Pomorie Popovo Provadiya Radnevo Radomir Rakovski Razlog Stamboliyski Svilengrad Teteven 5,000+ Aksakovo Ardino Belene Belogradchik Beloslav Bobov Dol Chepelare Dalgopol Devin Devnya Dolni Chiflik Dragoman Dryanovo Dulovo Dzhebel Elena Elin Pelin Galabovo General Toshevo Hisarya Kameno Koynare Kostenets Kotel Krichim Krumovgrad Kuklen Lukovit Lyubimets Lyaskovets Madan Nedelino Omurtag Oryahovo Perushtitsa Pirdop Polski Trumbesh Rakitovo Saedinenie Septemvri Simeonovgrad Simitli Slivnitsa Sopot Sredets Straldzha Strazhitsa Suvorovo Svoge Tervel Topolovgrad Tryavna Tsarevo Tutrakan Tvarditsa Varshets Vetovo Veliki Preslav Yakoruda Zlatitsa Zlatograd Under 5,000 Ahtopol Alfatar Antonovo Apriltsi Balgarovo Batak Batanovtsi Belitsa Belovo Boboshevo Bolyarovo Borovo Boychinovtsi Bozhurishte Bratsigovo Bregovo Breznik Brusartsi Byala, Varna Province Byala Cherkva Chiprovtsi Debelets Dimovo Dobrinishte Dolna Banya Dolna Mitropoliya Dolna Oryahovitsa Dolni Dubnik Dospat Dunavtsi Dve Mogili Glavinitsa Glodzhevo Godech Gramada Gulyantsi Gurkovo Hadzhidimovo Iskar Ivaylovgrad Kableshkovo Kalofer Kaolinovo Kaspichan Kermen Kilifarevo Kiten Klisura Kocherinovo Koprivshtitsa Kostandovo Kresna Krivodol Kula Laki Letnitsa Loznitsa Madzharovo Maglizh Malko Turnovo Marten Melnik Merichleri Miziya Momin Prohod Nikolaevo Nikopol Obzor Opaka Pavel Banya Plachkovtsi Pliska Pordim Pravets Primorsko Rila Roman Rudozem Sadovo Sapareva Banya Sarnitsa Senovo Shabla Shipka Shivachevo Slavyanovo Slivo Pole Smyadovo Sozopol Strelcha Suhindol Sungurlare Sveti Vlas Tran Trastenik Tsar Kaloyan Ugarchin Vetren Valchedram Valchi Dol Varbitsa Yablanitsa Zavet Zemen Zlataritsa

v t e Municipality of Veliko Tarnovo Capital: Veliko Tarnovo Cities Debelets Kilifarevo Villages Arbanasi Balvan Belchevtsi Belyakovets Bijovtsi Boychevi kolibi Boychovtsi Bochkovtsi Boyanovtsi Brankovtsi Bukovets Devetatsite Dechkovtsi Dimitrovtsi Dimovtsi Dichin Doynovtsi Dolen Enevets Dolni Damyanovtsi Dunavtsi Emen Gabrovtsi Gashtevtsi Golemanite Goranovtsi Goren Enevets Hotnitsa Ivanovtsi Ilevtsi Kapinovo Kisyovtsi Kladni dyal Klashka reka Kutsarovtsi Lagerite Ledenik Malki chiflik Malchovtsi Margovtsi Mindya Mishemorkov han Momin sbor Natsovtsi Nikyup Novo selo Osenarite Piramidata Plakovo Pojernik Popovtsi Prisovo Prodanovtsi Pushevo Pchelishte Purovtsi Radkovtsi Raykovtsi Rashevtsi Resen Rusalya Ruskovtsi Samovodene Samsiite Seymenite Semkovtsi Shemshevo Sheremetya Shodekovtsi Suha reka Surnentsi Terziite Todorovtsi Tseperanite Tserova koria Tsonkovtsi Ushevtsi Velchevo Vetrintsi Vilare Vodoley Voneshta voda Voynezha Vuglevtsi Vurlinka Yalovo Yovchevtsi History Rebellion of Asen and Petar Siege of Tarnovo First and Second Tarnovo Uprising Tarnovo Constitution Landmarks Yantra River Emen canyon Trapezitsa Hotnitsa fall Pass of the Republic Culture Arbanasi Monastery Church of SS. Peter and Paul Church of St Demetrius SS. Forty Martyrs Church Patriarchal Cathedral Tsarevets Veliko Tarnovo University Hotnitsa Grandmas Nicopolis ad Istrum Notable people Saint Evtimiy Gregory Tsamblak Petko Slaveykov Stefan Stambolov Vasil Zlatarski Krassimir Balakov Maria Ilieva Kotoōshū Grigor Nachovich Dimitar Grekov Emiliyan Stanev Ilarion Dragostinov Mitkaloto Theodosius of Tarnovo Filip Totyu

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (May 2011)

Ruslan Maynov (Bulgarian: Руслан Мъйнов; b. 15 November 1976) is a Bulgarian actor^[1] and pop folk (chalga) singer of Bessarabian Bulgarian origin.

Maynov was born in Izmail in the region of Bessarabia, Ukrainian SSR (now Ukraine) to a Bulgarian family. He moved to Bulgaria in 1994; he graduated from NATFIZ in 1998 and started working with Slavi Trifonov on his TV shows Hashove and Slavi's Show. He was also a host of Gospodari na efira. In 2007, he joined up with fellow actors Lyubomir Neykov, Krastyo Lafazanov and Hristo Garbov and launched Komitsite (The Comedians), a stand-up comedy show aired on bTV on Friday evening.

Television aside, Maynov has also participated in a number of theatrical plays and has released five music albums.

References[link]

This article about a Bulgarian actor or actress is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e