City of the Tsars - Veliko Tarnovo

Situated in north central Bulgaria, in the valley of Yantra River, the town of Veliko Tarnovo has a population of around 72 000 people and is the 15th biggest town in Bulgaria. It is also one of the most beautiful and visited towns in the country. It’s one of the preferred Bulgaria destinations for good Bulgaria holidays.

Veliko Tarnovo is at a distance of 241 km from the capital – Sofia, 228 km from the city of Varna and 107 km from the town of Ruse.

Often referred to as the ‘City of the Tsars’, Veliko Tarnovo is the crossing point of generations of Bulgarians and it has the spirit of bygone centuries, kept in its every stone.

Where to go in Bulgaria

Veliko Tarnovo is one of the liveliest Bulgaria tourist centres. Its unique location on the three hills – Tzarevetz, Trapezitza and Sveta Gora (Holy Forest), makes it not only one of the loveliest towns in Bulgaria, but also characterizes Veliko Tarnovo with a peculiar charm and identity of its own. A simple walk around the town leaves you breathless once you step on the narrow cobblestone-covered streets.

Like birds on a wire, houses of the Bulgarian national Revival perched over one another. Each one of the houses is a unique monument of architecture. Veliko Tarnovo is a place where nature and everything man made, complement one another and thus live in an absolute harmony. You can never regret having chosen Veliko Tarnovo for a place  to visit on your Bulgaria holidays.

Reference: http://www.enmarbg.com/bulgaria-holidays-in-city-of-tsars-veliko-tarnovo/

Kazanlak the Valley of Roses

There is something in Kazanlak, which is not only the beautiful nature and the fascinating women. There is something which is in the air, something which is soaked in the soil… Something that explains the specific atmosphere and flavour Kazanlak has. Atmosphere of a place where time stands still but life doesn’t; where one can feel peaceful, calm and safe. And the flavour of the rose, the unique rose.

The Valley of Roses and the Valley of the Thracian Kings both symbolize Kazanlak, which is located at the foot of Stara Planina Mountain (Old Mountain), in central Bulgaria. A small, picturesque town of around 70 000 people. It is 194 km away from Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. A place, good enough to be the start of your holidays to Bulgaria.

Visit Bulgaria and the Valley of Roses

Visit Bulgaria and Kazanlak. Learn about the most beautiful among women, the rose and how it found its place here in that valley.

The Valley of Roses – because of the Rosa Damascena which finds the conditions in Kazanlak (like high humidity, suitable temperature and sandy soil) to be more favourable for the cultivation of the rose than the ones in its own country of origin, Tunisia. The legend has it that the rose was brought to Thrace from the region of the town Kashan in Persia through Syria and Damascus. Bulgarian scientists presume that the cultivation of the roses was introduced to the region round Kazanlak by a Turkish judge, who had beautiful vast gardens planted with fragrant roses. Whatever the truth is, the fact is that the Bulgarian rose oil soon made a name for its superior quality. The greatest treasure of the region of Kazanlak – the rose became one of the nation’s symbols. That is why at the beginning of the 19th century this rose was named the Kazanlak Damask rose and the valley to the south of the Central Balkans came to be known as the Valley of the Roses. Along with the production of rose oil, a leading role in the economic development of the region was commerce related to the roses. In 1740 Bulgaria for the first time exports rose oil for France. The first official records of rose oil exports refer to trade with Germany and Austro-Hungary beginning in 1771.

Reference: http://www.enmarbg.com/kazanlak-valley-of-roses-holidays-to-bulgaria/

Kukeri Carnival in Bulgaria

The boundless magic called Kukeri Carnival!

Among the most colourful customs in the Bulgarian Calendar of traditions are the Kukeri Games. When you travel to Bulgaria you will see for yourselves that the custom is preserved with its whole pagan power. Although in each different region it is characterized by its peculiarities, as a whole, the ceremonies and rituals are pretty much the same. The sound of the cow-bells called ‘chan’ that starts early in the morning, the scary, hairy masks and crazy costumes and the people wearing them jumping around, following a scenario of folk theatre, is so spectacular that once you’ve been part of it, you will come back again and again.

Travel to Bulgaria for a festive Bulgaria holiday

The roots of this holiday can be sought as far back as the early centuries because long before Christianity, Bulgarians used to worship Surva and devoted the holiday of New Year to that God, asking Him to bless their fields and send happiness and prosperity to them.

In ancient pagan times the man used to believe that the world of the living and that of his ancestors are one whole and closely connected. Man used to believe in his own fertility like in the fertility of his land and animals. Being convinced that those ancestors from ‘the other world’ had the necessary extraordinary power ‘to ensure’ that fertility, he sought for connection with them in every significant moment of his life. To be able to experience it, man needed to be ‘somebody else’. The mask is his means ‘to get to the other side’ and contribute to his own prosperity. The mask stays at the border between ‘our’ and ‘the other world’.

To be part of a Kukeri Carnival is one of the things to do in Bulgaria. The best places to visit in Bulgaria for kukeri are Pernik, Razlog, Smolyan. Actually, almost all around the country there are celebrations like that. Whole Bulgaria tries to scare the evil spirits away and meet the new season, spring. You can travel to Bulgaria and ‘cleanse’ yourselves while dancing and jumping around with the kukeri.

Reference: http://www.enmarbg.com/kukeri-carnival-travel-to-bulgaria/ 

Rose Festival Bulgaria

The Rose Festival is a lovely annual festival celebrated in the Rose Valley, near the town of Kazanlak (at the foot of the Balkan Range). The festival is a pageant of beauty in the unique Rose Valley. Since 1903, in this Valley, people have been celebrating the flowers and especially the main and most beautiful flower – the rose. First, the Festival of the Rose was celebrated as the Festival of the Flowers but until the present day it has been celebrated by all Kazanlak people and its thousands of guests, as the Festival of the Unique Rose. Among Bulgaria tourist attractions and places to visit in Bulgaria, Kazanlak is a unique place because there is beauty and life there.

The Festival is the most remarkable event in Bulgaria and it takes place on the first weekend of June. This is the season when the gentle oleaginous Kazanlak rose comes to bloom, filling the air with its scent. The blossoms are picked in May and June, when high humidity is very important. So is the cinnamon-forest soil in the area and, last but not least, the remarkable skills of the Bulgarian rose-oil producers.

Reference: http://www.enmarbg.com/kazanlak-rose-festival-bulgaria-tourist-attractions/