The seven-meter mound next to the city Kazanlak guards one of the most famous Thracian vaulted tombs. This is one of the first Bulgarian sites in the UNESCO list that made Thracian culture internationally famous. Its architecture is typical for vaulted tombs: entrance, corridor, and tomb chamber. What make it unique are the frescoes - the only ones fully preserved from that period. They are related to Early Hellenic art of the 4th -3rd centuries BC and are considered to be a peak moment of its development. The paintings are precise; the compositions are spatial, alive. The frescoes have documentary value as well; they tell us about the life of the buried ruler, and through the painted architectural elements (friezes, cornices, plinths) we get an idea about his palace. In front of our eyes, a solemn procession of warriors, a burial ceremony, a chariot contest reveal. The most famous scene is the parting banquet: the Thracian leader and his beloved wife sit next to a richly set table. Facing each other, they hold hands, and their figures radiate contained drama and sorrow from the parting. Servants and slaves surround them. Because of the special conditions of the frescoes preservation, a copy of the Kazanlak tomb was built next to it, open for visiting. A servant leads the horses of the deceased ruler The Kazanlak tomb is situated in the park Tulbeto in the north end of Kazanlak city. The city has railroad and bus links. Nearby sites for visiting are: The Rose Valley, where the famed rose oil is produced, the Museum of the Rose in Kazanlak, the Valley of the Thracian Kings where over 1000 burial mounds are discovered. Some of them (in the area of the towns Shipka and Sheinovo) are large tomb-mausoleums: the mound Ostrusha (5th century BC), necropolis Shushumanets, the Griffon tomb, the tomb in the mound Helvetia, the mound Golyama Arsenalka, etc. You can visit the National Park Museum "Shipka-Buzludja" with the monumental temple in Shipka and the monuments on peak Shipka, as well as the antique city Augusta Trayana in Stara Zagora. Women - pipers The glorifieddeceased, who parts with his close relatives at a funeral banquet. The noble Thracian wears a wreath.

The Thracian king tomb near Svehtari village, discovered in 1982 is considered to be one of the archeological sensations of the 20th century. It is located in the lands of the Ghetians, a Thracian tribe that inhabited the territory of today's northern Bulgaria 2000 years ago. The location is not only beautiful, but sacred as well; it is said that the land gives energy. Forget about your worries and problems and feel cleansed! The Sveshtari tomb is one of the many Thracian tombs found in Bulgarian lands, but it has the richest decorations, the only one decorated with caryatids. Another interesting fact: the astronomical knowledge of the Thracians is coded in the architecture of the tomb built in the 4th century BC. Bas-relief of cariathids, surrounding the tomb chamber The three rooms of the tomb are covered by vault arcs The unique sculpt group of ten erect women figures, surrounding the tomb chamber is connected to the cult to the Great Goddess Mother, goddess of life and death. Perhaps they are the wives or the mourners of the Thracian ruler who perform a ritual dance. The faces are different: young girls, mature and older women. They wear identical clothes, tight long dresses with belts and short, elegant tunics. There is no shortage of frescoes in the tomb; there is a scene of immortalization of the deceased ruler in front of the entrance. The Great Goddess offers him the wreath of immortality. On the day of the winter equinox a sunbeam infiltrated into the tomb, illuminating the ruler's figure. The complex mathematic calculations and astronomical knowledge that the Thracians used to achieve this effect are not only a demonstration of skills. The Thracians believed in the immortality of the soul and its reincarnation. The soul traveled to Heaven on the sunbeam and, every year, on the winter equinox day, it came back to the Earth.The Sveshtari tomb is part of the historical-archeological preserve Sboryanovo with over one hundred Thracian mounds. The Sveshtari tomb is located 7 km from the town of Isperih. Train is available for reaching Isperih, and the tomb can be reached with a car or a taxi. You can use the services of the Historical Museum of Isperih, where guides are available. Nearby sites for visiting are: Historical-archeological preserve Sboryanovo (a necropolis with Thracian mounds, ruins of a Thracian city, Thracian and Bulgarian cult places), Christian and Muslim sacred places like Demir Baba Teke, the antique city Abritus.There are other cultural monuments in the historical-cultural preserve Sboryanovo. One of them is Demir Baba Teke, a sacred place for Alians and Christians The bas-relief is surrounded with inscriptions, that tell about the rule of the Bulgarian Khans Tervel, Krumesis and Omurtag

The west slope of the Madara plateau is an imposing rock high nearly 100 meters. The natural phenomenon, with huge cave niche and multiple caves in the base and slopes, has been considered holy since ancient times. On one of the rock faces, high above the ground, in the beginning of the 8th century unknown gifted sculptor cut a grand bas-relief: a rider in a state pose, followed by a dog, and a lion, speared by the rider. The bas-relief, known as the Madara Rider, has no peer in the Bulgarian medieval art. The figures are symbolic. Back in those times the Bulgarian state struggled for recognition from its powerful neighbor: the Byzantine Empire. The kingly rider is one of the Bulgarian rulers, and the lion: a defeated enemy. The merits of the monument are not only in the excellent craftsmanship. Just as valuable are the three inscriptions around the figure that tell about historical events from the reign of three Bulgarian Khans - Tervel, Krumesis and Omurtag. These are the oldest Bulgarian inscriptions that establish the beginning of Bulgarian chronicle literature. The location of the Madara Rider is not random. The area was a cult centre during the centuries, Thracians deities, the Bulgarian god Tangra, and later Christian saints were venerated there. The bas-relief is part of the National Historical-Archeological Preserve "Madara". The Madara Rider is situated in close proximity to the village Madara, 16 km from Shumen. The monument is part of the National Historical-Archeological Preserve "Madara". Shumen city can be reached by train; there are buses from there to Madara. Nearby sites for visiting are: National Historical-Archeological Preserve "Madara", ruins of the Madara fortress, the Shumen fortress, the ancient Bulgarian capitals Pliska and Veliki Preslav. Remnants of the Madara fortress Huge cave niche and multiple cracks and caves pierce the slopes of the Madara plateau, a sacred place since ancient times Foundations of medieval resident and public buildings under the Madara fortress

Located on the slopes of Vitosha Mountain, the Boyana church is the only fully preserved Bulgarian medieval church. The church was active during all the centuries from its creation to its transformation into a museum. It was built for three centuries: from the 10th to the 13th century. The oldest part dates back to the 10th century, renovated in the 12th century. The church is a little jewel - central domed building that takes sight up to the heavens. The preserved traces of 10th century frescoes and the fragments of mural painting from the 12th century are among the best examples of Byzantine art in the Bulgarian lands. In 1259, sevastokrator Kaloyan - the governor of the Sredets (Sofia) district and cousin of Tsar Konstantin Asen Tih, built two-storied family church-tomb on the west side. It is craftily connected to the older building in one ensemble. The lower floor, dedicated to St. Nikola, was intended for a tomb of the noble family and for an entrance to the old temple. The upper floor, dedicated to St. Panteleymon, was a family shrine and there was another entrance to it on the side of the building, perhaps connected to the sevastokrator's palace. The building is made of stone and bricks. The facades are stylishly decorated with niches, cornices, ceramics-plastics embellishments. Preserved to modern day, the 1259 frescoes are the most precious object in the Boyana church. They are a top in the medieval Bulgarian art and mark a period of upsurge in the Bulgarian culture. Along with Biblical scenes, images of Bulgarian saints and passionals of the patrons, the royal couple: Konstantin Tih and Ekaterina, and the donors: sevastokrator Kaloyan and his wife Desislava are painted. Standing in stately poses, they radiate ease and self-esteem. The faces are expressive and remind of secular portraits, the clothing is presented in detail. The realism and the humanity of the frescoes are the reason some art experts to qualify them as harbingers of the Renaissance, prior to its origin in Italy. The church is situated in a beautiful park, created by Tsar Ferdinand. There is the grave of Tsarina Eleonora, the wife of Ferdinand. The National Museum "Boyana Church" is next to it. The Boyana church is located in the SofiadistrictBoyana.Thecitybuslines63 and 64 can be used. Nearby sites for visiting are: Boyana Lake, Boyana waterfall, National Historical Museum, Sofiacitycentre. The Boyana church is located in the SofiadistrictBoyana.Thecitybuslines63 and 64 can be used. Nearby sites for visiting are: Boyana Lake, Boyana waterfall, National Historical Museum, Sofiacitycentre. With the money, the care and the great love of sevastokrator Kaloyan, Tsar's cousin, grandson of the Serbian king St. Stephan, the pure temple of St. Christ's hierarch Nikola and the St. glorious martyr Panteleymon rose and was created. It was painted in the Bulgarian Empire, at the pious, faithful and devout Tsar Konstantin Asen. An inscription in the Boyana church The fasade is decorated with rich plastic embellishments of bricks and ceramics The building of the National Museum "Boyana Church" A portrait of Desislava The curch is situated in a beautiful park with centuries-old trees

The contemporary human can hardly imagine the reclusive life in a cave cell and the rites in a rock temple. To get an idea, you should visit the Ivanovski Rock Churches, cut in the vertical limestone walls of the picturesque canyon of the river Rusenski Lom. Down there, on the green meadow, the meanders of the river shine, but up there are temples and cells in the rocks, approachable only with rope and wooden stairs. During the 12th - 14th century a colony of Hesychasts settled this remote and god blessed place. They were followers of the religious-philosophical teaching Hesychasm and chosed the place for ascetic life and self-absorption. The monks turned the natural niches and caves into churches, shrines, and monk cells. Today they number more than 300, 40 of which have cult function. They are united by the big medieval monastery "St. Archangel Michael". The monastery is related to the name of Tsar Georgi Terter who joint the monks and spent the rest of his life there, and to patriarch Joachim I. The Ivanovski Rock Churches are renowned for their unique frescoes. They have been painted by unknown gifted icon-painters and cover the walls of the caves with holy images and Evangelist scenes. There are signs of frescoes in six churches and shrines but the frescoes are best preserved in the church "Sveta Bogoroditsa" (St. Virgin Mary). The frescoes are marvelously painted and cover almost every square meter of the walls and the ceiling of the cave, separated in different fields. Together with scenes of the Holy Week and the life of St. John Baptist, the name of Tsar Ivan Alexander is inscribed as a donor - with a model of the Rock Churches in his hands. The paintings are exquisite, the colours are bright and saturated, the compositions are dynamic, and the images are expressive. Minerals paints and the technique "wet fresco" were used so precisely that time has not destroyed the paintings, despite the cave temple is opened to the whims of the weather. Useful information: The Ivanovski Rock Churches are located near the village Ivanovo, 22 km from Ruse. You can reach Ivanovo by train and then continue on a bus or on foot. Nearby sites for visiting are: the nature preserve "Rusenski Lom", city of Ruse, the medieval fortress Cherven, the cave "Orlova Chuka", the bridge of Kolio Ficheto above Yantra river near Byala. The 12th - 14th century medieval monastery "St Archangel Michael" unites over 300 rock churches, shrines and monastic cells The walls and the ceiling of the rock church are covered with dynamic compositions The images of the saints, monks and hermits are realistic and inspired

Perhaps all tourists visiting Nesebar leave with exciting memories of the picturesque peninsula with narrow, cobblestone-paved streets, the old wooden houses and the multitude of temples. This is one the most beautiful and most ancient cities on the Black Sea coast. A settlement on the naturally protected peninsula, connected by a thin neck to the land, was founded in the 12th century BC. Today there coexist testimonies for the material and spiritual culture of Thracians, Greeks, Byzantines and Bulgarians. City walls, anchors, pottery are preserved from the legendary Melsabria, the city of the Thracian seafarers. After the 6th century BC the city, called Mesambria, became classical Greek polis. Today the remains of massive fortress walls guard the entrance to the city and remind of ancient glory. Large part of the antique city is underwater. Mesambria had two harbours, an agora, an acropolis, temples of Apollo and Zeus, a theatre, and its own currency. The period of the Early Christianity, when Nesebar became Episcopal centre, is represented by monumental basilicas. The most imposing is the Old Bishopric (5th-6th centuries). During the 12th-14th century the city was an important centre of the Bulgarian state. Magnificent churches, small, but very picturesque, with rich polychrome embellished facades were built: St. John Baptist, St. Paraskeva, St. Archangels Michael and Gabriel, Christos Pantokrator, St. Ivan Neosveteni, St. Stephan. Besides the temples, Nesebar owns its unique atmosphere and charm to the old Revival houses, clad in dark wood, narrow streets, and unexpected views. Early Christian basilica Old Bishopial from the 5th-6th century Nesebar is situated on the Nesebar peninsula, 42 km northeast of Burgas. One of the largest Black Sea resorts - Sunny Beach - is to the north. Buses or tourist boats can be taken from Burgas or Varna, where there are airports and railroads. The History Museum of the city offers tour guides. Nearby sites for visiting are: the resorts Sunny Beach, St. Vlas, Eleni, Pomorie, Burgas, and for the ornithologists: the Burgasko, Atanasovsko, Pomoriisko, Mandrensko lakes. Remnants of the fortress wall and the gate of antique Mesebria The narrow streets with the overlooming oriels of the wooden Nesebar houses preserve the spirit of the Revivae Old windmill at the neck to the Nesebar peninsula

This is the largest and most beautiful Bulgarian monastery which more than 10 centuries keeps the light of the Christian faith deep in the Rila Mountain. The history of the monastery is connected to the name of the most venerated Bulgarian saint: the hermit monk Ivan Rilski venerated by other Orthodox nations as well. The monastery was founded in the 10th century by the saint and his students. It is believed this is the first monk sanctuary in the Slav states. It was richly gifted by the Bulgarian tsars in the Middle Ages. During the Ottoman yoke, it became one of the main spiritual and religious centres of the Orthodox Christians in this part of Europe. Sacked several times, destroyed and burned, the monastery has been rebuilt time after time and the chime of the bells has never stopped. Today's outlook is from the beginning of the 19th century - a work of the most talented builders, painters and woodcutters of the time. The oldest preserved building of the monastery is the keep, built in 1342-1343 by the feudal lord Hrelio. Behind the rugged outer walls is hidden, the stately and life-asserting architecture of the complex. Hrelio's Keep and the main monastery church "Sveta Bogoroditsa" (St. Virgin Mary) are situated in the middle of the courtyard. The church (build in 1875) is a unique monument of Bulgarian Revival architecture and art. With a richly decorated fasade, exquisite architectural detail and milticoloured mural decoration that are influenced by the Aton monasteries, but mark a new stage in the religious architecture on the Balkan Peninsula. The marvelous woodcut iconostasis and the frescoes that cover the walls, the domes, and the galleries are done by artists of the Bansko and the Samokov artistic schools. The living quarter wings that surround the monastery courtyard are also picturesque. There are over 3000 monastic cells, 4 shrines, and rooms for pilgrims there. Frescoes in the arcade of the church "Sveta Bogoroditsa" The main monastery church "Sveta Bogoroditsa" rises in the centre of the monastery complex The monastery, hidden in the slopes of Rila Mountain, is protected by massive stone walls with slits The most talented icon-painters and woodcutters of the Bansko and Samokov schools work on the embellishment of the monastery The Rilski monastery is a monument of the Bulgarian spirituality. It has become a centre of culture and education since its founding. There are over 1000 manuscripts and old print books in the library. The Rilski monastery can be reached by bus transport. The closest town is Rila. Nearby sites for visiting are: parts of the monastery complex outside the walls, the Old Hermitage "St. Ivan Rilski", the tomb church "Vavedenie Bogorodichno", the hermitage "St. Luca", the nunneries Pchelino and Orlitsa, the natural preserve "Monastery Wood: and the natural park "Rilski monastery". The Hrelio Keep (1355) is the oldest building of the monastery The splendid woodwork cross is part of the treasures, kept in the museum of the monastery

Only a poet can describe the unique lake Srebarna. The name of the lake comes from the silvery surface of the water and the moonlight over it. The tranquility and the silence are only and illusion because the water and the small islands, overgrown with reed, are full of life. The area of the lake, situated 2 km away of the Danube River is a biosphere preserve. For many centuries this place has sheltered a multitude of birds because it lies on the main "highway" for migrating birds: Via Pontiņa, which goes from North Europe to Central Africa. Some of the birds come there during the summer to nest, others stop to rest on the long way to the warm lands, and the rest are permanent dwellers. One of the most exotic representatives of the bird world is the pelican, especially Pelecanus crispus. This is one of the four places in Europe where they can be seen. Also there, two internationally endangered species can be found: the little cormorant and white-eyed diver, as well as graceful ibises, pink pelicans, various species of herons, geese, river gulls. The great diversity of fauna is not finished with the birds; there are otters, turtles, lake crabs, grass and water snakes, water mice, etc. The flora also has its rare representatives: marsh snowdrops, water lilies, various species of water plants, 11 of which are protected. There is a Natural Science Museum in the preserve. The biosphere preserve Srebarna is located near the village Srebarna, 16 km away of Silistra. Silistra can be reached by train or bus transport; bus transport from the city to the village. Nearby sites for visiting are: Silistra and the Architectural-archeological preserve "Durostorum - Drustur - Silistra", The Silistra tomb, Tutrakan, where you can visit the museum of Danube fishingand boatbuilding and undertake an exciting tour on a boat along the Danube.

One needs not to be a tourist to appraise the beauty of Pirin Mountain. Glorified in the folk songs and legends, Pirin has always been a symbol of the proud Bulgarian spirit. Today part of the mountain is protected and included in the National Park "Pirin". It is alpine, bared rock slopes and ridges, high and sharp peaks reaching for the clouds and covered with snow during most of the year, ice circi where snow glitters even on hot summer days, crystal lakes in which the sky is reflected, called the eyes of Pirin, icy streams and foamy waterfalls. The mountain is unique with its ecosystems and landscape. The white and black firs are emblematic for the forests of Pirin. One of the oldest trees in Bulgaria is there - the Baykusheva Mura (fir) at 1300 years. The circumference of its trunk is nearly 6 m. There are over a hundred rare plants in the mountain. Deer, does, wolves, boars, wild goats, squirrels and other animals dwell there. The wild cats are especially interesting. The National Park "Pirin" is included in the List of national preserves and parks of the UN, in addition to being included in the UNESO list. The starting points for tourism in Pirin are the settlements at the foot of the mountain: Razlog, Dobrinishte, Bansko, and Gotse Delchev, which can be reached with bus transport. Hiking in the higher parts of the mountain requires good equipment, especially on winter routes, and it is mandatory to have an experienced guide. Nearby sites for visiting are: the winter resorts Bansko and Dobrinishte, Blagoevgrad.