Category: Bulgaria - GoBalkans - cultural tours in the Balkans

#Bulgarian #wines - read the article on the American Sommelier Journal

30/9/2014

Bulgarian wines — along with those of other #Balkan nations — are just emerging on the market. And unlike the cheap and cheerful exports of the 1980s, which consisted primarily of international varieties and gained little traction, the nouvelle vague now reaching our shores will showcase local grapes at higher, well-merited price tags.

By Christy Canterbury, MW

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Kazanlak: The Rose Festival #2014 #RoseValley

18/2/2014

The Rosa #Damascena, known as the Damask or Castile rose, is the greatest treasure in the region of Kazanlak. The rose was imported into Bulgaria centuries ago, and today it is one of the nation’s symbols. Under the influence of the country’s unique climate and soil, this rose gradually developed into a #Bulgarian strain distinct from Damask roses elsewhere.
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. The first official records of rose oil exports refer to trade with Germany and Austro-Hungary beginning in 1771.
The #Museum of Roses was founded in 1984 with the help of the city’s Museum of History. The exhibits are arranged in three separate halls, and in include original photographs and documents related to the cultivation of roses during the Bulgarian Age of Awakening (18th -19th centuries) and in the 20th century. There is a display of tools used to cultivate the rose gardens, along with vessels used to store and transport rose oil and rosewater. The museum had been pleased with the unstinting interest shown by both Bulgarian and international tourists. More can be learned about the region’s rose cultivation at the Kulata Ethnographic Complex, which is just a kilometer from the city center. Here visitors can arrange in advance to observe the practice of traditional local customs and sample food and drink made from Kazanlak roses.
These days the rose harvest is one of the most important activities in the Valley of the Roses, undertaken with great ceremony.

The Festival of the Roses is one of the most notable Bulgarian holidays, festooned with the beautiful roses in bloom. The festival was first held in 1903, and it has become a tradition to hold it the first weekend in June, since this is when the Kazanlak roses bloom. The festival has become an international attraction, when the city is glad to host thousands of guests. The festival program includes the crowning of the Rose Queen and the ritual gathering and distilling of roses. There are other celebrations, such as a carnival and the international folk festival “Youth of the #Balkans.”
The town of #Kazanlak is located in the center of Bulgaria, in the western part of the Kazanlak basin. The town’s population is around 82,000. Kazanlak is the center of the Valley of the Roses, the home of the Thracian kings, and an attractive tourist destination. The country’s largest and best preserved Thracian tombs are found here, and they are included among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, along with the Museum of Roses. There are two nature reserves and five protected areas in the vicinity of Kazanlak, preserving natural wonders and age-old forests. The town neighbors on the largest and stunningly beautiful reserve in the Stara Planina mountain range, Dzhendema, which is part of the Central Balkans National Park. The park extends almost to the Kazanlak’s western town limits.

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#Tour alla scoperta della #Bulgaria 24 aprile - 1 maggio

20/1/2014

1 g. ITALIA – SOFIA 24.4 giovedì
Arrivo a Sofia. Visita di Sofia*, capitale della Bulgaria e una delle più belle capitali balcaniche dove si potranno ammirare la piazza Narodno Sabranie, dalla quale ha inizio il centro cittadino, che deve il nome all’edificio dell’Assemblea Nazionale in stile neoclassico del XIX secolo. La cattedrale Aleksander Nevski, voluta per commemorare la liberazione dal giogo turco da parte delle armate russe, che rappresenta,per le sue dimensioni, il più grande tempio ortodosso della penisola balcanica e la chiesa di Santa Sofia, Sistemazione in hotel. Cena e pernottamento.
* Per gli arrivi serali la visità sarà spostata all'ultimo giorno.

2 g. SOFIA – BACHKOVO – PLOVDIV (200 km) 25.4 venerdì
Prima colazione. Partenza per visitare il Monastero di Bachkovo. Costruito nel 1083, questo monastero è conosciuto principalmente per l’originale forma architettonica e per i tesori e le collezioni di libri che custodisce. E’ considerato per importanza, il secondo monastero della Bulgaria. Arrivo a Plovdiv. Visita della parte moderna del centro: lo Stadio Romano, la Moschea ed il centro culturale Trakart che espone splendidi mosaici e reperti archeologici ritrovati nella zona. Pensione completa.

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3 g. PLOVDIV – KARANOVO – NESSEBAR (300 km) 26.4 sabato
Prima colazione. Visita di Plovdiv vecchia: un intero quartiere fatto di antichi edifici realizzati nello stile definito il “barocco di Plovdiv”. Seguendo le strade ciottolose che si sviluppano lungo questa collina si potranno ammirare le tante abitazioni che per decenni hanno ospitato le più importanti famiglie della città. Oggi, una di queste case, costruita nel 1847, ospita lo splendido Museo etnografico. A poca distanza si trova la chiesa SS. Costantino ed Elena costruita nel 1832. Visita del Teatro romano (da fuori). Partenza verso il Mar Nero con sosta a Karanovo per visitare una delle più recenti ed interessanti scoperte archeologiche della Bulgaria – un tumulo che contiene tra gli altri oggetti un calesse intero con dei cavalli, parte del ricchissimo corredo funebre di un aristocratico tracio dei primi secoli d.C. Arrivo a Nessebar. Sistemazione in hotel. Pensione completa.

4 g. NESSEBAR – VARNA – MADARA – VELIKO TARNOVO (350 km) 27.4 domenica
Prima colazione. Visita di Nessebar, cittadina posta sotto la protezione dell’Unesco in quanto il luogo più ricco di testimonianze storiche di tutta la costa di Mar Nero. Si incontrano in rapida successione le chiese del Pantocrator, di San Giovanni Battista e del Redentore. Partenza per Varna – la capitale marittima della Bulgaria. Visita del Museo Archeologico ed il centro città. Partenza per visitare il Cavaliere nella roccia di Madara – monumento protetto dall’Unesco. Arrivo a Veliko Tarnovo. Sistemazione in hotel. Pensione completa.

5 g. VELIKO TARNOVO – ARBANASSI – ETARA – KAZANLAK (120 km) 28.4 lunedì
Prima colazione. Visita del Monte Tzarevez di Veliko Tarnov dove ancora oggi sono tangibili le testimonianze della grandezza del Secondo Regno bulgaro e il quartiere degli artigiani. visita di Arbanassi, un piccolo villaggio che ospitava le famiglie borghesi di Veliko Tarnovo. Qui si visitano la medioevale Chiesa della Natività, famosa per gli splendidi interni interamente affrescati, e la casa museo Kostanzaliev. Questo grande edificio venne costruito nel secolo XVIII da un ricco mercante della zona. Proseguimento per il villaggio-museo all'aperto Etara con spettacolo “Rito Matrimoniale”. Breve sosta alla Chiesa della Natività di Shipka, situata in mezzo al verde della Stara Planina. Costruita nel secolo XIX, si presenta nello stile delle chiese di Mosca del secolo XVII. Arrivo a Kazanlak. Pensione completa.

6 g. KAZANLAK – KOPRIVSHTIZA – KREMIKOVZI – SOFIA (220 km) 29.4 martedì
Prima colazione. Visita di Kazanlak, visita della famosa Tomba Tracia (protetta dall'UNESCO) risalente a circa 4000 anni fa ed il Museo etnografico dove sono esposti alcuni macchinari d'epoca per la lavorazione dei petali di rose. Degustazione di grappa “rosaliika” e marmellata di rose. Partenza per Koprivshtiza. Visita del centro storico di questa cittadina che ospita alcune tra le più belle case storiche di tutta la Bulgaria. Ancora oggi, di queste case costruite interamente in legno tra il 1700 ed il 1800 ne esistono più di sessanta. Visita alla Chiesa della Vergine (Uspenie Bogirodichino) e due delle case – museo. Prima dell'arrivo a Sofia, sosta per visitare il Monastero di Kremikovzi che venne fondato durante il XIV secolo, sotto il regno di zar Ivan Alexandar. In quell’epoca vennero eretti intorno a Sofia 14 nuovi complessi monastici. Distrutto nel 1332 venne poi ricostruito nel 1493, l’anno in cui fu eretta anche la Chiesa di San Giorgio il cui interno contiene affreschi di straordinario valore, una specie di galleria di capolavori creati da artisti dalla grande scuola d’arte di Tarnovo: il colore è solenne e armonioso, il tratto elegante, le figure plastiche e vitali. Sistemazione in hotel a Sofia. Pensione completa.

7 g. SOFIA – RILA – SOFIA (250 km) 30.4 mercoledì
Prima colazione e trasferimento nella periferia della capitale per visitare la Chiesa di Boyana ed il Museo storico nazionale. Questa chiesa, inserita in un parco di alberi secolari, rappresenta uno straordinario ed unico esempio dell’architettura ecclesiastica medioevale dell’area balcanica. Costruita nel secolo X, presenta alcuni affreschi risalenti al secolo XIII che per la tecnica adottata costituiscono una anticipazione degli innovativi temi stilistico – esecutivi della grande pittura italiana. Proseguimento verso il Monastero di Rila considerato il più importante monastero dei Balcani. Fondato nel secolo X, questo monastero ha rappresentato per secoli un fondamentale punto di riferimento culturale del Paese ed uno dei principali centri del Cristianesimo Ortodosso. Pranzo in ristorante. Ritorno a Sofia. Cena e pernottamento.

8 g. SOFIA – ITALIA 1.5 giovedì
Prima colazione. Eventuale approfondimento della visita di Sofia. Trasferimento in aeroporto, partenza per l’Italia.

#Luovre: The #Thracian #treasure goes on display

14/1/2014

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The 264 unique gold adornments of the trove found near the village of Sveshtari go on display today at the National Archaeological Museum in downtown Sofia.

The unique Thracian treasure, discovered in the famous Sveshtari tomb in Bulgaria, has become extremely popular. It has even surpassed in popularity the news about the US presidential election and Obama’s victory. According to Bulgaria’s Culture Minister, Vezhdi Rashidov, the Louvre has already offered one of its largest and central halls for the exhibit of the treasure, in a large display of Thracian culture.

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The exhibition at the Louvre will open 2014. As for the “home” of the treasure, it is not clear yet whether the treasure will become part of the permanent exhibition of the National Archaeological Museum of Sofia.

The treasure includes golden horse harness decorations, bracelets, buttons, a ring and a tiara, dated between the late 4th and early 3rd century BC. As head of the archaeological team excavating at the ancient burial complex site, Diana Gergova, said, these are amazing findings from the apogee of the rule of the Thracian tribe of Getae, which became one of the dominant political forces in the Balkans.

“From what we see up to now, the tomb may be linked with the forst known Getic ruler Cothelas” the archaeologist also said. The team believes that the site may be connected to the funeral of Cothela, one of the father-in-laws of Philip II of Macedon, Alexander the Great’s father.

by Archaeology Newsroom - Wednesday, 14 November 2012

#World #Heritage List #UNESCO: sites located in the area of the #Balkans: #BULGARIA

16/12/2013

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#Boyana #Church Is located on the outskirts of Sofia, Boyana Church consists of three buildings. The eastern church was built in the 10th century, then enlarged at the beginning of the 13th century by Sebastocrator Kaloyan, who ordered a second two storey building to be erected next to it. The frescoes in this second church, painted in 1259, make it one of the most important collections of medieval paintings. The ensemble is completed by a third church, built at the beginning of the 19th century. This site is one of the most complete and perfectly preserved monuments of east European medieval art.

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#Rila #Monastery was founded in the 10th century by St John of Rila, a hermit canonized by the Orthodox Church. His ascetic dwelling and tomb became a holy site and were transformed into a monastic complex which played an important role in the spiritual and social life of medieval Bulgaria. Destroyed by fire at the beginning of the 19th century, the complex was rebuilt between 1834 and 1862. A characteristic example of the Bulgarian Renaissance (18th–19th centuries), the monument symbolizes the awareness of a Slavic cultural identity following centuries of occupation.

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#Madara #Rider representing the figure of a knight triumphing over a lion, is carved into a 100-m-high cliff near the village of Madara in north-east Bulgaria. Madara was the principal sacred place of the First Bulgarian Empire before Bulgaria’s conversion to Christianity in the 9th century. The inscriptions beside the sculpture tell of events that occurred between AD 705 and 801.

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#Nessebar #Ancient City
Situated on a rocky peninsula on the Black Sea, the more than 3,000-year-old site of Nessebar was originally a Thracian settlement (Menebria). At the beginning of the 6th century BC, the city became a Greek colony. The city’s remains, which date mostly from the Hellenistic period, include the acropolis, a temple of Apollo, an agora and a wall from the Thracian fortifications. Among other monuments, the Stara Mitropolia Basilica and the fortress date from the Middle Ages, when this was one of the most important Byzantine towns on the west coast of the Black Sea. Wooden houses built in the 19th century are typical of the Black Sea architecture of the period.

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#Sveshtari Thracian Tomb
Discovered in 1982 near the village of Sveshtari, this 3rd-century BC Thracian tomb reflects the fundamental structural principles of Thracian cult buildings. The tomb has a unique architectural decor, with polychrome half-human, half-plant caryatids and painted murals. The 10 female figures carved in high relief on the walls of the central chamber and the decoration of the lunette in its vault are the only examples of this type found so far in the Thracian lands. It is a remarkable reminder of the culture of the Getes, a Thracian people who were in contact with the Hellenistic and Hyperborean worlds, according to ancient geographers.

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#Srebarna Nature Reserve
is a freshwater lake adjacent to the Danube and extending over 600 ha. It is the breeding ground of almost 100 species of birds, many of which are rare or endangered. Some 80 other bird species migrate and seek refuge there every winter. Among the most interesting bird species are the Dalmatian pelican, great egret, night heron, purple heron, glossy ibis and white spoonbill.

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#Kazanlak #Thracian Tomb
Discovered in 1944, this tomb dates from the Hellenistic period, around the end of the 4th century BC. It is located near Seutopolis, the capital city of the Thracian king Seutes III, and is part of a large Thracian necropolis. The tholos has a narrow corridor and a round burial chamber, both decorated with murals representing Thracian burial rituals and culture.These paintings are Bulgaria’s best -preserved artistic masterpieces from the Hellenistic period.

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#Ivanovo #Rock - Hewn Churches
In the valley of the Roussenski Lom River, in north east Bulgaria, a complex of rock-hewn churches, chapels, monasteries and cells developed in the vicinity of the village of Ivanovo. This is where the first hermits had dug out their cells and churches during the 12th century. The 14th-century murals testify to the exceptional skill of the artists belonging to the Tarnovo School of painting.

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#Pirin National Park Spread over an area of over 27,000 ha, at an altitude between 1008 and 2914 m in the Pirin Mountains, southwest Bulgaria, the site comprises diverse limestone mountain landscapes with glacial lakes, waterfalls, caves and predominantly coniferous forests. It was added to the World Heritage List in 1983. The extension now covers an area of around 40,000 ha in the Pirin Mountains, and overlaps with the Pirin National Park, except for two areas developed for tourism (skiing). The dominant part of the extension is high mountain territory over 2000m in altitude, and covered mostly by alpine meadows, rocky screes and summits.

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Troyan #Mountain #Restaurants

5/12/2013

"Shkembe chorba"

Kaizer restaurant, village Oreshaka

Discovered #ancient #tomb near Razgrad #Bulgaria

5/12/2013

Another finding was found by #archaeologist Professor Diana Gergova in hill, located next to #Sveshtarska Grand Mound, wrote ekip7.bg. These are typical of the tomb of the #Getae type, which is dug into the ground and has a solid lining with stones and oak beams.

http://www.blitz.bg/news/article/235251

#Sunset On The #Road :)

28/10/2013

#Varna today

27/10/2013

Tales from the Pliocene, the lost #world of the #mastodons

29/9/2013

A new museum near the Dorkovo Village presents Bulgaria as it was five million years ago — both with pictures and sound. On 19th of September the President of Bulgaria, Mr Rosen Plevneliev, will reveal the new museum called 'Palaentological locality — Dorkovo Village'.

Today, after almost 30 years since the first Bulgarian-French paleontological excavations, organised by the National Museum of Natural History, the field around the Dorkovo Village is famous with palaeontologists around Europe as an important milestone, marking the beginning of the Pliocene geological era in Eastern Europe.

The collaborative work of the scientists from the National Museum of Natural History and elite painters and restorers made it possible for visitors of the museum to see real mastodon, surrounded by a Pliocene forest, throughout which the screams of monkeys can be heard as well as the trample of the ancient Hipparion horse. The exposition includes a landscape diorama, restored sculptures of ancient animals, representing the nature of Bulgaria and the Balkan Peninsula as it was five million years ago. There is also a showcase of unique fossils as well as reconstructed excavations. The main attraction is the four metres tall sculpture of the mastodon Anancus, created by the 'Simeon Stoilov Studio', and the ten metres tall diorama, painted by the painter-animalist from the Field Museum, Chicago, Velizar Simeonovski

http://www.nmnhs.com/13091701-news_en.html