Veliko Turnovo is a city found at the north central region of Bulgaria, situated on the river Yantra, which is a right tributary of the Danube, as well as winds through the elevations of Turnovo and the hills of Trapezitsa, Tsarevets, and Sveta Gora. It is located 241 kilometers northeast of Sofia. The city has a population of 101,815, and serves as the administrative center of the Veliko Turnovo province. This picturesque Bulgarian town is well-known as the historical capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire, where in, many visitors are attracted to its unique architecture.Veliko Turnovo is one of Bulgaria’s oldest settlements with a history stretching for over five millennia. Found in the town and its outskirts are traces of settlement dating back to the late Paleolithic to the Bronze and Iron Ages. During the middle ages, between the 12th and 14th centuries, Veliko Turnovo grew into the strongest Bulgarian fortification of its time. It was also the most important political, economic, cultural, and religious center of the Byzantine Empire. By the end of the 14th century, the town was captured and burned by the Ottoman Empire, burning down medieval Bulgaria, towns and villages, monasteries, and churches. The town, however, became the center for the struggles for liberation against the Ottoman rule. The Turnovo uprisings failed to free Bulgaria, leaving the town and the rest of present-day Bulgaria under the Ottoman rule until the 19th century. The first constitution of the Bulgarian state, liberated in 1878, was ratified by the first National Assembly who had convened in Veliko Turnovo. The ratification of the Turnovo Constitution resulted in the transfer of Parliament from Tarnovgrad to Sofia, where it remains today as the Bulgarian capital.
Veliko Turnovo has long been Bulgaria’s foremost tourist destination. With its rich history and the different civilizations that had left their mark, the city boasts of a wealth of historical monuments and landmarks that are among the well-preserved in the region. One of its most significant monuments is the Saint Demerius of Thessaloniki Church, which is a medieval structure found in Asenova Mahala. The architectural style of this structure reflects the picturesque styles of the Second Bulgarian kingdom. The church had also been a witness to many milestones in the history of the country, such as the declaration of the uprising of Asen and Petur agaist the Turks for the restoration of the Bulgarian state. In the following years, the church became the site of the coronation ceremonies of the next tsars of the Asens’ dynasty.
Another important historical structure is the medieval Saint Peter and Paul Church. Featuring a picturesque style, this cruciform church boasts of facades decorated with arched niches, glazed cups, and for-pedaled flowers. This had been the somber site of a massacre of the Turnovo notables when the Ottoman Turks seized the town in 1393.
The medieval Church of the Forty Holy Martyrs, built in the 12th century during the reign of Tsar Kaloyan, is a late Basilica that features ceramic-plastic decorations on its façade andmural paintings. Found on one of the churche’s columns is a dug-in inscription on the history of the construction of the church known as the Turnovo Inscription of Tsar Ivan Asen II. During the Ottoman rule, the church was turned into Muslim monastery and mosque. Upon the liberation from the Turks, the liberation of Bulgaria was declared in the church.
Found within veliko Turnovo are numerous Bulgarian National revival buildings that somewhat feature the same typical architectural style. First of these is the Sts. Constantine and Helena Church, which is a Bulgarian National revival church built by master Kolyo Ficheto in 1873. Its most remarkable features are the in form arches that cover the separate areas. The striking eastern façade features these in form arches.
Another historical structure built by Kolyo Ficheto is the Hadzhi Nikoli Han, which is a Bulgarian National revival Inns. It comprises of several buildings, the most original is the design of a three-storey building at the far end of the yard.
Other prominent Bulgarian National revival structures and monuments found in the city include the museum of The Bulgarian Revival, the Old Town Hall where in the Constituent National Assembly had its first session, Samovodska Charshia which is an old trade street that sheltered skillful craftsmen through the revival period, and the Gurko street that features unique illustrations of the Bulgarian Revival architectural style.
The historical sites in Veliko Turnovo are most certainly not concentrated on monuments and buildings alone. Tsarevets, which is a historical hill, found in the eastern part of the city, is the location where the capital residences of the tsar, the boyars, and the patriarch were erected during the 7th century. During the 4th to the 6th centuries, Tsarevets was a site of a formidable fortress surrounded by two fortified walls enforced by battle towers and flying buttresses. Found on the central plateau of the hill is the palace compound, which is a separate fortress, surrounded by fortified walls.
Another historical hill is Trapezitsa, wherein together with Tsarevets, comprised the inner part of the Bulgarian capital during the 12th to 14th centuries. It is also fortified with a fortress wall.
Veliko Turnovo’s location, the preserved architecture in the old part of the city, in combination with all the modern conveniences of a present-day city, complemented by a remarkable nature, gives this city its unique appeal and the prerequisites for tourism development. Indeed, Veliko Turnovo and the region that surrounds it are amongst the top ten most frequented tourist destinations in Eastern Europe. Veliko Turnovo is also third most attractive tourist destination in the country, following sea resorts and ski resorts.
The city’s strong attraction to tourists, no matter the time of the year, makes it the most favorable location to invest in the property holiday market as it has an enormous probability to provide good rental returns. Properties near the city are priced at 20,000 to 100,000 pounds sterling. Prices of residential houses vary, such as a small bungalow is tagged at 5000 pounds, while a small bungalow is priced at 20,000 pounds. A small house needing some renovations is priced at 70,000, while a large family house in good condition and with land is tagged at 120,000pounds.
Additional reasons for the attractiveness of investing in Veliko Turnovo properties include the city’s position, wherein the city is found within the short distance from the Bulgarian cities of Sofia, Varna, Bourgas, and Plovdiv; and the advantages afforded by the developed traffic infrastructure of the region, particularly that of provided by the international airport in Gorna.