The Alexander Nevski Cathedral The St. Alexander Nevski Cathedral is a Bulgarian Orthodox cathedral in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria.

The Alexander Nevski Cathedral Built in Neo-Byzantine style, it serves as the cathedral church of the Patriarch of Bulgaria and is one of the largest Eastern Orthodox cathedrals in the world, as well as one of Sofia's symbols.

The Alexander Nevski Cathedral The Alexander Nevski Cathedral is a cross-domed basilica featuring an emphasized central dome.

The Alexander Nevski Cathedral The cathedral's gold-plated dome is 45 m high, with the bell tower reaching 50.52 m. The temple has 12 bells with total weight of 23 tons, the heaviest weighing 12 tons and the lightest 10 kg.

The Alexander Nevski Cathedral The interior is decorated with Italian marble in various colours, Brazilian onyx, alabaster, and other luxurious materials. The central dome has the Lord’s Prayer inscribed around it with thin gold letters.

The Alexander Nevski Cathedral The Cathedral was built between 1904 and 1912. The construction and decoration were done by a team of Bulgarian, Russian, Austro-Hungarian and other European artists, architects and workers.

The Alexander Nevski Cathedral The marble parts and the lighting fixtures were created in Munich, the metal elements for the gates in Berlin, while the gates themselves were manufactured in Karl Bamberg's factory in Vienna, and the mosaics were shipped from Venice.

The Alexander Nevski Cathedral The St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral was proclaimed a monument of culture on 12 September, 1924.

The Alexander Nevski Cathedral There is a museum of Bulgarian icons inside the cathedral crypt, part of the National Art Gallery. The church claims that the museum contains the largest collection of Orthodox icons in Europe.

The Alexander Nevski Cathedral The St. Alexander Nevski Cathedral in Sofia occupies an area of 3170 m² and can take 5,000 people inside.

Tsarevets Tsarevets was the Second Bulgarian Empire’s primary fortress and strongest bulwark from 1185 to 1393, housing the royal and the patriarchal palaces.

Tsarevets Tsarevets is located on a hill with the same name in Veliko Turnovo – the medieval capital of Bulgaria. It is situated about 220 km north-east of Sofia and 130 km north-east of our town of Sopot.

Tsarevets The earliest evidence of human presence on the hill dates from the 2nd millennium B.C. It was settled in the 4th century and a Byzantine fortress was constructed near the end of the 5th century.

Tsarevets The construction of the Bulgarian stronghold was begun in 12th century. After the establishment of the Second Bulgarian Empire with its capital in Veliko Tarnovo, the fortress became the most important one in Bulgaria, often compared with Rome and Constantinople in magnificence.

Tsarevets The whole stronghold is girdled by thick walls (reaching up to 3,6 m) and was served by three gates. The main gate was at the hill's westernmost part, on a narrow rock massif, and featured a draw-bridge.

Tsarevets The palace is located on the hill's central and plain part, which was a closed complex encircled by a fortified wall, 2 towers and 2 entrances, a main one from the north and one from the south. It featured a throne room, a palace church and a royal residential part and encompassed 4872 m².

Tsarevets On the top of the hill is the patriarchate, a complex with an area of about 3000 m².

Tsarevets The Baldwin's Tower is located in the southeastern part of the fortress. Here the Latin Emperor Baldwin I of Constantinople found his death as a prisoner of Tsar Kaloyan of Bulgaria.

Tsarevets During the Middle Ages, residential buildings, craftsman's workshops and numerous churches and monasteries were situated on the slopes of the Tsarevets hill. Archaeologists have discovered 400 residential buildings, differentiated in quarters, over 22 churches and 4 monasteries.

Tsarevets The Sound and Light audiovisual show is an attraction carried out in the evening that uses three lasers, variegated lights, dramatic music and church bells to tell the story of the fall of Turnovo to the Ottomans, as well as other key moments of the history of Bulgaria.

The Old Plovdiv The Renaissance town of Old Plovdiv is a unique architectural ensemble situated on three hills in the heart of Plovdiv – the second biggest city in Bulgaria.

The Old Plovdiv Plovdiv is situated 130 km east of the capital Sofia and just 60 km south of our town Sopot

The Old Plovdiv Plovdiv is one of the oldest centers of European civilization - older than Rome and Athens and a contemporary of Troy and Mycenae.

The Old Plovdiv The Old Town of Plovdiv is a historic preservation site known for its Bulgarian Renaissance architectural style.

The Old Plovdiv The Old Town covers the area of the three central hills – Nebet Tepe, Dzhambaz Tepe and Taksim Tepe.

The Old Plovdiv Almost every house in the Old Town has its characteristic exterior and interior decoration.

The Old Plovdiv

The Old Plovdiv The most remarkable landmark of the Old Plovdiv rising above the city is the Antique Amphitheatre built by Emperor Mark Aurelius during the II century A.D.

The Old Plovdiv The Amphitheatre is the biggest and the best preserved building of that time in Bulgaria

The Old Plovdiv The Amphitheatre magnificent arcade adorned with marble statues is simply breath-taking.

The Old Plovdiv Variety of cultural events are still performed on the Amphitheatre stage on warm summer nights.

The Old Plovdiv The Renaissance town of Old Plovdiv was built during the 19th century. Its houses reveal the remarkable urban culture of the Bulgarian builders, as well as their sense of harmony and their creative power.

The Old Plovdiv The houses here belonged to the most prominent and the richest Bulgarians of that times. Turkish, Arabian, Jewish and Romanian merchants also owned houses on the hills of the Old Plovdiv.

The Old Plovdiv Today The Old Plovdiv is an autonomous area within the modern town with a municipality of its own. It is declared an architectural museum reserve with over 150 monuments of culture. It is expected The Old town of Plovdiv to become an UNESCO World Heritage site very soon.

The Old Plovdiv Nowadays most of the magnificent houses are turned into museums, galleries, workshops, restaurants, and pubs. There are also parlours and studios of painters and wood-carvers.

Shipka Memorial The Shipka Memorial is a memorial to those who died for the Liberation of Bulgaria during the Battles of Shipka in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878

Shipka Memorial Shipka Memorial is located on Stoletov peak in Stara Planina (The Balkan Mountain), central Bulgaria, about 200 km east of the capital Sofia and 70 km east of our town of Sopot.

Shipka Memorial The Shipka Monument was opened with a ceremony in 1934 and designed by architect Atanas Donkov and sculptor Aleksandar Andreev.

Shipka Memorial The monument is a 31.5 m high stone tower in the form of a truncated pyramid. A giant bronze lion, 8 m long and 4 m high, stands above the entrance to the tower, and represents the victory over the Ottoman forces.

Shipka Monument A marble sarcophagus housing some of the remains of the Russian, Bulgarian, Romanian and Finnish casualties is located on the first floor. There are four other floors where one can find replica of Bulgarian military flags and other relics, and the top of the tower reveals a panorama of Shipka Peak and the surrounding area.

Shipka Memorial Shipka Memorial Church is a Bulgarian Orthodox church built near the town of Shipka in The Balkan Mountain between 1885 and 1902. It is, together with the other parts of the Shipka Monument complex, dedicated to the Russian, Romanian, Finnish and Bulgarian soldiers who died for the liberation of Bulgaria in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878.

Shipka Memorial The church's bell tower reaches a height of 53 m and its bells, the heaviest of which weighs 12 tons, were cast from the cartridges that were collected after the battles.

Shipka Memorial In the temple itself, the names of the Russian regiments and Bulgarian volunteers are inscribed on 34 marble plates. The remains of the perished are laid in 17 stone sarcophagi in the church's crypt.

Shipka Memorial

Rila Monastery The Monastery of Sveti Ivan Rilski (St. John of Rila), better known as the Rila Monastery is the largest and most famous Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria

Rila Monastery It is situated in the northwestern Rila Mountain – the highest mountain on the Balkan peninsula, 117 km south of the capital Sofia and 230 km south-east of our town of Sopot, in the deep valley of the Rilska River at an elevation of 1,147 m above sea level.

Rila Monastery The Rila Monastery was founded by the hermit Sveti Ivan Rilski, whose name it bears, during the rule of Tsar Petar I (927-968). The hermit actually lived in a cave without any material possessions not far from the monastery's location, while the complex was built by his followers, who came to the mountains to receive their education.

Rila Monastery Sveti Ivan Rilski (876-946) is considered the patron saint of Bulgaria and Bulgarian people, and he is venerated widely both in his native country as well as among the Bulgarian diaspora abroad.

Rila Monastery The Rila Monastery is regarded as one of Bulgaria's most important cultural, historical and architectural monuments. It is also a key tourist attraction in Bulgaria and Southeastern Europe as a whole.

Rila Monastery The first Rila monastery buildings were erected in the 10-th century. Large donations were made by almost every tsar of the Second Bulgarian Empire making the monastery a cultural and spiritual centre of Bulgarian national consciousness that reached its apogee from the 12th to the 14th century.

Rila Monastery The monastery complex, regarded as one of the foremost masterpieces of Bulgarian National Revival architecture, was declared a national historical monument in 1976 and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.

Rila Monastery The museum of the Rila Monastery is particularly famous for housing Rafail’s Cross, a wooden cross made from a whole piece of wood (81×43 cm). It was whittled down by a monk named Rafail using fine burins and magnifying lenses to recreate 104 religious scenes and 650 miniature figures. Work on this piece of art lasted not less than 12 years before it was completed in 1802, when the monk lost his sight.

Sveti Ivan Rilski (876-946) Rila Monastery Panoramic view

Rila Monastery