624 SOUTH EASTERN EUROPE

For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp636–8 and pp639–41

P Sarafkina House

ul. Gen. Gurko 88. Tel (062) 626

6954. 
      

      9am–noon & 1–6pm

      
      

      Tue–Sat. &
      With stone walls below and
      whitewashed walls above,
      Church of Sveti Nikola, built by the 19th-century architect Kolyo Ficheto shuttered windows and a tiled

      
      

P Asenid Monument

Asenovtsi Park.

Unveiled in 1985 to mark the

800th anniversary of the foun-

ding of the Second Bulgarian

Kingdom, this monument fea-

tures a mighty sword, with the

figures of Asen, Petûr, Ivan

Asen II and Kaloyan, the four

tsars who ruled the kingdom

from 1185 to 1241. The monu-

ment is an excellent point

from which to admire the

city’s old houses, precariously

perched on the cliffs opposite.

P House of the Little Monkey
ul. Vûstanicheska 14. ¢ to
the public.
This house, one of many in
Veliko Tûrnovo designed by
the great local architect Kolyo
Ficheto, dates from 1849. It
is set on a hillside, with the
ground floor acces sible at
street level, and entrances to
the two upper floors at the
rear. It features a pair of bay
windows, attract ive red-and-
white brickwork, and a tiny
statue of a monkey that gives
the house its name.

P Samovodska Charshiya
Varosh quarter.
In the 19th century,
Samovodska Charshiya deve-
loped into a thriving bazaar,
with stalls, workshops and a
caravanserai for visiting mer-
chants. It is located in the
pleasant historic Varosh quar-
ter of the city, which rises
steeply above the Old Town.
The attractive stone houses
that line the bazaar’s narrow

R Church of Sts Cyril and

Methodius

ul. Slaveykov, Varosh quarter.

# 8am–7pm daily. 5

Built by Kolyo Ficheto in 1860,

this church lost its dome and

belfry dur ing an earthquake

in 1913. A curved wooden

balcony at the back of the

E Art Gallery

Asenovtsi Park. Tel (062) 638 941.

# 10am–6pm Tue–Sun. & 8

Nov–Feb: 10am–5pm.

Bulgarian paintings of

the 19th and 20th centuries

make up this fine collection.

Charcoal landscapes by

Boris Denev fill much of

the ground floor, while the

upper rooms hold works

by Dimitûr Kazakov, with

sharply outlined figures in

abstract composi tions. Some

monu mental works are

Veliko Tûrnovo in the Past

(1981) by Naiden Petkov

and People Say Goodbye to

Patriarch Evtimii (1969)

by Svetlin Rusev.

With a picturesque hillside setting, fine architecture
and a wealth of historic sights, Veliko
Tûrnovo is one of Bulgaria’s most beautiful
cities. Tall, narrow houses teeter on sheer
cliffs that rise high above the meandering
Yantra river, while to the east are the ruins
of the majestic fortress of Tsarevets (see
pp626–7). The city has a proud his tory as
the mighty capital of the Second Kingdom
(1185–1393), and later as the seat of liber-
ated Bulgaria’s first National Assembly.
By day, Veliko Tûrnovo bustles with a
mix of locals, students and visitors. After dark, the
focus switches to the city’s lively bars and clubs.

Veliko Tûrnovo 0

Велико Търново

Detail of the

Asenid Monument

R Church of Sveti Nikola

ul. Shipka, Varosh quarter.

# 8am–7pm daily. 5

Kolyo Ficheto’s design for

this church features a sim ple

stone exterior and a red-tiled

roof. The iconostasis, with

dragons, eagles and a central

sun motif lighting the church’s

gloomy interior, is a stunning

example of the work of the

Tryavna School, Bulgaria’s

oldest school of icon painting.

The bishop’s throne has an

alle gorical carv ing of a dragon

(Turkey) attacking a lion

(Bulgaria) that is being

suffocated by a snake (the

Greek-speaking priesthood).

An outdoor café in Samovodska

Charshiya, Varosh quarter

cobbled streets are now

occupied by souvenir shops

selling local craft items.

church was designed

for the segregation of

female worshippers.