THE BULGARIAN CONTRIBUTION TO THE WORLD HERITAGE
For several decades now, UNESCO has been putting enormous efforts into its
attempts to preserve the planet's most valuable cultural and natural heritage.
The UNESCO List of World Heritage now features over 300 landmarks.
Nine Bulgarian wonders - seven cultural and two natural sites - are included
among them:
BOYANA CHURCH
Located at the foot of the Vitosha Mountain in the Sofia suburb of Boyana, this
medieval church carefully protects its precious treasure – its 750 years-old
frescoes. Even today, more than seven centuries later, these murals still stun
visitors with their beauty, expressiveness and life-like expressions. Along with
the figures of saints and martyrs, the artist, zograph Vassilii, has painted the
figures of the church patrons – Kaloyan and Dessislava, and of the royal couple
– King Constantine and Queen Irina. These genuine masterpieces of 13th
century painting, created 200 years before the European Renaissance, denote a
remarkable peak in Eastern Christian Art.
MADARA HORSEMAN
The Madara Horseman is situated in a very unusual place - a plateau rising in
the middle of a plain which, when viewed from the west, resembles a petrified
waterfall.
The figure of a majestic horseman, piercing a lion with his spear, is carved into
the sheer rock at a hight of 23 meters. The scene symbolizes a military triumph.
The monument is dated back to 710 AD and is one of its kind in Europe.
Magnificent in design and execution, the Madara Horseman is a grandiose
message from the early Middle Ages.
RILA MONASTERY
The most impressive monument from the Bugarian National Revival period rises
amidst the rugged beauty of the Rila Mountain, just 120 km from Sofia.
Founded in the 10th century, several times destroyed and rebuilt, the Rila
monastery has survived the times with the self-confidence of the most zealous
guard of the Bulgarian spirit and language. Today it still fascinates its visitors
with the pure and harmonious line of the buildings' exquisite colonnades, arches
and vaults, the spacious rooms richly decorated with murals and the marvelous
gold-plated iconostasis. The monastery's most treasured historic and artistic
monuments include the 14th century Hrelyu Tower, the five-domed Birth of the
Blessed Virgin Church and the intriguing monastery kitchen from the 19th
century. The monastery also houses a rich museum collection of valuable old
manuscripts and documents, charters and icons, an ethnographic exhibition of
fabrics, jewelry, carpets and wrought iron objects, and a library containing more
than 16,000 books. In 1983 Rila Monastery was included in the UNESCO List
of World Heritage
NESEBAR MUSEUM TOWN
Situated on a small peninsula (in the immediate vicinity of the large seaside
resort of Sunny Beach), one of the oldest towns in Europe still keeps the spirit of
different ages and peoples - Thracians, Hellenes, Romans, Slavs, Byzantines and
Bulgarians. Nesebar is sometimes said to be the town with the highest number of
churches per capita. Although this might not be true, their number and variety is
impressive: the Old Bishopric or the Church of St. Sophia is in an early
Byzantine style (4th-5th c.); the New Bishopric (St. Stefan), contains valuable
12th century murals; and the Christ Pantocrator and Aliturgetos churches (13th14th c.) are among the best preserved until today. Nesebar's National Revival
houses with stone foundations and broad wooden eaves, overhanging narrow
cobbled lanes leading right into the sea, are also remarkably beautiful.
IVANOVO ROCK MONASTERY
This fascinating monastery is located in almost a cosmic landscape - rock
massifs, embracing the picturesque river valley near the city of Rousse. As if
striving to be closer to God, hermit monks settled here during the 11th - 14th
century, digging cells, churches and chapels into the rocks. Talented artists
painted them with realistic frescos, exquisite in colour and composition, and
turned them into a treasure trove of Bulgarian mediaeval painting.
KAZANLAK TOMB
This tomb, located in the romantic Valley of Roses, near the town of Kazanlak,
was built for a wealthy Thracian ruler in the 4th century B.C. 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. The perfectly preserved murals are a unique testimony of pictorial art
during the Hellenic period. The artist has conveyed both the rites of a bural
feast, and the inner state of the figures in a talented and realistic way.
THRACIAN TOMB OF SVESHTARI
The Sveshtari tomb is located near the town of Razgrad, in a region declared an
archaeological reserve. 2300 years ago master stonemasons erected the tomb of
a Thracian king. Perfect as architecture, it amazes with its wealth of sculptural
ornaments - caryatids below the vault, rosettes, stylized ox heads, garlands, and
colonnades. A remarkable monument of Thracian art - this tomb is the biggest
sensation of ancient archaeology in the recent years.
PIRIN NATIONAL PARK
Difficult to access, but exceptionally beautiful, the Pirin Mountains have
attracted man for centuries, and yet, managed to remain an enigma. A protected
area of 27,400 hectares is located in the northern and central mountain part.
About 60 alpine peaks, snow-capped for most of the year, rise above 2,500 m
and eternal snow glitters at the bottom of their circuses. The clean mountain
waters flow into more than 176 glacier lakes. The fame of the Pirin forests,
covering more than half of its area, is due to the black and white fir. Some 97
different small plant varieties grow here. Almost extinct animal species such as
the wild goat, wild cat and the wood grouse have also found shelter in Pirin.
SREBARNA LAKE
Located near the Danube river, 16 km west of the town of Silistra, Srebarna is a
fresh-water lake extending over an area of 600 hectares that has been declared a
biospheric reserve. About 100 different kinds of migratory birds nest here,
including some endangered ones like the Dalmatian pelican, the mute swan, the
Graylag Goose, the Marsh Harrier, the Bluethroat, herons and cormorants.
About 21 species of amphibians and reptiles live in the wetland. Special
monitors have been installed among the thick reeds for undisturbed wildlife
observation.