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Monday, 15 March 2010

Bulgaria's 100 Tourist Sites



Balkan Travellers   

Here is the list of the current 100 Bulgarian Tourist sites, selected by the Get to Know Bulgaria movement and published in the booklet 100 National Tourist Sites: Bulgaria – That is my Homeland.

Some of the list’s entries contain a single landmark, like for example the Saint Sofia Church in the capital, while others include several sites within a town or its vicinity, as in the case for the town of Plovdiv, whose old part is an architectural reserve and where the Museum of History, the Ethnographic Museum, the Roman Amphitheatre, and the St. Konstantin and Elena Church are all counted as one.

Although at first sight slightly chaotic and random, the landmarks are in fact organised on a geographic principle, in clusters based on their location within the bigger towns’ and cities’ district areas. All the districts are then listed in alphabetical order (in Bulgarian).

District of Blagoevgrad:

1. Bansko Resort in the Pirin Mountain: Museum Complex, Nikola Vaptsarov Museum, Neofit Rilski Museum, Velyanov House, Permanent Icon Exhibition, Holy Trinity Church.
2. The Pirin Mountain: Vihren Peak.
3. The village of Dobarsko: Theodore Tyro and Theodore Stratilates Church.
4. The town of Melnik: Architectural Reserve, Historical Museum, Kordopulov House, Rozhen Monastery.
5. The town of Petrich: the Rupite Area, St. Petka Church, Samuil’s Fortress.


District of Burgas:

6. The town of Nesebar: Architectural Reserve, Archaeological Museum;
The town of Pomorie: The Museum of Salt
7. The town of Malko Tarnovo: Historical Museum, Petrova Niva Historical Site.
8. The town of Sozopol: Archaeological Museum.


 
District of Varna:

9. The town of Varna: Regional Museum of History; Maritime Museum.
10. The town of Devnya: Museum of Mosaics.


District of Veliko Tarnovo:

11. The town of Veliko Tarnovo: Architectural Reserve, Tsarevets Fortress, Museum of History,
The village of Arbanasi Architecture Reserve.
12. The town of Svishtov: Museum House Aleko Konstantinov.


 
District of Vidin:

13. The town of Vidin: Baba Vida Fortress
14. Magurata Cave
15. Belogradchik: Rocks, Fortress, History Museum


District of Vratsa:

16. The town of Vratsa: Ledenika Cave, Regional Museum of History.
17. Okolchitsa Peak: the place of Hristo Botev’s death.
18. The town of Kozloduy: Radetzky Ship Museum, Monument of Hristo Botev.


District of Gabrovo:

19. The town of Gabrovo: Museum of Education, Open-air Ethnographic Museum Etara.
20. The village of Bozhentsi: Architectural Reserve.
21. The town of Tryavna: Museum of Wood-carving and Ethnographic Arts.
22. The town of Dryanovo: Dryanovo Monastery, Kolyu Ficheto Museum;
Bacho Kiro Cave.


District of Dobrich:

23. The town of Dobrich: House of Yordan Yovkov, Art Gallery.
24. The town of Balchik: The Castle Architecture Park, University Botanical Garden.
The town of Kavarna: The Headland Kaliakra, Kaliakra Archaeological reserve.


District of Kurdzhali:

25. The town of Kardzhali: Regional Museum of History;
Archaeological Remains of Perperikon.


District of Kyustendil:


26. The town of Kyustendil: Vladimir Dimitrov - Maistora Art Gallery, Museum House of Dimitar Peshev.
27. Ruen Peak in the Osogovo Mountain.
28. Rila Monastery.
29. The Skakavitsa Mountain Cabin and the Seven Rila Lakes.


District of Lovech:

30. The town of Lovech: Museum of Ethnography, Kakrinsko Inn, Vasil Levski Museum.
31. The village of Cherni Osam: Natural Science Museum, Troyan Monastery.
32. The town of Teteven: Museum of History.
33. The village of Brestnitsa: Saeva Dupka Cave.


District of Montata:

34. The town of Berkovitsa: Museum of Ethnography;
Kom Peak,
The town of Varshets


District of Pazardzhik:

35. The town of Pazardzhik: Holy Mother Cathedral Church, Museum House of Stanislav Dospevski, Regional History Museum.
36. The town of Panagyurishte: The historical area Oborishte, Museum House of Rayna Knyaginya.
37. The town of Peshtera: Snezhanka Cave
38. The town of Batak: Museum of History.


District of Pernik:

39. The town of Trun: the Gorge on the Erma River.


District of Pleven:

40. The town of Pleven: Regional History Museum, St George the Conqueror Chapel Mausoleum, Panorama Pleven Epic 1877.


District of Plovdiv:


41. The town of Plovdiv: Old Plovdiv Architecture Reserve, Roman Amphitheatre, Ethnography Museum, Museum of History, St. Konstantin and Elena Church.
42. The town of Perushtitsa: Museum of History.
43. The town of Sopot: Museum House Ivan Vazov, Nunnery.
44. The town of Karlovo: Vasil Levski National Museum.
45. The town of Kalofer: Hristo Botev National Museum.
46. The Botev Peak.
47. The Bachkovo Monastery; The Asenova Fortress.


District of Razgrad:

48. The town of Razgrad: Abrittus Archaeological reserve.
49. The town of Isperih: Museum of History, Sboryanovo historical and archeological reseve - Thracian Tomb, the Thracian town of Chelis;
Demir Baba Tekke — Sveshtari village.


District of Ruse:

50. The town of Ruse: Museum House of Zahari Stoyanov, Pantheon of National Revival Heroes.


District of Silistra:

51. The town of Silistra: Museum of History, Medzhidi Tabi Fortress.
52. The village of Srebarna: Natural History Museum at the Nature Reserve.
53. The town of Tutrakan: Military Tomb Memorial Complex, Museum of Danube Fishing and Boat-Making.


District of Sliven:


54. The town of Sliven: Museum House of Hadzhi Dimitar, National Textile Museum.
55. The Sinite Kamani Natural Park, Karandila Mountain Cabin.
56. The town of Kotel: Pantheon of Georgi Sava Rakovski’s and Museum of Revival Age figures, Natural Sciences Museum.
57. The village of Zheravna: Architecture and Ethnography Reserve, Museum House of Yordan Yovkov.


District of
City of Sofia:

58. The city of Sofia: The National Museum of History, The National Boyana Church Museum
59. The city of Sofia: Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and Crypt.
60. The city of Sofia: National Church Museum of History and Archaeology of the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.
61. The city of Sofia: National Palace of Culture.
62. The city of Sofia: National Art Gallery, Institute of Ethnography and Museum maintained by the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.
63. The town of Etropole: Museum of History, Clock Tower, Etropole’s Saint Trinity Monastery
64. The city of Sofia: Earth and Men Museum.
65. The city of Sofia: National Museum of Natural Science maintained by the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.
66. The city of Sofia: Sport History Museum in the Vasil Levski National Stadium.
67. The town of Hisar: The village Starosel – Thracian Necropolis.
68. The city of Sofia: Institute of Archaeology and Museum maintained by the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences,
National Polytechnic Museum
69. The city of Sofia: the Zoo.
70. The town of Bratsigovo: History Museum.
71. The city of Sofia: St. Sophia Temple.
72. The town of Chirpan: Museum House of Peyo Yavorov, Nikola Manev Art Gallery;
The village of Zlatna Livada: St. Atanasiy Monastery
73. The town of Dimitrovgrad: History Museum, Museum House of Penyo Penev.
74. Mount Vitosha: Cherni Vruh Peak.


District of Sofia:

75. The town of Koprivshtitsa: Archaeology and History Reserve.
76. Mount Sredna Gora: Bogdan Peak.
77. The town of Klisura: Museum of History.
78. Balkan Mountain: Osenvlashki (Seven Altars) Monastery
79. The town of Samokov: Museum of History, Nunnery.
80. Rila Mountain: Musala Peak.
81. The town of Botevgrad: Clock Tower.
82. The village of Skravena: St. Nikolai Monastery, Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Ossuary of the members of Hristo Botev's troops.


District of Smolyan:

83. The town of Smolyan: Museum of History, Planetarium
84. Pamporovo Mountain Resort: Snezhanka Peak, Uhlovitsa Cave.
85. Persenk Peak, The Wonderful Bridges Natural Attraction.
86. The town of Zlatograd: Ethnography Complex.
87. The village of Shiroka Laka.
88. Trigrad Gorge, the Devil’s Throat Cave.
89. The Yagodina Cave, Buynovsko Gorge.


District of Stara Zagora:

90. The town of Stara Zagora: Regional Museum of History, Neolithic Settlements, the Stara Zagora Defenders memorial complex 1877.
91. The town of Kazanlak – Chudomir Art and Literature Museum, Thracian Tomb.
92. The town of Shipka: Shipka Memorial Church.
93. Shipka Peak: Shipka Park-Museum, Shipka Memorial.


District of Shumen:

94. The town of Shumen: Shumen Fortress Reserve of Architecture and History, Regional Museum of History.
95. The town of Shumen: Tombul Mosque.
96. Pliska Archaeological Reserve.
97. Madara Archaeological Reserve.
98. Veliki Preslav National Reserve of History and Architecture.


District of Yambol:

99. The town of Yambol: Museum of History;
Ancient town of Kabile.
100. The town of Elhovo: Museum of Ethnography.
 

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