Veliko Turnovo, view click on image to view big picture

Nearly 170 years after the collapse of the first Bulgarian kingdom following the struggles of a liberation movement north of the Balkan range but cantered on Veliko Turnovo, the city became Bulgaria's fourth capital in 1187. Surviving as capital until the country succumbed to Ottoman rule at the end of the fourteenth century, the town was also symbolically chosen as the place in which the National Assembly met in 1879 to draft the first constitution following the abolition of Turkish domination. The Old Konak, designed by Kolyo Fichetto in 1872, has seen many key historical events and now houses the Museum of the National Revival and the Constituent Assembly.

The Architectural Reserve of Tsarevets protects the mediaeval fortress walls and gates, including Baldwin Tower, the Palace and ruins of the Church of the Blessed Saviour. On the opposite bank of the river Yantra, which snakes round all structures in such a manner as to provide a natural defense, and also within the reserve. The Trapezitsa Elevation is noted for the many churches and other buildings excavated there.