Cultural tourism in Bulgaria
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Being a country of millennial history, Bulgaria has been a point of settlement for many peoples. In turn, they have left their imprints on its cultural identity. More than 40,000 monuments of culture from various epochs have been found in its territory. More than 5 million valuable items adorn the halls of 230 museums. It is not accidental that an increasing number of visitors form EU, USA and the Far East have been coming to Bulgaria to get in touch with the cultural and historical monuments of one of the most ancient states in Europe. Until a few years ago, Bulgaria was perceived as a mass tourism destination in the main, thanks to its decent and relatively inexpensive seaside and winter resorts. In the meantime, because of insufficient information or ineffective advertising, foreign tourists would often leave the country unaware of its amazing heritage. As the EU accession date of January 1 approached, interest in Bulgarians, their history, traditions and folklore became keener. Travel agents who had previously marketed standard packages in the respective hotel, started to diversify their offers to make a vacation in Bulgaria more memorable. Now tourists can opt for visits to lovely monasteries snuggled in mountain slopes; to ethnographic neighborhoods with preserved architecture dating 200 years back; to impressive ruins of medieval fortresses and basilicas; or to sites displaying the ancient heritage of the Thracian people. Foreign tourists are interested in monuments of culture put on the UNESCO heritage list, including the breathtaking Sveshtari Thracian tomb from 3rd c. BC and the unique Kazanlak tomb from the 4th-3rd c. BC. Many people go to visit the ancient rock sanctuary in Perperikon, in the Rhodopi Mountains. Another key attraction is the collection of gold treasures found in the Valley of the Kings in Kazanlak, southern Bulgaria. The National Museum of History and the National Archaeological Museum in Sofia display priceless items from Antiquity found recently in our lands. Visitors can see items from the funeral of a Thracian sovereign found in 2005 near the village of Zlatinitsa, and the gold objects dug out last summer near the Black Sea village of Sinemorets. In the meantime, a EU project is set to restore the Thracian capital of Seutopolis, the remains of which lie at the bottom of the Koprinka Dam near Kazanlak. After part of the water has been pumped out, the city will be restored and converted into an open-air museum. Traces of Bulgaria’s medieval culture and Byzantine heritage are also of great interest.Foreign tourists join special tours to visit Bulgaria’s ancient towns and ethnographic centers fraught with the atmosphere of an idyllic 19th c. Tryavna, Dryanovo, Ichera, Zhervana, Kovachevitsa, Dolen and other revival period mountainous towns have emerged as key attractions for foreign tourists. Some visitors join special courses in wood-carving, weaving and other traditional crafts. Bulgarian folklore has never stopped to fascinate tourists. Source: www.east.travel
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