Historic sites

The Round Church, also known as the Golden Church or the Church of St John, is a significant monument of medieval Bulgarian architecture in Veliki Preslav. The building is partially preserved and constitutes a historical and cultural site. Some of its key features and facts are as follows.

Veliki Preslav, Early 10th century

The Ruzhitsa Tomb is an important archaeological site revealing the life and rituals of Thracian civilisation in the 5th century BC. It lies in the Bulgarian part of Strandzha and is significant for studying the architecture, art and customs of the ancient Thracians. The frescoes discovered on the walls of the burial chamber are a unique element of Thracian art.

Yambol Province, 5th century BC

Samuel's Fortress, situated in the Klyuch Gorge between the Belasitsa and Ograzhden mountains, is a medieval fortification forming part of a large defensive system probably built between 1009 and 1013 during Tsar Samuel's reign. According to eleventh-century Byzantine chroniclers such as John Skylitzes, George Kedrenos, John Zonaras and others, the Klyuch Gorge was protected by a broad barrier wall called a dema. Samuel's Fortress itself was built over a Thracian and an early Bulgarian Slavic settlement.

Petrich Municipality, 5 km from Klyuch, Tenth–eleventh century

The Sashova Mound tomb is a Thracian domed funerary structure beside the Golyama Arsenalka tomb. The archaeological material discovered beneath Sashova Mound provides grounds for suggesting that the last burial in the chamber took place in the first half of the 2nd century BC. The building was probably used as a mausoleum over the following decades, during which it was maintained and extended.

Stara Zagora Province, near Shipka, 3rd–2nd centuries BC

The Monument to Freedom on Shipka Peak is an imposing symbol of the Bulgarian people's gratitude to the heroes who defended the Shipka Pass and Bulgaria's freedom during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878. Built with voluntary donations from people across the country, it was designed by architect Donkov and sculptor Andreev. It was inaugurated on 26 August 1934.

Shipka Peak in the Balkan Mountains, Bulgaria, 1934

Shiyakov Monastery is known for its historical significance, particularly during the Bulgarian National Revival. In 1871, it witnessed an important event in the history of Bulgaria's revolutionary struggle. Vasil Levski and his associates established the Secret Revolutionary Committee there, which played an important role in preparations for the April Uprising.

Kostinbrod, 1848

The Shushmanets mound contains a Thracian cult building in the Valley of the Thracian Rulers, near Shipka. This Thracian temple is considered a masterpiece of Thracian architecture. The temple has an unusual design and execution.

Stara Zagora Province, near Shipka, 5th–4th centuries BC

The Smilovene Thracian residence lies in the locality of the same name, 9.5 km from Koprivshtitsa and 11 km from Strelcha. Situated on a natural elevation on a ridge to the right of the River Mede Dere, the site exemplifies the architecture of Thracian rulers' residences, known as tyrseis. The archaeologist Daniela Agre suggests that the residence was home to a Thracian dynasty that ruled the area and was probably buried in the funerary structure beneath Zhaba Mound near Strelcha.

Near Koprivshtitsa, 4th century BC–4th century AD

Sostra is an ancient Roman fortress within the lands of Lomets village, about 12 kilometres from Troyan. The Roman road from Danubius, the River Danube, to Philippopolis, now Plovdiv, passed near the fortress, and its remains can still be seen here. The fortress is mentioned on the Peutinger Map of the 8th century.

Lomets village, Troyan region, 147

The St Alexander Nevsky Memorial Cathedral in Sofia is one of Bulgaria's major Orthodox churches and the cathedral of the Bulgarian Patriarch. It stands on the square of the same name and was designed and built between 1882 and 1912. In 1955 it was declared a cultural monument of national significance and included in the Bulgarian Tourist Union's list of the Hundred National Tourist Sites.

Sofia, 1882–1912

The Church of St Panteleimon is a rock-cut church hollowed into limestone near the village of Mihalich in Svilengrad Municipality, Bulgaria. This cultural monument is of national significance and is the only one of its kind in the country, with a unique triconch form. It dates from the 10th century and is thought to have been used by monks and hermits who followed various heresies.

Svilengrad Municipality, near Mihalich village, 10th century

St Sophia Church in Nessebar, also known as the Old Metropolitan Church, is a significant Orthodox building in eastern Bulgaria. It is included in the town's architectural and historical reserve, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Hundred National Tourist Sites. The church is a three-aisled basilica with a single semicircular apse projecting in three sides, together with a narthex and atrium, or inner courtyard.

Nessebar, Fifth–sixth century