VELIKO TARNOVO

Veliko Tarnovo is a city located in Northern Bulgaria, the center of the district of the same name, as well as the North Central region. The city was the capital of the Second Bulgarian State and the Principality of Bulgaria in the period 1878 - 1879. During the Middle Ages it was called Tarnovgrad, and gradually became known as Tarnovo. On July 27, 1965, "Veliko" was added in front of it in honor of the city's former glory. Thanks to its rich cultural and historical heritage, Veliko Tarnovo is an important tourist center.
Located between the Danube plain and the Balkan Mountains, on the first hills of the Fore-Balkans, Tarnovo is the main administrative, industrial and educational center of the region. Here are the National Military University "Vasil Levski" - Faculty of "General Army", VTU "St. St. Cyril and St. Methodius ”(the second largest university in Bulgaria), the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin, the fortresses of Tsarevets and Trapezitsa, numerous museums and cultural landmarks: a total of 1613 sites of historical heritage of Bulgaria.
In 1879 the Constituent Assembly was held in the town, marking the beginning of the Third Bulgarian State. The guardian of the city is St. Patriarch Euthymius, whose monument rises above the building of the University of Veliko Tarnovo. Veliko Tarnovo is a candidate city for the European Capital of Culture 2019. The peak of the Antarctic island of Livingston is named Tarnovo in honor of the old capital of the Republic of Bulgaria.
By a decision of the National Assembly, on April 16, 2019, the city of Veliko Tarnovo was declared the historical and spiritual capital of Bulgaria.