Nature trail "From Discoduraterae" till present days" offers an exciting experience, combining beautiful nature and historical landmarks. The nature trail is 3 kilometers long with terminal point at the foot of the ancient stronghold Discoduraterae. Discoduraterae is part of an ancient trading path to Asia Minor, starting from Nikopolis ad Istrum (Its ruins are located at the village of Nikyup, 20 km north of Veliko Tarnovo), passing through the stronghold to Augusta Trayana (present Stara Zagora) and Constantinopol. During the passage is observed the tupical flora and fauna of Stara Planina. The trail includes an old Roman road, by which can be found the ritual mound "Yurta". There is also a Roman bridge and an old flour-mill. The trail is furnished with recreation spots and drinking water fountain.
Architectural ethnographic complex "Etar" is the first one of this type in Bulgaria. He was found on the 7 of September 1964 year. The museum is situated 8 km South of Gabrovo.
In AEK "Etar" is the only one and unique collection of the old-times water-driven machinery in Bulgaria .
It consist 10 objects and its one of the most riches and well kept active technical collection around the European museums on the open air. This is the reason the water wheel to be the emblem to the Etar.The most important specialty to the collection is that all objects are in action as it was it the past. The craftsman trade street offers 16 models to the Balkan architecture, showing the original talant to Revival builders.
The magnificent gorge, in which the monastery is situated, has a long history. The first traces of life date back to the pre historical epochs when people had lived in the caves surrounding the monastery. The earliest artifacts proving the existence of human life were found in Bacho Kiro cave and date back to the second half of the Old Stone epoch (100 000 – 10 000 years b.c). Today the cave is electrified and opened for visits of tourists.
The cultural and settlement traditions went on during the Copper-Stone Age and during the Bronze Age. From the beginning of the Old Iron Age till the Antiquity period the place was populated by the Thracians.
The strategic importance of the region increased during the Early Byzantine epoch and brought economic and Cultural development to the people. The Romans built two forts by the river near the monastery (Boruna and Grada), because the place provided good conditions for control of the mountain passage and the roads in the middle part of the “Stara Planina” mountain. They left the forts in VII century when the region was settled by the Slavic tribes. The forts started to function again in XI century, when they became part of the possessions of the feudal lords of Northern Bulgaria and later on they served as the last defense barrier of the Old Bulgarian capital Tarnovo.
Dryanovo monastery St. Archangel Michael was founded in the Middle Ages during the reign of King Kaloyan, after the relics of St. Michael Voin were carried from Potuka to Tarnovo (1197 – 1207). The precession staid for one night near the river Dryanovska and according the Christian canon a monastery had to be built on the holy place.
“Bacho Kiro” Cave is situated in the picturesque canyons of the rivers Andaka and Dryanovska, on 300 m. from Dryanovo Monastery “St Archangel Michael”, in a vertical, limestone cliff with height 25 meters. The cave stands at an altitude of 335 meters above sea level. The good electric lighting allows visitors to see the numerous rock formations in whimsical shapes, bearing names such as: The Rain Hall with the Stone Flower, The Poplars, The Lake of Happiness, The Concert Hall, The Medusas, The Bears’ Slide, The Bears’ Meadow, The Lonely Stalactone, The Hall of Pop Hariton and many others.
“Bacho Kiro” cave is an archaeological monument of national importance. Many artifacts and traces of the life of prehistoric people and animals were found in the cave. The cave is managed by the Tourist Association in Dryanovo since it was opened for visitors for the first time in 1938. Nowadays the visitors of the cave are lead by guides. The cave is opened for tourists during the whole year, each day of the week from 8.30 a.m. till 6.00 p.m. in the Summer season and from 10.00 a.m. till 4.00 p.m. in the Winter season. Visitors can choose between two routes: a short one (25 minutes) and a long one (60 minutes). “Bacho Kiro” Cave is one of the 100 National Tourist Sites (Number 22) as part of the “Get to Know your Country” movement.
Bojentsi is a village with a history of more than 600 years. The beginning is a legend: the legend of the Boyar woman Bojana, who took her brothers and sons out of the destroyed capital Veliko Tarnovo 6 centuries ago. Together they settled in the venerable woods and built a village which was later named after her.
Bojentsi has always been part of the big world. Its location near the old Roman road Nicopolis ad Istrum – Augusta Traiana – Constantinople, enabled the people from the village to travel and trade with Russia, Italy, Austria-Hungary, France, Anadol...
With 110 houses and near 500 citizens, in the end of the 19 century Bojentsi was an important administrative, trading, cultural and spiritual centre. Gradually, people started to move from Bojentsi. Nowadays there are about 100 houses left in the village, which are between 100 and 250 years old. That is why in 1964 the village was proclaimed an architectural and historical reserve, and the forty people who live in it keep it alive. Still, in this old hamlet a person never feels lonely, even if living alone...
The Village-reserve is visited by thousands of people throughout the year. There are two house-museums to be seen, built in the 18 and the first half of the 19 century, with exhibitions of original objects dating from that period. The exposition ”History Remembers Only the Daredevils and the Generous Donators” presents the history of Bojentsi with photographical materials, objects used in the everyday life and luxury objects – part of the lifestyle of local people, the genealogy of some notable families from Bojentsi who made donations for the building of schools, churches and houses. The village earned a very good reputation through their involvement in the political and cultural life of the country. Among the items exhibited in the museums, the visitor can see a vice for wax with an original mechanism from the beginning of 19 century, a cutler’s workshop, a constant exhibition - bazaar of different fabrics, a monastery school; there is a hall in which different exhibitions take place depending on the season and the holidays – survaknitsi, martenitsi, Easter day’s rituals, pictures, photos...
very year many children from different towns gather to study the art of painting in Bojentsi. There are also revivals of authentic national customs depending on the holidays – Lazaruvane, Koleduvane, St. George’s day. The village offers you the possibility to stay in old-style houses. Also, there are taverns, cafes, shops...
The town of Tryavna first became a regional centre as early as XVIII century although earlier records, which indicate human settlement in Tryavna can be traced back to Thracian times. By the end of the 19th century, Tryavna had become the region’s main cultural and industrial centre and was heavily involved in the development of crafts during the Bulgarian Renaissance period.This resulted not only to economic prosperity, but also to the creation of theTryavna School - one Bulgaria’s oldest institutions of Art Tradition. Since that time, the work of Tryavna artists has become popular throughout the Ottoman Empire, Romania, Serbia and Russia.
Following Bulgaria’s independence in 1878, the Municipality started woolen textile manufacture and the first factory was opened in 1883. During the first half of the 20th C. a number of other types of industry were created, including the production of furniture, woodworking and textiles.The development of tourism started in the early 1920’s in Tryavna and Plachkovtsi and today there are a total of 1250 beds. Tryavna also enjoys a moderate and healthy climate, (cool summers and mild winters) which resulted in a Sanatorium for Lung and Respiratory diseases being built in 1944.
The historical and architectural reservation in Tryavna is among its main attractions. Some of the best examples of buildings from the Bulgarian Renaissance period have been well preserved. The seven museum collections contain unique pieces of art from the late medieval period, such as icons and woodcarvings.The town of Tryavna has preserved its old town square, the only one left in the country, which has been proclaimed as a Monument of Architecture.
