The ‘Third Rome’
Veliko Turnovo, Bulgaria
September 20, 2008
Veliko Turnovo, Bulgaria
September 20, 2008
Veliko Turnovo sounded like a pleasant enough introduction to Bulgaria and it was on my way South. I have to admit to having absolutely no knowledge of Bulgaria that doesn’t involve Wombles. However, I’ve learned to enjoy arriving in unprepossessing places I’ve never heard of only to have my assumptions shattered after learning they once held some momentous place in regional and sometimes world history. Veliko Turnovo is a prime example.
Inhabited for 5000 years and strategically located above the Yantra river, the city has been attracting tourists since the middle ages when it grew to become the capital of Second Bulgarian Empire. I’ll allow that the Bulgarian Empire hasn’t gone down in history as an all time Great but apparently in their day they were the dominant power in the Balkans and managed to fight their way out from under Byzantine Rule in the 12th century. By the 14th century Turnovo was laying claim to Constantinople’s legacy and plans were afoot to declare the Bulgarian capital the “Third Rome”.
Unfortunately by the end of the 14th century Turnovo and the entire Bulgarian Empire had fallen under Ottoman rule which was to last almost 500 years. In the late 1800′s when a successful uprising led to liberation the capital was promptly moved from Turnovo to Sofia – which was my next stop.
