Veliko Tarnovo
Veliko Tarnovo
Велико Търново | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
  Veliko Tarnovo Location of Veliko Tarnovo | |
| Coordinates: 43°04′40″N 25°37′00″E / 43.07778°N 25.61667°E | |
| Country |  Bulgaria |
| Province | Veliko Tarnovo |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Daniel Panov (GERB) |
| Area | |
| 30.379 km2 (11.729 sq mi) | |
| • Urban | 885.3 km2 (341.8 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 220 m (720 ft) |
| Population (2022)[1] | |
| 59,166 | |
| • Urban | 76,834 |
| Demonym | Tarnovets/Tarnovka Bolyarin/Bolyarka |
| Time zone | UTC+02:00 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+03:00 (EEST) |
| Postal code | 5000 |
| Area code | 062 |
| Website | veliko-tarnovo |
Veliko Tarnovo (Bulgarian: Велико Търново, romanized: Veliko Tǎrnovo, pronounced [vɛˈliko ˈtɤrnovo]; lit. 'Great Tarnovo') is a city in north central Bulgaria and the administrative centre of Veliko Tarnovo Province. It is the historical and spiritual capital of Bulgaria.
Often referred to as the "City of the Tsars", Veliko Tarnovo is located on the Yantra River and is famously known as the historical capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire, attracting many tourists with its unique architecture. The old part of the town is situated on three hills, Tsarevets, Trapezitsa, and Sveta Gora, rising amidst the meanders of the Yantra. On Tsarevets are the palaces of the Bulgarian emperors and the Patriarchate, the Patriarchal Cathedral, and also a number of administrative and residential edifices surrounded by thick walls.
Trapezitsa is known for its many churches and as the former main residence of the nobility. During the Middle Ages, the town was among the main European centres of culture and gave its name to the architecture of the Tarnovo Artistic School, painting of the Tarnovo Artistic School, and to literature. Veliko Tarnovo is an important administrative, economic, educational, and cultural centre of Northern Bulgaria.
Etymology
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The most widespread theory for the name's origin holds that its original names of Tarnovgrad (Търновград) and Tarnovo (Търново) come from the Old Bulgarian тръневъ (tranev) or тръновъ (tranov), meaning "thorny". The suffix "grad" means "city" in Bulgarian and in many Slavic languages. In 1965, the word велико (veliko), meaning "great", was added to the original name in honour of the town's status as an old capital of Bulgaria. This also helps distinguish it from the town of Malko Tarnovo. In Ottoman Turkish, it was called طرنوه (Modern Turkish: Tırnova).
Symbols
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The anthem of the city is Shishman's song, dedicated to the last Bulgarian king of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom. The coat of arms of Tarnovo depicts a figure with three lions. Purple color was used for the flag of the city, because during the excavations in the church St. Forty Martyrs, purple clothes of rulers were found. There is also a key and a necklace of Veliko Tarnovo. The first known coat of arms of the city is from 1921 by Dimitar Bagrilov.
Geography
[edit]
Location
[edit]Veliko Tarnovo has an area of 60.9 square kilometres (23.5 sq mi). The area which is assigned to the town is 30.379 square kilometres (11.729 sq mi). It is located on the river Yantra. The town has always had a strategic position. It is located on main roads which connect West Balkans with Black Sea and East Europe with Middle East. In the East and North-East the town borders with the Arbanassi Bardo. North – with the Orlovets locality, to the west with the Kozludzha locality and to the south with the area Dalga laka.
Relief
[edit]The relief of the Municipality of Veliko Tarnovo is diverse – plain-hilly and mountainous. It is situated at 208 metres (682 ft) above sea level.
Hydrography
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The water catchment area of the river Yantra is 7,862 square kilometres (3,036 sq mi). There are several springs in the area of the town. The main drinking source is the Yovkovtsi hydropower plant.
Soils
[edit]The southern part of the city predominately features chernozem and gray forest soils. Repellents are also distributed – hummus-carbonate soils.[2]
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Area
[edit]There are places around the town that keep their names for many years. Sini Vir is located to the west of the Cholakovtsi neighborhood in the Yantra River valley outside the town. Dervent is located in the Yantra River Gorge, near the Preobrazhenie Monastery. The Hill Golemyat duvar(Big Fort) with the highest peak 363 m. It is located between Veliko Tarnovo and the village Prisovo.
Hills
[edit]Veliko Tarnovo is situated on several hills. The Tsarevets, Trapezitsa, Momina krepost were the main centers of kings and boyars during the Second Bulgarian State, when the town was a capital. Sveta Gora (Holy Mountain) hill was a spiritual and literary center, and part of the today's Rectorate of Veliko Tarnovo University. The Garga Bair hill lies north of Trapezitsa. On the Orlovets hill are the Varusha neighborhood and the Akatsion and Kartala districts, the highest point is 241 metres (791 ft) above sea level. The Troshana Hill is located south of Sveta Gora and west of the Motela dam, and Veliko Tarnovo Hills is being built on it.
Caves
[edit]There are about 50 caves and rock niches around Veliko Tarnovo. They are formed in limestones from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. They are located mainly around the Arbanassi hill and the rock crown in the Dervent gorge.[3]
Climate
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Veliko Tarnovo has a humid continental climate (Dfa), according to the Köppen climate classification, experiencing warm summers and cold, snowy winters.[4] The average minimum temperature in the coldest month, January, is about −7 °C (19 °F), while the average maximum in August, the hottest month 30 °C (86 °F). The highest recorded temperature was 41.1 °C (106 °F), while the lowest was −28.1 °C (−19 °F).
| Climate data for Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria (1961–1990, records 1926–1970) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 20.4 (68.7) |
23.3 (73.9) |
29.7 (85.5) |
32.2 (90.0) |
36.1 (97.0) |
38.4 (101.1) |
40.0 (104.0) |
41.1 (106.0) |
40.6 (105.1) |
33.8 (92.8) |
29.8 (85.6) |
21.8 (71.2) |
41.1 (106.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 2.1 (35.8) |
5.7 (42.3) |
11.4 (52.5) |
18.6 (65.5) |
23.4 (74.1) |
27.0 (80.6) |
29.6 (85.3) |
29.8 (85.6) |
26.0 (78.8) |
19.4 (66.9) |
12.4 (54.3) |
5.1 (41.2) |
17.8 (64.0) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −2.3 (27.9) |
0.7 (33.3) |
5.5 (41.9) |
12.1 (53.8) |
17.2 (63.0) |
20.7 (69.3) |
22.9 (73.2) |
22.4 (72.3) |
18.1 (64.6) |
12.4 (54.3) |
6.9 (44.4) |
0.9 (33.6) |
11.6 (52.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −6.8 (19.8) |
−4.3 (24.3) |
−0.2 (31.6) |
5.3 (41.5) |
10.0 (50.0) |
13.5 (56.3) |
15.2 (59.4) |
14.5 (58.1) |
10.7 (51.3) |
6.1 (43.0) |
2.4 (36.3) |
−3.1 (26.4) |
5.0 (41.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −20.8 (−5.4) |
−28.1 (−18.6) |
−16.7 (1.9) |
−2.5 (27.5) |
2.0 (35.6) |
5.3 (41.5) |
9.8 (49.6) |
9.2 (48.6) |
−0.8 (30.6) |
−2.6 (27.3) |
−9.8 (14.4) |
−18.4 (−1.1) |
−28.1 (−18.6) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 48 (1.9) |
44 (1.7) |
43 (1.7) |
63 (2.5) |
88 (3.5) |
86 (3.4) |
65 (2.6) |
56 (2.2) |
41 (1.6) |
45 (1.8) |
51 (2.0) |
50 (2.0) |
680 (26.8) |
| Source: Stringmeteo.com[5] | |||||||||||||
Flora and fauna
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Flora
[edit]The deciduous forests (88%) predominate in Veliko Tarnovo – beech, hornbeam, oak, cherry, lime, poplar, etc. There are woods of coniferous vegetation. They predominate fir tree, Pine, Abies grandis, Scots pine, Abies pinsapo and other. Near the river, the springs and the marshlands are seen: Green algae, Diatom and others. Over 25 types of mushrooms are encountered: Boletus edulis, Agaricus campestris, Macrolepiota procera, Chanterelle, among others.[citation needed]
Fauna
[edit]The territory of the region has a rich variety of the animal world – 350 species of birds and 35 species of animals. Mammals include Hare, Fox, Deer, Wild boar, Hedgehogs, European ground squirrel. Birds include: Grey partridge, Crow, Common quail, Pheasant, White stork, Eurasian eagle-owl, Goose and others. Over 180 species of insects are encountered: Cockchafer, Grasshopper, Firefly and others. There are also reptiles: Turtles, Snakes, Lizards and others.[6] Local fish include Wels catfish, European perch, Common carp, Common barbel.[7]
History
[edit] | This section needs more citations. (September 2022) |
Prehistory and antiquity
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Veliko Tarnovo is one of the oldest settlements in Bulgaria, with a history of more than five millennia. The first traces of human presence, dating from the 3rd millennium BC, were discovered on Trapezitsa Hill.[8]
First Bulgarian state
[edit]Tarnovo was a stronghold of the First Bulgarian Empire. A number of coins, specimens and ceramics from the First Bulgarian State were found on the hills on which the capital city of Tarnovgrad stretched.[8] The city was important for the first Bulgarian state. There was an important military garrison in it. In the Holy Forty Martyrs Church specimens were found that historians believe are the work of Bulgars from Volga Bulgaria.[