Bulgaria has a rich cultural and natural heritage with many notable World Heritage sites. These include the medieval Rila Monastery, rock-hewn churches of Ivanovo, ancient city of Nessebar, Pirin National Park, and Thracian tombs decorated with well-preserved murals. Bulgaria also protects important natural areas like the Srebarna Nature Reserve and has other cultural sites such as the Tsarevets Stronghold in Veliko Tarnovo and the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia.

1. Bulgaria:
cultural and natural heritage
‘LITBUL- the inheritance of two old European cultures’
Vocational High School of Veterinary medicine, Dobrich, Bulgaria

2. World Heritage Sites
in Bulgaria

3. MADARA
RIDER
An early medieval large rock relief carved on the Madara
Plateau
The Madara Rider, representing the figure of a knight
triumphing over a lion, is carved into a 100-m-high cliff near
the village of Madara in north-east Bulgaria. Madara was the
principal sacred place of the First Bulgarian Empire before
Bulgaria’s conversion to Christianity in the 9th century. The
inscriptions beside the sculpture tell of events that occurred
between AD 705 and 801.

4. RILA
MONASTERY
Medieval monastery, one of the region's most significant
cultural, historical and architectural monuments
Rila Monastery was founded in the 10th century by St John of Rila,
a hermit canonized by the Orthodox Church. His ascetic dwelling
and tomb became a holy site and were transformed into a monastic
complex which played an important role in the spiritual and social
life of medieval Bulgaria. Destroyed by fire at the beginning of the

5. THRACIAN TOMB OF
KAZANLAK
Discovered in 1944, this
tomb dates from the
Hellenistic period,
around the end of the
4th century BC. It is
located near Seutopolis,
the capital city of the
Ancient tomb, part of a large Thracian king Seutes
The tholos has anecropoliscorridor III, and is part of a
Thracian narrow
and a round burial chamber, both large Thracian
decorated with murals necropolis.
representing Thracian burial
rituals and culture. These
paintings are Bulgaria’s best-
preserved artistic masterpieces

6. THRACIAN TOMB OF
SVESHTARI
The tomb is a unique monument of Thracian and Hellenistic art
of the first half of the 3rd century B.C. It was discovered in
1982 during arcaelogical excavations of a Thracian tumulus
near the village of Sveshtari. The tomb comprises a corridor
and three chambers of an almost square shape, covered by a
semi-spherical vault. The tomb at Sveshtari is a brilliant
evidence of the Thracian’s contribution to the world cultural
heritage. A Thracian tomb dating back to 3rd century BC

7. BOYANA
CHURCH
Located on the outskirts of
A medieval Bulgarian Orthodox churc
Sofia, Boyana Church consists of
three buildings. The eastern
church was built in the 10th
century, then enlarged at the
beginning of the 13th century by
Sebastocrator Kaloyan, who
ordered a second two storey
building to be erected next to it.
The frescoes in this second
church, painted in 1259, make it
one of the most important
collections of medieval
paintings. The ensemble is
completed by a third church,
built at the beginning of the
19th century. This site is one of
the most complete and perfectly

8. ROCK-HEWN
CHURCHES OF
IVANOVO
Monolithic churches,
In chapels and monasteriesthe
the valley of
Roussenski of solid rock in
hewn out Lom River,
north east Bulgaria, a
complex of rock-hewn
churches, chapels,
monasteries and cells
developed in the vicinity of
the village of Ivanovo. This
is where the first hermits
had dug out their cells and
churches during the 12th
century. The 14th-century
murals testify to the
exceptional skill of the

9. ANCIENT CITY OF
NESSEBAR
Ancient part of town, situated on a peninsula (previously an
island).
Situated on a rocky peninsula on the Black Sea, the more than 3,000-
year-old site of Nessebar was originally a Thracian settlement
(Menebria). At the beginning of the 6th century BC, the city became
a Greek colony. The city’s remains, which date mostly from the
Hellenistic period, include the acropolis, a temple of Apollo, an
agora and a wall from the Thracian fortifications. Among other
monuments, the Stara Mitropolia Basilica and the fortress date from
the Middle Ages, when this was one of the most important
Byzantine towns on the west coast of the Black Sea. Wooden houses

10. PIRIN
NATIONAL PARK
Natural reserve
Spread over an area of over 27,000 ha, at an altitude between 1008
and 2914 m in the Pirin Mountains, southwest Bulgaria, the site
comprises diverse limestone mountain landscapes with glacial lakes,
waterfalls, caves and predominantly coniferous forests. The
extension now covers an area of around 40,000 ha in the Pirin
Mountains, and overlaps with the Pirin National Park, except for
two areas developed for tourism (skiing). The dominant part of the
extension is high mountain territory over 2000m in altitude, and

11. SREBARNA
NATURE RESERVE
The Srebarna Nature Reserve is a freshwater
lake adjacent to the Danube and extending
over 600 ha. It is the breeding ground of
almost 100 species of birds, many of which are
rare or endangered. Some 80 other bird species
migrate and seek refuge there every winter.
Among the most interesting bird species are
the Dalmatian pelican, great egret, night
heron, purple heron, glossy ibis and white
spoonbill.
A nature reserve and lake on the Via Pontica bird migration

12. BULGARIA
OTHER HERITAGE SITES

13. TSAREVETS STRONGHOLD
is located on a hill in Veliko
Tarnovo and its castle was the
main stronghold of the former
Bulgarian capital. Today there
are remnants of the old
fortress, which have been
restored and preserved. The old
fort was built on the ruins of
ancient settlements, the first of
which was built in the 4th
On these ancient ruins was built in millennium BC. In the early
IX century and the Bulgarian Middle Ages this was the
fortress. Today you can see the biggest city in Bulgaria.
ruins of the citadel of the ancient
city, which were inhabited by the
king's palace throne room, the
Patriarchate and the Patriarch's
residence. Because of the beauty of
the fort, on its ruins is organized
architectural museum reserve

14. SHIPKA MONUMENT
During the Russo-Turkish
War (1877-1878) on Shipka
peak was played one of the
most decisive battles which
determined the victorious
outcome of the war which
liberated Bulgaria. Along
with the Russian army
about 6ooo Bulgarians took
part in the fighting. On the
top of Shipka peak stands
the Monument to Freedom.
The monument is 32 meters
high and 894 steps lead to
the top. Above the main
entrance a bronze lion
stands proudly. On the
ground floor of the
monument, a marble
sarcophagus holds the bones
of the heroes fallen in the
battle. On the remaining 7

16. CATHEDRAL OF
ST ALEXANDER NEVSKY, SOFIA
The Church of St Alexander Nevsky is maybe the most
popular symbol of the Bulgarian capital city of Sofia and
Bulgaria as a whole. It is located in the heart of the city
and is the cathedral of the Bulgarian Orthodox Patriarch.
Built in Neo-Byzantine style and it is the second biggest
cathedral located on the Balkan Peninsula.

17. PANAGYURISHTE
TREASURE
The Panagyurishte
Treasure is a Thracian
treasure excavated on
December 8, 1949 by three
brothers near the town of
Panagyurishte, Bulgaria.
It consists of a phiale, an
amphora and seven
rhytons with total weight
of 6.164 kg of 24-karat
All of the objects are richly and skilfully decorated with
gold.
scenes of Thracian myths, customs and life. It is dated
from the 4th-3rd centuries BC. As one of the best known
surviving artifacts of Thracian culture, the treasure has
been displayed at various museums around the world.

18. BELOGRADCHIC ROCKS
The Belogradchik Rocks (Belogradchishki skali) is one of the
most famous and most impressive nature phenomenon in
Bulgaria. They are a group of bizarre sandstone and limestone
rock formations with different and amazing shapes, reaching
up to 200 m in height. The natural phenomenon has amazing
shapes - rock castles, palaces, fortresses, silhouettes of people,

19. SEVEN RILA LAKES
The Seven Rila Lakes are a group of lakes of glacial origin,
situated in the northwestern Rila Mountains in Bulgaria.
They are the most visited group of lakes in Bulgaria. The
lakes are situated between 2,100 and 2,500 metres elevation
above sea level.

20. The Baikushev's Pine
The Baikushev's Pine is a coniferous tree from the species
Bosman Pine situated in Pirin mountain, southwestern
Bulgaria. It is named after its discoverer, forest ranger
Kostadin Baikushev. With an approximate age of about
1,300 years, Baikushev's pine is one of the oldest trees in
the world and is a contemporary of Bulgaria's first khan,
Asparukh. It has a height of 26 m, is 2.2 m in diameter and

21. THIS IS BULGARIA
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