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Tsarevets is a mediaeval stronghold in the old town of Veliko Turnovo in Central Northern Bulgaria and it is one of the most important historical objects n Bulgaria, and very attractive sightseeing for the tourists. The beautiful city of Veliko Tarnovo has been the capital of Bulgaria during the second Bulgarian kingdom.
It served as the Second Bulgarian Kingdom primary fortress and strongest bulwark from 1185 to 1393, housing the royal and the patriarchal palaces, and is a popular tourist attraction. The whole stronghold is girdled by thick walls and was served by three gates. The main gate was at the hill westernmost part, on a narrow rock massif, and featured a draw-bridge. The second gate is 18 m away from the first one and the third one, which existed until 1889, is 45 m further.
The palace is located on the hill central and plain part, which was a closed complex encircled by a fortified wall, 2 towers and 2 entrances, a main one from the north and one from the south. It featured a throne room, a palace church and a royal residential part and encompassed 4872 m. On the top of the hill is the patriarchate, a complex with an area of about 3000 m, whose church, built on the grounds of an Early Christian one, was reconstructed in 1981 and painted in 1985. The frescoes inside depict the glorious and tragic moments of the Second Bulgarian Empire. Baldwin Tower, a modern reconstruction of a medieval tower constructed after the tower in Cherven and built in 1930. It is located in the southeastern part of the fortress. It is located at the place of the original medieval tower where Latin Emperor Baldwin I of Constantinople found his death as a prisoner of Kaloyan of Bulgaria.
The Sound and Light audiovisual show is an attraction carried out in the evening that uses three lasers, variegated lights, dramatic music and church bells to tell the story of the fall of Tarnovo to the Ottomans, as well as other key moments of the history of Bulgaria. The large-scale show has been organized at Tsarevets since 1985, when the 800-year anniversary of the Uprising of Asen and Peter was celebrated. It was designed and planned by a Bulgarian-Czechoslovak team led by Valo Radev and Jaromir Hnik.
