Meeting with the museum curators of the Regional Historic Museum of Gabrovo together with the staff of Stara planina Regional Tourist Association; Visit to the Regional History Museum

17.00  – Free time in Gabrovo; sightseeing of some sights in the town

20.00  – Dinner in a restaurant in Gabrovo

22.30  – Back to Etara Architectural and Ethnographic Complex; overnight in the hotel there

 

Day 5 (14 April 2009 - Tuesday)   

 

07.30 - 08.00 h – Breakfast in hotel

08.30 h – Departure to the town of Kazanlak http://www.staraplanina.org/engl/kazanlyk.php http://www.tourism.kazanlak.bg/en/index.html via Shipka pass

09.30 h – Visit to the Monument of Liberty on Shipka Peak; meeting with some of the curators of the National Park – Museum Shipka – Buzludzha

 

      

 

Opened to the public on 26 August 1934, the monument resembles a medieval Bulgarian tower and is very similar to our Wallace Monument. It is 31.5 m in height and 890 steps lead to it. A huge bronze lion, symbol of the Bulgarian state, stands proudly above the central entrance from the northern side. The names of Shipka, Sheynovo and Stara Zagora are inscribed on the other three sides – these were the battle fields where the Bulgarian volunteer soldiers fought against the Turkish army. The stone figures of a Russian soldier and a Bulgarian volunteer stand as an eternal guard of honour in front of the sarcophagus. The exposition, arranged on the other seven floors of the monument, comprises a rich collection of personal belongings of the participants in the battles, as well as orders and medals, photographs and documentary papers, weapons and paintings. The top of the monument offers a marvelous panoramic view of the surrounding area with the restored batteries, trenches, positions, monuments and common graves which keep the memory of the feats of arms and self-sacrifice of the heroes of Shipka.

 

11.00 – Departure to Kazanlak, on the way – visit to Golyama Kosmatka Thracian Tomb

The temple inside the “Golyama Kosmatka” Mound was built during the second half of the 5th century BC. The preserved colour ornaments on the wings of the marble gate of the chamber symbolize the cardinal directions of the world and the rotation of time according to the Thracian beliefs. The magnificent golden wreath of the ruler, an exquisite wine goblet, knee-pieces and a helmet with plastic ornamentation, appliques for riding and other valuable artifacts have been found in the tomb. The remarkable bronze head of the statue of Seuthes III, ritually buried before the facade is an extraordinary expressive and detailed piece of art. It is an important evidence of the orphic rituals not only on a national, but also on an international scale.

 

The temple consists of a corridor, antechamber, round chamber with high beehive roof, and a rectangular chamber, built as a coffin from two monolithic stone blocks, one of them weighing over 60 tons. The three rooms are built of rectangular stone blocks and covered with stone plates. A two-winged marble gate closes the entrance of the circular chamber. The upper parts of the wings have perfectly depicted images of God Dionysus. In the eastern section he is the personification of the Sun, and in the western section – of the Earth and the Night. The preserved colourful ornaments on the eastern section are predominantly in red, and those of the western section are with dominating black colour.

Discussion with Museum curators on the topics of the interpretation of museum displays and the additional services offered to tourists

 

12.30  – Arrival in Kazanlak.  Free time for lunch

14.00 – Visit to Thracian Tomb listed in UNESCO World Heritage list; visit to Iskra History Museum and a meeting with museum curators – discussions on the topics of curators’ tasks and their interpretation work with different target groups

Discovered in 1944 in a burial mound at the northeast end of the town, the ancient tomb owes its world recognition to the unique mural paintings, adorning the passage way and the dome chamber. These are some of the best-preserved masterpieces of the early Hellenic era.

There are 1500 mounds in the Kazanlak Valley and over twenty revealed Thracian temples and tombs. All of them represent the great Thracian culture but the following are the most remarkable of all – the famous Kazanlak Tomb and the tombs situated on the north of the town, on the way to the Shipka Pass http://www.tourism.kazanlak.bg/en/index.html

 

Founded on June 29th, 1901, “Iskra” Historical Museum is one of the oldest, richest and best-known regional museums in Bulgaria. More than 50 000 original exhibits are kept in it and only the numismatic collection contains over 10 000 different pieces. Initially, the museum occupied just a small room, but in 1935 it was moved to the upper floor of the new building of the library club. Since 1981 it has been located in a new, modern and specially accommodated building, together with the Art Gallery. The permanent exhibitions are arranged in five departments: “Archeology”, “Renaissance”, “New History”, “Ethnography”, and “Newest History”. In 2005 a modern treasury hall was inaugurated, where the newest golden, silver and bronze finds from the Thracian tombs in the region are on display. The finds of the Thracian town of Seuthopolis are shown in three exhibition halls. The museum studies, manages and promotes the historical heritage of the Kazanlak region.

 

An expert archeologist guides the tourists around the tombs in the region. Highly qualified guides offer comprehensive and interesting conferences, and in the multi-media hall you can see the movies showing unforgettable moments from the excavations and the incredible archeological finds. The museum offers excellent opportunities for scientific forums and studies. 

 

         

 

16.30  – Visit to the workshop for music instruments (violins)

 

Lutherie (Violin Making)                                

There is evidence that Antonio Stradivari as well as the Amati family have bought spruce and sycamore trees from the Rodopi Mountains in Bulgaria. Therein lies also the secret of the acoustics of the string instruments made in Kazanlak – in that very timber, which you too can see how it comes to life and transmutes into music, in the ateliers of the luthier masters of Kazanlak.

17.30– Free time in Kazanlak

19.30  – Dinner in a restaurant in Kazanlak

Overnight in the Kazanlak

 

     
Kukeri Mummers

 

Day 6 (15 April 2009 - Wednesday)     

 
Roses

09.00  - Departure to Karlovo; 

09.30 – Visiting of Karlovo Mummers’ Masks Museum and a discussion on the         

traditions connected with Bulgarian Rose Oil distillation

12.00 –  Free time for lunch     

13.30 – Departure to Sofia 

16.30 – Arrival in Sofia; Accommodation in Hemus Hotel

17.30  - Free time in the centre of the Capital of Bulgaria

20.00  - Dinner in a restaurant in Sofia

Day 7 ( 16.04. 2009 - Thursday)    

09.00 – 12.00  – Meeting in the National Polytechnological Museum

 http://www.polytechnicmuseum.org/index.php?lang=en

Meetings with the curators and a discussion on their work with different

target groups; Demonstrations of some attractions in the Museum    

12.30 - Free time for lunch

14.00 – Visit to the National History Museum

http://www.historymuseum.org/?lang_id=1  in Boyana Quarter

17.30 –  Back to Sofia, Free time in the centre

19.30  – Dinner in a restaurant in Sofia

 

 

Day 8 ( 17.04. 2009 - Friday)

 

    10.00  - A group visit to some sights of Sofia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sofia -

     St. Alexander Nevski Cathedral Church, National Assembly and others

    12.30 - Free time for lunch and shopping

    16.00 – Travel to Sofia Airport and Flights home.

   St. Alexander Nevski Cathedral Church