One of the big towns in the Thracian Plain, in the past the centre of a rich agricultural region, today an industrial centre. Star a Zagora (102,000 inhabitants) also remembers many a heroic day in the past and that is why it is in the front ranks of today's new life of the country.
The town's beginnings go further back in history. It made its appearance on the map as a Thracian settlement known as Beroe.
Sights:
The Stara Zagora Mineral Baths – on the site of the Roman baths of Augusta Trajana.
The Archaeological Museum, in which interesting exhibits are kept from this region which is so rich in ancient finds.
The new excavations – in the centre of the town, next to the District People's Council.
TOWNS AND VILL AGES – MUSEUM RESERVATIONS
Many civilizations flourished on the present territory of Bulgaria through the ages, and vestiges of these cultures have been preserved to this day in different parts of the country: Thracian, Hellenic and Roman, Slav and Proto-Bulgarian fortresses, necropolises, baths, villas, mosaics ephesus daily tour, churches, houses, whole towns. By decision of the Council of Ministers of the People's Republic of Bulgaria the old parts of certain towns and villages or whole settlements have been given the status of architectural museum reservations and have been placed under the protection of special organs.
KOPRIVSHTITSA
The town is situated at an altitude of 1,060 m above sea level on both banks of the Topolnitsa River, in a picturesque gardenlike valley. The climate of Koprivshtitsa is one of the healthiest in the country. Tucked away in the folds of the Sredna Gora Mountains, it is sheltered from the cold northern winds.
Every street, house and even every door in the town recalls the heroic past of the Bulgarian people. Koprivshtitsa is the birthplace of many prominent Bulgarians, fighters against Ottoman domination. It was here that the first shot was fired on April 20, 1876, to mark the outbreak of the April Uprising against the Ottoman Turks. Many historical and architectural monuments from the Bulgarian National Revival period and from the April 1876 Uprising have been preserved. With its spacious and picturesque houses, its typical high walls and wide gates, with its stone fountains and arched bridges, Koprivshtitsa has a unique character and charm all its own.
The oldest architectural monument in the town is the Pavlikenska House, which has existed for more than 300 years, witnessing the repeated burnings of the town in the 18th and 19th centuries. Also of great interest is the Oslekov House, which has now been turned into a museum. Its original architecture dates from the National Revival period, featuring beautiful woodcarved ceilings and murals. Valuable wood-carvings, embroideries and mural paintings have been preserved in the old houses of Naiden Gerov, Markov, Madjarov, Mluchkov, Stahradev, Doganov, and others. Worth special attention are the houses in which Bulgarian writers, politicians and revolutionaries were bom, which have now been transformed into museums: Lyuben Karavelov, Dimcho Debelyanov, Todor Kableshkov, Georgi Benkovski and Yako Dorossiev.
At the spot where on April 20, 1876 the first shot was fired against the oppressors now rises the monument called The First Rifle Shot. On the square is the Mausoleum of the Glorious Dead in the April Uprising. In the Church of the Holy Virgin there is a valuable wood-carved iconostasis. An exquisite wood- carved cross and a hand-written illuminated gospel from 1644 are kept here.
Two and a half hours' walk from the town are the peaks Bogdan (1,604 m) and Bounaya (1,594 m ) in the Sredna Gora mountains. A picturesque panoramic road leads to the Panagyurishte Colony. 18 km south-east of Koprivshtitsa in an ancient beech forest is the Barikadite locality, closely linked with the anti-fascist partisan struggle in 1942-1944. Next to the monument of the anti-fascist victims rises the first-class Barikadite Hotel, with 140 beds, a restaurant and a folk-style room.
The easiest way to get to Koprivshtitsa is along the Sofia- Bourgas highway. At the 99th km, beyond the village of Anton, the new road to this town branches off. From Koprivshtitsa railway station to the town the distance is 12 km, which the bus covers in 15-20 minutes. In Koprivshtitsa there is a hotel of the same name – lst-B class, with 60 beds, a restaurant and folk-style room.
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