Srebarna Nature Reserve In Bulgaria

Srebarna Nature Reserve - Bulgaria

Short Report

The Srebarna Nature Reserve is a freshwater lake adjacent to the Danube River and stretches over 600 ha. It is the breeding ground of almost 100 species of birds, many of which are rare or threatened. Approximately 80 other birds migrate search each winter. The most interesting birds are the Dalmatian pelican, large heron, night heron, purple heron, glossy ibis and white spoonbill colony.

Wonderful Universal Importance

Srebarna Nature Reserve protects a lake and wetland ecosystem of 638 hectares located near the village of Srebarna on the western shore of the Danube. The reserve includes the lake and the former agricultural land north of the lake, a belt of forest plantations along the Danube, the island and the aquatic environment Komluka closed between the island and the riverside. Srebarna Nature Reserve is a wetland in the Western Palaearctic migratory bird flyway. The nesting grounds for 99 species of birds and seasonal habitat to approximately 80 species of migratory birds. The house is surrounded by hills which provide a natural boundary and offer an ideal means for observing the waterfowl.

The rich bird life supported by Srebarna Nature Reserve is the basis for the international significance. The property held populations of birds which are considered as critical types of survival. The provides the only colony of Dalmatian Pelican Bulgaria, as well as the largest breeding populations of four more globally endangered species: Pygmy cormorant, ferruginous duck, White-tailed catfish Eagle and Corncrake. Srebarna is also of European value interest support Small bittern Night Heron, Squacco Heron, Small Little Egret, Great White Heron, Purple Heron, Glossy lbis had, its spoonbill colony and like ruddy Shelduck. Three types of sterns also occur. Globally threatened Pygmy cormorant and Rode-Goose winter in the Reserve, and the wintering populations of white-fronted goose, graylag goose and Fieldfare are also remarkable. In total the property provides critical habitat that supports 173 bird species, 78 species of European conservation and nine is listed as globally threatened.

Integrity

The property has the largest lake left after removal of the marshy area along the Danube and was connected to the river to a dyke was built in 1949. The current situation is therefore not completely natural and is maintained by water management measures. In 1994, a channel was built between the lake and the river Danube with a view to the annual flow of Danube River waters in the lake during the spring. The Reserve is a strictly protected area, and only carefully controlled scientific research, conservation and management activities may be carried out. The location is relatively small, and only if other areas are also protected, in the region and the bird migration routes, the major species of Srebarna Nature Reserve are expected to survive. The property is protected by a 673 ha buffer zone was established in 2008. This consists of a part of the Srebarna Nature Reserve that is not part of the World Heritage property and 419 ha grounds around the Srebarna Nature Reserve, which is located in an adjacent protected area known as Pelikanite. The purpose of this buffer zone will prevent and reduce negative effects for the man on the reserve.

Wide Report

The Srebarna Nature Reserve is a freshwater lake adjacent to the Danube River and stretches over 600 ha. It is the breeding ground of almost 100 species of birds, many of which are rare or threatened. Approximately 80 other birds migrate search each winter. The most interesting bird species are the Dalmatian pelican, large heron, night heron, purple heron, glossy ibis and white spoonbill colony, white-tailed catfish eagle, little cormorant. The reserve is first of all the protection of the rich variety of wild birds, the birds only half of the Bulgarian avifauna. Types include Srebarna mute swan, a variety of geese and ducks, red neck least grebe, two of the three European species of marsh words and bearded tit. Otter is sometimes in the reserve. White-fronted goose, red-goose and blue throats became known as wintering species.

Some 67 plant species can be found in Srebarna Nature Reserve, including water lilies and a number of rare marsh plants. Reeds occupy two thirds of the reserve and the form a thick barrier around the lake. They reed-mace islands which birds use of nesting. This freshwater lake is located on the flood plains of the river Danube, to which it was connected to 1949. The notching annual floods and the level of the bearing is 1 m per year. However, the lake was connected to the Danube canal in 1978 to prevent water level too low and to restore the more population.

The reserve is affected by a rapid and abnormal development of successive processes as a result of annual deposits of large reed-mace vegetation in the reserve, as well as the inadequate water influence of the Danube. The reed-mace islands are extended and thicker so that wild boar, foxes and jackals now pose a threat to both individual birds' nests and colonies. A series of front interference, including the iron gate Dam, constantly changed the natural hydrology of the Danube river in this region and that of Srebarna.

Historical Data

The area has been declared as wildfowl refuge in 1942 and established as a nature reserve by the Ministry of Agriculture and food at September 20, 1948, Decree no 2-11-931. It was accepted as a World Heritage site on March 7, 1974, if a Ramsar site on September 24, 1975 and as a reserve in january 1977.

Source:whc/unesco

Pirin National Park In Bulgaria

Pirin National Park - Bulgaria

Short Report

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 consists of several limestone mountain landscape with glacial lakes, waterfalls, caves and predominantly coniferous forests. It was added to the Unesco World Heritage Site in 1983. The extension now has an area of approximately 40,000 ha in the Pirin mountains and overlaps the Pirin National Park, except for two areas developed for tourism (skiing). The largest part of the enlargement is high mountain territory over 2000m in height, and usually by alpine meadows, rocky the screes and waves.

Wonderful Universal Importance

The World Heritage property occupies an area of approximately 40,000 ha in the Pirin mountains, southwest Bulgaria and overlaps with the undeveloped areas of Pirin National Park. The several limestone mountain landscape of the property include more than 70 glacial lakes and a range of glacial landforms, with many waterfalls, rocky the screes and caves. Forests are dominated by conifers and the higher areas harbor alpine meadows under the waves. The house has a large number of endemic species that are representative of the Balkans forms part pleistocene era flora.

The mountain scenery of the Pirin National Park is of exceptional beauty. The high mountain peaks and rocks contrast with meadows, rivers and waterfalls, and the ability to explore with the design of a Balkan mountain landscape. The ability to remote and naturalness is an important feature of the outstanding Universal Value of the property. The main geosciences values of the property are related to the glacial geomorphology, demonstrated by a range of features, including cirques, deep valleys and over 70 glacial lakes. The mountains of the property shows a wide variety of forms and are developed in different types of rock. Well-functioning natural processes can for the study of the continued evolution of the landforms of the property, and help to understand other mountain regions in the region.

The property is a good example of the continued evolution of flora, as is clear from a number of endemic species, and the property also protects an example of a properly functioning ecosystem that is representative of the main natural ecosystems of the Balkans uplands. Pirin natural coniferous forests are Macedonian pine trees and Bosnian Pine, with many old trees grow. In total, there are 1,315 species of vascular plants, approximately one third of the Bulgarian flora, including 86 Balkans endemics, 17 Bulgarian endemics and 18 local endemics. The fauna of the Pirin National Park comprises 45 mammalian species, including brown bear, wolf and pine marten and 159 bird species. Pirin is also the home of eight species of amphibians, eleven types of reptiles and six species. Although the forests are affected by some historical use, the natural functioning of the ecosystem ensures the protection of the regional biodiversity important values.

Integrity

The original inscription of the property in 1983 proved to be inadequate in the representation of and for the maintenance of the exceptional Universal Value of the Pirin, But an extension in 2010, the problems in the best possible and represents the minimum area of the Pirin National Park which can be considered to meet the requirements of outstanding universal value included in the World Heritage Convention. The National Park is clearly defined from the point of view of its mountainous nature and ecology, and the limits of the area are large enough for the capture of the natural values of the Pirin Mountain. Sufficient limits are set by the enlargement of the goods originally declared, including the outermost regions of the inside of the National Park, and from neighboring areas that are not compatible with the World Heritage status because effects on integrity of ski-development. The values of the property as extended retain the characteristics of a natural landscape, but they closely reflect areas intensive tourism development which a risk to the integrity of the property.

Wide Report

Extends over an area of 27,400 ha and lying on a height of 1,008-2,914 m in the Pirin mountains, south-west Bulgaria Pirin National Park is a limestone Balkans landscape of lakes, waterfalls, caves and pine forests. The rugged mountains, with 70 glacial lakes spread, hundreds of endemic and rare species, many of which are representative of the Balkans forms part pleistocene era flora. The mountains also have various and unique landscapes of great aesthetic value. Pirin mountains stretches from the north-west to the south-east between the valleys of the Strouma Mesta and rivers. There are many rivers and waterfalls. Winter in the upper part is cold and long snow-covered remaining five to eight months. Summer is cool and short.

The presence of limestone rocks, the southern location of the range and the proximity of the Aegean Sea, in combination with its relative isolation, Pirin Mountain an important retreat for many species. In the park are mainly coniferous forests with endemic Macedonian pine wide and which form part of the timberline in the granite of the mountain. Endemic Bossnian pine occurs in the highest zone of the karst. Unique condition of Pinus peuce and Pinus leucodermis. , TO 250 - 300 years old and 30-45 m high, are to be found in Baiouvi Doupki-Djindjiritsa Reserve. Some individual Pinus leucodermis. Trees are more than 500 years old. Silver Fir Wood, Austrian pine, spruce, Scots pine and beech form a mixed coniferous forest type.

Generally, the timberline has developed as a result of human intervention for a long period and drops as low as 2000 m, but in some places reached 2200 -2,300 m. In the subalpine zone there are shrubs of dwarf mountain pine and Juniperus sibirica in . Above 2400 -2,600 m is a layer of alpine meadows, stony slopes, the screes, rocks, etc. The flora of the Pirin, consisting of the many rare species, is of great importance and beauty. One of the most active flora speciation will be further developed in Bulgaria is located in the limestone part of the mountain. Pirin offers a mix of eastern european, Alpine, Stara Planina mountain range and sub-species in the Mediterranean, but there are also 30 local endemic species.

There is a large variety of animal species, including many endemic species and glacial relicts under the invertebrate fauna. Endangered birds and mammals are brown bear, gray wolf, pine marten, rock marten, polecat, badger, otter, wild cat, red deer, roe deer, wild boar, Balkan chamois, golden eagle, wood grouse, hazel grouse, golden eagle, black woodpecker and three puppets woodpecker.

Historical Data

In 1963 Vikhren National Park (6,212ha) was established in the northern part of the Pirin mountains in Decree No 3074 of November 6, 1962 of the Committee of Forestry and forest management. In 1976 it was supplemented 27, OOOha and renamed the Pirin National Park (Decree No 1036 of March 3, 1976 of the Ministry of Forestry). Pirin NP was extended to 40,060ha in 1987 (Decree No 1036 of 17 November, the Committee of environmental protection in the Council of Ministers. Baevi Doubki Nature Reserve was established in 1934, extended in 1976 and renamed Baevi Doupki - Dzindzeritza (2,873ha) in 1979. He was declared a biosphere reserve in 1977.

Sourct:whc/unesco

Thracian Tomb of Sveshtari in Bulgaria

Thracian Tomb of Sveshtari - Bulgaria

Short Report

Discovered in 1982 near the village of Sveshtari, this 3th-century Bc Thracian tomb reflects the structural principles of Thracian cult buildings. The grave is a unique architectural design with polychrome half-man, half-plant caryatids and murals. The 10 female figures carved in high relief on the walls of the main room and the decoration of its lunette in its archive are the only examples of this type of until now found in the Thracian lands. It is a remarkable overview of the culture of the Getes, a Thracian people who were in contact with the Hellenistic and Hyperborean worlds, to the old geographers.

Wonderful Universal Importance

The Thracian tomb near Sveshtari is a very rare and very well preserved monument of the sepulchral architecture with remarkable elements in terms of their quality and style sculpture and painting. The Graf is also remarkable for the fact that the local art, inspired by Hellenism, a rare case of an interrupted creative process which has specific characteristics.

The Thracian tomb near Sveshtari is a unique artistic achievement with its half man, half plant caryatids embedded in a chiton in the form of an upside down palmette. The fact that the original polychromy preserved with its ochre, brown, blue, red and purple tones adds to the charm of an expressive composition where the percentile anthropomorphic dummy supports conjure the image of a choir of mourners frozen in the abstract views of a ritual dance. The tomb is exceptional testimony of the culture of the Getes, Thracian peoples in the north of Hemus (contemporary Stara Planina), in contact with the Greek and Hyperborean worlds according to the old geographers. The Graf is also remarkable for the fact that the local art inspired by Hellenism, a rare case of an interrupted creative process, which has specific characteristics. This monument is unique in its architectural design and in the specific nature of the funeral rites revealed by the excavation.

Integrity

The integrity of the site, in accordance with the same character, and the surrounding area. The monument is located in the archaeological reserve 'Sborianovo', where more than 40 sepulchral Thracian burial mounds, various sanctuaries, antique and medieval villages, buildings, a fort, mausoleum and a minaret from the Ottoman period. The property includes within its boundaries all components necessary for its exceptional Universal Value.

Authenticity

The house feels, is kept in the original location by a moisture-isolating switch protective cover when the external sepulchral mound was reinstated. Please find enclosed the dike also appears as a unique element in the landscape. The general condition of the original stone figures and illustrations elements of the construction is good and the spatial organization of the Tombs is unchanged. The preservation is performed with minimal interference and discreet. The Grave is open for visitors, while complying with the technical requirements for conservation.

Wide Report

The discovery in 1982 of the Thracian tomb of Sveshtari was one of the most spectacular archaeological events of the 20th century. The tomb itself is a unique artistic achievement with its half-man, half-plant caryatids enclosed by chitons in the form of reverse palmettes. The fact that the original polychromy preserved with its ochre, brown, blue, red and purple tones adds to the charm of an expressive composition where the percentile anthropomorphic dummy supports conjure the image of a choir of mourners frozen in the abstract views of a ritual dance. The graf is an extraordinary testimony to the culture of the Getae, a Thracian people living in the north of Hemus, in contact with the Greek and Hyperborean worlds according to ancient geographers.

The tomb is located in a region declared an archaeological reserve, near the city of Malak Porovetz Razgra between the villages and Sveshtari Isperih in municipalities, in the river Krapinetz canyon and on the hills around. The time at which the Sveshtari tomb was built (MID 3RD century Bc) coincided with a period of great political, economic and cultural revival of the Thracian tribe of the Getae. The rich decoration and perfect architecture of the tomb shows the power of the ruler. Under a tumulus 11.5 m high and 70 m in diameter, geophysical prospecting, appeared in the south-east, the monumental entrance to the hypogeum of exceptional importance, including a dromos, a porch, and two rectangular burial chambers. The classification of the Thracian king's tomb, which is very different from that of Thracian tomb with domes such as that of Kazanlak, fits a Hellenistic model to be found in Macedonia, Small-asia and Egypt. However, the tomb of Sveshtari is unique in its architectural decor and in the specific nature of funeral rites revealed by the excavation.

The tomb consists of a corridor (dromos) and three square rooms: waiting room, lateral room, and the main burial chamber under a semi-cylindrical vault. The plan of the building offers a new interesting example in Thracian building practice. The interior of the grave is carried out in the spirit of the contemporary Hellenistic architecture. The entrance is flanked by two rectangular columns (antae).  There is a an architrave plate above them with a frisian in relief, consisting of imitation bovine heads (bucrania), rosettes and garlands. Ten beautiful female figures with hands raised high as caryatids are impressive. The figures are approximately 1.20 m high plant, front presented, wearing long sleeveless dresses (chitons) connected with a thin strap under the breasts.

Two funerary beds, human bones and serious solutions were discovered in the central room. Of the scattered stone details it was possible for the reconstruction of the facade of the tomb (aedicula), consisting of pilasters, cornice and a pediment and closed with three stone doors. The hotel is located opposite the large bed and a symbol of the border between life and death, the aedicula isolated the grave of the deified ruler (the most sacred part of the grave) of the rest of the city. In the middle of the composition the goddess is with a golden halo on the ruler, portrayed as a rider opposite her. On both sides of them there were processions of servants and armour-carriers in different gifts in their hands.

The layout of the central room which consists two stone funeral beds and a aedicula mimics the framework of the peristyle house: five half columns and ornaments ten female caryatids in high relief on limestone or flagstones support the an architrave barrel-vaulted Doric frieze with the triglyphs and metopes are decorated in the room at half height. In the north-west its lunette, on the wall opposite the entrance, there is a painting of the deceased as hero, who, in the presence of different actors, develops on a horse to the central figure of a deity extending a wreath. Skeletal material found during excavation testifies to the horse sacrifices which is accompanied by the funerary rites.

Source:whc/unesco

Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak In Bulgaria

Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak - Bulgaria

Short Report

Discovered in 1944, this grave dating from the Hellenistic period, around the end of the 4th century BC. It is located near Seutopolis, the capital of the Thracian king Seutes III, and is part of a large Thracian necropolis. The tholos has a narrow corridor and a round burial chamber, both with murals of Thracian burial rituals and culture. These paintings are Bulgaria the best preserved artistic masterpieces from the Hellenistic period.

Wonderful Universal Importance

The Thracian tomb of Kazanlak is a unique aesthetic and artistic work, a masterpiece of the Thracian creative spirit. This monument is the only one of its kind in the world. The exceptionally well-preserved frescoes and the original condition of the structure shows the remarkable evolution and high level of culture and art collections in Hellenistic Thrace.

The Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak is the masterpiece of the Thracian creative spirit. The Kazanlak frescoes witnesses of high level of culture collections art in Thracia. The Kazanlak frescoes represent an important stage in the development of Hellenistic and art.

Integrity

The integrity of the site is intact. The defined boundaries and buffer zone, and the location of the Tombs in a park, provides a secure environment for the property. The property includes within its boundaries all the components that the reported outstanding universal value. The Graf is protected against the negative effects of visitors, by providing access to the nearby museum contains a copy of the tomb architecture and decoration frescoes.

Authenticity

The tomb meets the requirements for authenticity as the construction and the walls remain in their original state, without modification or addition, and the frescoes are very well preserved. At the time of registration, the grave was under a permanent protective building and the cultural value - the exclusive art wall decoration - was fully preserved. In this process, the murals were cleaned and strengthened. Using techniques that are not in conflict with their authenticity, they were not developed or completed. Air Conditioning is installed to provide a constant temperature.

Wide Report

In 1942 a tomb dating back to the 3rd century BC was discovered in Kazanlak in the romantic valley of Roses, near the old town Teutopolis. The Kazanlak Tomb is a highlight in the development of Hellenistic art; it is an important contribution to the art of the entire Hellenistic world. The numerous burial mounds in Kazanlak area (more than 500), Together with the remains of Thracian settlements, including Seuthopolis, the only Thracian city that is fully excavated, preserved and studied, shows that the area was populated by a large Thracian population, the height of the cultural development in the 5th to 3rd century BC.

Seuthopolis was founded by the Thracian King Seuth III at the end of the 4th century BC. The city was enriched, with a classification on the basis of the principles of the Greek polis. Monumental work of Thracian architecture are found in Seuthopolis, such as the palace-temple, interior is decorated with murals, and the temples of Dionysius and the Large Thracian Gods. Seven stone graves were discovered in the necropolis, of which four of the bijenkorf. The use of masonry in the making of graves is typical for the area of Seuthopolis: nowhere else in Thrace were bricks used as strong in building.

The tomb is on the top of a rocky hill, and was set up without deep foundations. It consists of the three chambers necessary by the Thracian cult of the dead: an antechamber for the chariot, horses, or slaves who accompanied the dead man in the after-life; a corridor (dromos), that was a small room for the things that are needed in the after-life; and a burial chamber of the body itself. The three components are different shapes and sizes.

The murals are the main asset of the Kazanlak Tomb, because they were the only completely preserved work of Hellenistic art that is found in exactly the same condition in which it was originally designed and implemented. They start from the waiting room. The walls are of a light ochre color, against which large stones are outlined with dark blue lines, in the wake of the squared masonry, which a solemn atmosphere before entering the corridor and burial chamber. Only a small part of this device is preserved, high on the east wall of the waiting room. The entrance of the hallway has a painted dark ochre frame. The painting in the hallway and the burial chamber in fact a monumental facade. It starts with a high podium, then follows the neutral load-bearing wall, and then the composition ends in architectural details of photos between them.

The artwork in the Graf reach their peak in the burial chamber. The floor is painted in Pompeian red. The stage is on the circle of the mattress and is at the top with a broad black band. Mattress mimics pink marble with light blue veins. The stage consists of eight squares divided with grooves mimic marble. The load-bearing wall painted in Pompeian red follows above the black band. The composition in the burial chamber is designed with lots of knowledge and skill of the architectural elements of the Ionic entablature. However, the painter has intentionally infringed the Ionic ratios with the large figure fries. That is why he an exceptional influence by the entire composition in a colorful image of the architectural motifs.

The murals were carried out on the basis of a preliminary draft to the final thin coat of plaster. Today Even vague lines cut on the wet plaster can be distinguished, concentrate Plinths are and the contours of the archive. The pattern of the Kazanlak Tomb paintings show that they are not painted spontaneously: the paintings are the result of carefully devised artistic composition performed on the basis of a specific project. The architecture and the pattern of the composition were prepared together as an integrated artwork. It is clear that both were the work of one person - an artist-architect.

Source:whc/unesco

Rock-Hewn Churches of Ivanovo In BulgariaRock-Hewn Churches of Ivanovo In Bulgaria

Rock-Hewn Churches of Ivanovo - Bulgaria

Short Report

In the valley of the Roussenski Lom river, in the north-east Bulgaria, a complex of rock-cut churches, chapels, monasteries and cells developed in the vicinity of the village of Ivanovo. This is where the first hermits was dug out their cells and churches during the 12th century. The 14th-century murals witnesses of the special skills of the artists to the Tarnovo School of painting.

Wonderful Universal Importance

The frescoes of the Ivanovo churches show a exceptional artistry and a remarkable artistic sensitivity for 14th century painting and Bulgarian medieval art; they are an important milestone in the christian art of south-eastern Europe. The 'To' be accommodated in monastery mosaics (Karia Djámi Kebír) 1303 - 10, this frescoes, by their expressiveness exceed all other historical monuments discovered, characteristic for the Palaeologues style. Neo-classic in the spirit and in elements of their subjects, the frescos imply a break with the cannons of Byzantine iconography. They show close links with expressive Hellenistic art and a clear preference for the nude, the landscape, an architectural background of a composition, drama, an emotional atmosphere - qualities that together an exceptional masterpiece of the Tarnovo school for painting and monumental art.

The five historic monuments in this group (chapels, churches, etc. ), dating from the 13th and 14th century, serve as examples that clears the way for the distinctive character development and control of the art of the Second Bulgarian National/ 1187-1396/. The richness and diversity of the blood cells, chapels, churches, monastery complexes, the original architectural solutions - all in a beautiful natural environment, confirm the value of this extraordinary historic group.

Many churches, chapels, monasteries and cells were in the natural rock along the Rusenski Lom river, during the 13- 14th century. The 'Church' frescoes show a exceptional artistry and a remarkable artistic sensitivity for 14th century painting and Bulgarian medieval art; they are an important milestone in the christian art of south-eastern Europe. Neo-classic in the spirit and in elements of their subjects, the frescos imply a break with the cannons of Byzantine iconography. They show close links with expressive Hellenistic art and a clear preference for the nude, landscape, an architectural background of a composition, drama, an emotional atmosphere - qualities that together an exceptional masterpiece.

The extensive complexes of monasteries were built between the time of the Second Bulgarian State / 1187-1396/ and the conquest of Bulgaria by the Ottoman Empire. The five historic monuments in this group, which dates back to the 13th and 14th century, the richness and diversity of the blood cells, chapels, churches, monastery complexes, the original architectural solutions - all in a beautiful natural environment, confirm the value of this extraordinary historic group.

Integrity

The property includes within its boundaries all components necessary for its exceptional universal value but the rock-solid, where the churches are located, has serious stability problems. In the course of the years a continuous program of research and scientific, technical and design projects, mainly focused on the strengthening and stabilization of the rock formation. THE program was carried out for the 'Research, identification, stabilisation and waterproofing of the rock massif' for the Church of the Holy Virgin. All statistical analyzes are based on processing and instrument meteorological data and studies.

Authenticity

Made of natural cavities of a karst massif, the authenticity of form, the material and the content of the rock-cut Churches of Ivanovo is still preserved. Urgent conservation work is completed on the valuable 13TH and 14th-century murals, while cleaning, stabilisation and presentation of the Church of the Holy Virgin murals is also carried out. It is minimal retouching work, and the maximum retention of the original. As a result of a rock collapse of the early 20th century, the 13th-century ceiling murals from the buried church of St. archangels are saved and transferred to a new substrate. The first phase of the work on the 14th century murals of the collapsed St. Todor Church is completed.

Wide Report

In the valley of the Roussenski Lom river, in the north-east Bulgaria, a complex of rock-cut churches, chapels, monasteries and cells developed in the vicinity of the village of Ivanovo. This is where the first hermits was dug out their cells and churches during the 12th century. The 14th-century murals witnesses of the special skills of the artists of the Tarnovo school of painting.

The period of the history of Bulgaria from the last years of the 12th century, when for the second time the country had become independent of Byzantium to the Ottoman Empire annexation in 1396, is known as the Second Bulgarian Empire. Independence of Byzantium not fully to the Bulgarian clergy were relatives of the Patriarch Costantinopoli. In 1204, the Tsar Kaloyan signed an agreement with the papacy moved back as part of the roman catholic church. It Was not a long-term agreement. In the time of Tsar Ivan Ansen II, Bulgaria again embraced Orthodox Christianity, but with a private Patriarch, not subordinate to Costantinople.

The first Patriarch was the monk Gioacchino, which shared with Ivan Ansen the plan of the Bulgarian church. Before deciding on the patriarchal throne he lived as a hermit in a cave in the Rusenski Lom river valley, not far from the village of Ivanovo. The monk reached as high level of inviolability that Tzar Ivan Ansen entrusted the construction of a monastery, which has contributed to strengthening its image as a merciful frost. The monastery was built between 1218 and 1235 and was from the beginning a rocky character; all buildings were dug in the limestone cliff gap of the river and its contributories. In the years between 1331 and 1371 the monastery, thanks to new royal gifts, acquired the best of its artistic heritage: the splendid frescoes due to the painters of the so-called Tarnovo School.

During the conquest of the country by the Ottoman Turks in 1396, the monastery of Ivanovo was quickly forgotten in ruins and was abandoned. The hard limestone from which the country was cut and that frescoes were painted could withstand the inclemency of the weather. Along the two walls of the Rusenski Lom river gorge there is a labyrinth of cells, of rooms, and above all churches and chapels dug in the rock which were originally completely covered with frescoes, but which only five are still in good condition.

Bearing in mind the fact that these three churches back to the regime of Ivan or immediately thereafter, they constitute remarkable evidence of the revolution in painting during the two centuries of the Second Bulgarian Empire. In the churches of the first period, the human figures are painted in the same realistic style, with oval faces and fleshy lips, and the colors of the clothing are light. The 14th-century frescoes of contrast in the classic style of the Palaeologic period. The five churches and frescoes are testimony of the Byzantine art influence in Bulgaria. The creation and establishment of the rock-cut churches is largely attributable to the donation of the Bulgarian Tzars in the 13th and 14th century.

Source:whc/unesco

Rila Monastery In Bulgaria

Rila Monastery - Bulgaria

Short Report

Rila monastery was founded in the 10th century by St. John of Rila, a hermit canonized by the Orthodox Church. Are ascetic home and grave was a holy place and were transformed into a a monastic complex which played an important role in the spiritual and social life of medieval Bulgaria. Destroyed by fire in the beginning of the 19th century, the complex was rebuilt between 1834 and 1862. A typical example of the Bulgarian Renaissance (18TH- 19th century), the monument represents the awareness of a Slavonic cultural identity after centuries of occupation.

Outstanding Universal Value

In the complex ten-century history the Rila monastery is the center of a strong mental and artistic influence on the eastern orthodox world during middle ages 11 14TH c. ).  Of the Ottoman Empire (1400-1878) the monastery influenced the development of art and culture of all Christian nations within the Ottoman Empire. With its architecture, frescoes, etc. it is a masterpiece of the creative genius of the Bulgarian population. Architectural Styles are preserved in the field as historical monuments of considerable period 11c.  19). The most important architectural design is currently one of the best examples of craftsmanship of the Balkan peoples from the early 19th c. As such it has exerted considerable influence on architecture and design in the Balkan region. Rila monastery is considered as a symbol of the 19th Century Bulgarian Renaissance which imparted Slavic values of Rila in trying to restore a continuous historical continuity.

Integrity

There are no substantial changes in the integrity of the property since the inscription on the World Heritage list. Scheduled conservation work, which also include the medieval and renaissance wood carving and murals in its churches and chapels of the monastery complex, to ensure that this good. Protection of the Monastery of 'load' is also of great importance. A series of permanent geological engineering comments are pursued, with corresponding report recommendations for 'earth-structure' strengthened. On the basis of these results, conservation and restoration will be determined. A development plan has been drawn up, it will make proposals for improvement of the communication and the technical infrastructure for the maintenance of the property.

Authenticity

Rila monastery is the most important spiritual and literary center of the Bulgarian national revival, with a continuous history from the Middle Ages to the present. Reconstruction was necessary after a fire, and parts of the monastery, a new church and other structures dating back to the 18th century. The property fully agree with authenticity requirements with regard to location, context, concept, the use, the function and the tradition, in which the spirit and the feeling of the site are also well preserved.

Wide Report

Rila monastery, the oldest in the Slav world and is still the most active religious center in Bulgaria, is first and foremost an exceptionally fine artistic complex, which harmoniously merge architecture and painting. In addition to this, in the last few centuries the seat of the development, conservation and dissemination of Slavic religious culture in all its different forms, such as literary and artistic and was the symbol of the Bulgarian cultural identity that was constantly threatened by Turkish domination.

The monastery is situated approximately 120 km from Sofia, in the heart of the Rila massif, located on the north-western end of the Rodopi mountains, a beautiful mountain area with peaks up to almost 3000 m. In this area, which is still covered by forests in AD 876-946, attended the hermit Ivan Rilski (Saint John of Mila), The apostle of the Slavonic peoples. A new building was built on a few kilometers from the place of the first foundation, and was completed in the 15th century thanks to the donations of Stefan Hrelyu, a powerful local prince who ordered in 1355 the construction of the tower that still bears his name and a church dedicated to John of Rila, now canonized.

During the Ottoman Turkish occupation of Bulgaria, the monastery took the role of bastion of national identity in the face of foreign occupation. It was a destination for pilgrimages from all corners of the Balkans, especially after 1469, when the relics of the holy. The complex also serve this function in the centuries that followed, especially in the 18th and 19th century, when it was one of the major powers of the Bulgarian Renaissance. This period is documented by the beautiful cross that has been preserved in the museum of the monastery, and decorated with more than 100 biblical scenes by the monk Raphael, one of the leading figures of the movement.

The existing structures, with the exception of the Hrelyu Tower, dating back to the 19th-century building project. They occupy a vast area that an irregular square, with two inputs, both decorated with frescoes. The building that around contains four chapels, a dining room and 300 cells, a library, and rooms for the guests of the monastery. The complex features a courtyard forgotten by three- and four-storey buildings, embellished by orders of arches on stone columns that pooling their facades and airy loggias. This is enlivened by the chromatic interplay between the white of the plaster and the red and black tones of the bricks.

The Hrelyu tower is a compact building 23 m high, square. The highest of the five levels contains a chapel dedicated to the glorification and decorated by a series frescoes that are carried out in the second half of the 14th century: in the nave are illustrated stories of Saint John of Rila. Of the building built in the 19th century, the most important is the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, built in 1833 on the structure of the previous building. The church houses a beautiful carved wooden iconostasis, carried out in 1842 by Her Taladuro of Thessalonica and many frescoes. The cultural heritage in the convent is not limited to the buildings, but also extends to compressed air applications with artwork and documents which constitute a valuable testimony of Bulgarian culture; they are mainly located in the museum and in the library.

Source:whc/unesco

Madara Rider in Baulgaria

Madara Rider in Baulgaria

Short Report

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.

Wonderful Universal Importance

The Madara Rider is a unique relief, a particular work of art, made during the first year of the establishment of the Bulgarian State, at the beginning of the 8th century. It is the only relief of its kind, that no parallel in Europe. He survived in authentic condition, without alternation in the past or present.

It is excellent not only as a work of the Bulgarian sculpture, with its characteristic realistic tendencies, but also as a piece of historical source material dating back to the early years of the establishment of the Bulgarian state. The markings on the relief valve are in fact a chronicle of important events with regard to the where quiet reigns of very famous Khans: Tervel, Kormisos and Omurtag.

Wide Report

The sculptor carved relief of a majestic horseman 23 m above the ground in an almost vertical 100 m high cliff. The rider is a spear into a lion lying on his horse the feet, while a dog is running after the rider. In ancient times the Thracian tribes inhabited the plains. There was an ancient Thracian temple in the large open cave under the rocks and is now known as the Nymphs' Cave. The fort and a large company (villa rustica) flourished at the foot of the cliff for more than three centuries during the Roman times, until it fell into disuse with the collapse of the Roman Empire. The pitch towers of the fortress was rebuilt as the first Bulgarian capital Pliska, was established.

During the difficult times at the end of the 7th century the relationship of the young Bulgarian state and Byzantium was very complex. The Bulgarians won the right to their status in a victorious fight, but Byzantium considered itself a heir of the Roman Empire and never gave up its claim to this territory. If the deposed Byzantine Emperor Justinian asked for help from the Bulgarian Khan Tervel, he had the Bulgarian conditions. The Emperor was re-installed on the throne in Constantinople thanks to the Bulgarian army. These events took place in the year 705: thus, only a quarter of a century after the Bulgarian state, it was not only recognized by but also received appreciation of Byzantium.

The Madara Horseman was carved in the beginning of the 8th century, about three decades after the foundation of the Bulgarian State (681).  The sculpture is a triumph: the Byzantine Empire has recognized that the new state. The exemption is not an abstract symbolic scene but indicates a specific image with a historical background and deep symbolism. The chosen location is such that the convexity of the rock, some parts of the aid to project more than the rest. Other elements of the composition is almost flat because they had to be accommodated in the slope of the stone surface.

The sculptor used three methods for the sculpture of the figures. He outlined the images with a 1.5 cm wide and 2 cm deep groove in the rock (only the lion not surrounded by a groove).  He hewed from the surrounding surface so that the figures project. The third method is to the figures in red plaster so give them even better against the rock. Most of this patch is destroyed by the elements, but some traces are still visible. The letters of the inscriptions were also filled with the same plaster. The sculptor worked carefully on the composition to ensure that the exemption would be clearly visible from a distance. The elements of this handsome composition be organised in a way that does not detract but emphasize the impact.

The sculpture is an original combination of dynamic and static nature of formal gestures and realistic detail. The image is of a specific event but it implies a sense of triumph over the limits of time. However, although this monumental work of art combines the concrete from the abstract, the inscription cut in the left and right side of the composition determined curt, precise and simple information about the event and some of the situation with regard to it. The deep historical meaning of the relief is clarified by the markings on the figures. These inscriptions are made in three consecutive steps and are related to important events. They are the oldest proto-Bulgarian markings and the earliest written information on Bulgarian history.

However these tradition began with the texts on the Madara exemption. These three texts not only mark the beginning of the historic annals but also with regard to the images and the interpretation of the emergency aid, of the victorious scene presented. The existence of a state, the full meaning only via its international recognition and these texts are exactly the events in connection with the international recognition of the state, with the introduction in international relations as a respected partner.

Source:whc/unesco

Boyana Church in Bulgaria

Boyana Church in Bulgaria

Short Report

Located on the outskirts of Sofia Boyana Church consists of three buildings. The eastern church was built in the 10th century, then extended to the beginning of the 13th century by Sebastocrator Kaloyan, who ordered a second building with two floors built. The frescoes of this second church, painted in 1259, one of the most important collections of medieval paintings. The ensemble is completed with a third church, built at the beginning of the 19th century. This site is one of the most complete and perfectly preserved monuments of eastern european medieval art.

Wonderful Universal Importance

There are multiple layers of murals in the passenger compartment from the 11th, 13th, 15TH - 17th and 19th century witnesses to the high level of mural painting in the different periods. The paintings with the most striking artistic value from the 13th century. While they interpret the Byzantine canon, the images have a special spiritual expressiveness and vitality and are painted in harmonious relationship.

Wide Report

In the Middle Ages the strong Bulgarian fortress of Boyana (Batil) was on the lower slopes of the Vitosha Mountain in what is now the suburb of Boyana Sofia. This name is mentioned for the first time in 969. Boyana was one of the 35 forts and settlements which the enrichment of the town Sredets (Sofia). Boyana Church was built within the fortress and is a beautiful example of medieval architecture and monumental art.

The church has many modifications and extensions, and thus also the current complex part differs significantly from the original. New buildings have been added to the first (East) Church, architectural transformations have taken place, and the device is changed. Currently Boyana Church consists of buildings from the 11th, 13th and 19th century.

The oldest Boyana Church, the so-called East or First Church, was designed and used as a chapel. It was a typical Greek cross with a dome, and a hidden internal cross without detached support and without a narthex. It is built entirely of brick. The north and south facades are expressed on the outside with three blind arches, each with the central arc higher than the side; the arches are not related to the structure of the building. The masonry decorations are Es Figural Beach: archivolts with 'wolf's tooth' and concentric rows of stone above the arches.

The plan of the decor is reminiscent of a Greek cross and is scantily clad young lit by long narrow openings (one in the north and south walls, four on the dome) as well as by a triforium on the apsis. The entire interior of the walls and the dome was covered with murals. Some of the larger fragments are preserved in the apsis. The First Church was re-painted in the middle of the 18th century, traces of the original paintings are only noticeable when the top layer of murals is destroyed.

In the 13th century the feudal ruler of the western region of the Second Bulgarian State, Sebastocrator Kaloyan and his wife Desislava, which were closely related to the royal family, the construction of the extension of the church. The builders a new two-storey building on the western wall of the First Church. The ground floor has direct access from the first Church and was intended as a narthex. It is rectangular, covered with a cylindrical archive. On the inside, the walls are decorated with two niches on the southern and northern sides respectively, probably for a family tomb. The upper floor of Kaloyan's Church has a virtually identical architectural composition of the older building, in the form of a Greek cross, and has been used as a family chapel. It was dedicated to the martyr healer or St Panteleimon. Access to the chapel is via outside stairs to the southern wall. It is possible that the stairs connected the chapel of the house of the nobleman. There are reasons to believe that in the case of danger, the mobile stairs was removed, so above the chapel can also be used as a defense tower.

The articulation of the facades is Es Figural beach in the First Church. The northern and southern facades have four blind arches each at the level of the second floor. One of the arches on the southern wall is wider and was used as access to the chapel on the second floor. The eastern facade of Kaloyan Church rises above the roof of the First Church. On the outside surface is interrupted by a small semi-circular apse. The western entrance facade is the most representative and has a distinctive monumental character. The new church, expanded and renewed by the family of the Sebastocrator, was decorated with paintings and inaugurated in 1259.

The Boyana frescos are an example of the icon-painting which was later adopted as such mural and mark the beginning of the specific characteristics that strongly influenced the Tirnovo artistic school. The icon-style murals that has become in the Serbian, Russian and Athos monasteries during the 14th to 16th century are closely related to this innovation.

Source:whc/unesco

Ancient City of Nessebar in Bulgaria

Ancient City of Nessebar in Bulgaria 

Short Report

Located 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 remains, mainly from the Hellenistic period, the acropolis, the temple of Apollo, a agora and a wall, from the Thracian fortifications. Among other monuments, the Stara Mitropolia Basilica and the fortress dating back to the Middle Ages, when this was one of the most important Byzantine towns on the west coast of the Black Sea. Wooden houses, built in the 19th century are typical of the Black Sea architecture of the period.

Wonderful Universal Importance

The ancient city of Nessebar is a unique example of a synthesis of the ancient human activities in the field of culture; it is a place where many civilisations have left tangible traces in one homogeneous whole, integrating perfectly in nature. The various stages of the development of the residential common architecture reflects the various stages of its formation and development of the architecture in the Balkans and in the entire eastern Mediterranean region. The urban structure contains elements from the second millennium BC, since ancient times and the middle ages. The medieval religious architecture, amended by the setting of the traditional Byzantine forms, illustrates ornamental ceramics art, the characteristic paintings in this age. The city has more than thousands of years remarkable spiritual hearth of the Christian culture.

Wide Report

Systematic archaeological studies, reinforcement, restoration and conservation retain the material traces of history in Nessebar more than anywhere else. The small peninsula is a meeting point of times gone by. Nessebar is repeatedly shown important historic position of a frontier city on the outposts of a threat of empire. Thousands of years of continuous human occupation (the earliest traces of human settlement dating back more than 3000 years ago) have an impressive cultural occupation low as thick as 6 m in some places. Limited to a rocky promontory of the Bulgarian coast, Nessebar is a rich city-museum with more than three thousand years of history. The Thracians were the first to draw attention to this natural defensive, supported by many discoveries of Bronze Age objects. Strabo records, moreover, the legendary foundation by the Thracian, Mena, of whom the city has its original name, Menebria. Dorian settlers from Megara one of the oldest Greek colonies of a Design Euxinus (Black Sea) under the name Messembria: according to Herodotus was already in 513 BC.

Nessebar is nestled in a romantic isthmus. The cobbled streets, well kept medieval churches and half-timbered houses from the 19th century illustrate its checkred history. Nessebar churches can best be described as a cross between Slavic and Greek Orthodox architecture and are some of the most beautiful in the area. One of the oldest cities in Europe, it still exudes the spirit of different ages and populations - Thracians, Hellenes, Romans, slaves, Byzantines and Bulgarians.  

The Greek city, whose acropolis rose on the eastern end of the peninsula, was defended on the landward side of a 6th-century wall which is still partly in the north. Remains of the agora, the theater and the Temple of Apollo came to light in buildings in the period when Messembria fell under Roman influence. The city was in 71 BC, but continue to enjoy many privileges, such as that year its own coins. At the death of Theodosius (395) made the gap with the Roman Empire, Messembria became the Byzantine domain and not long after was one of the main strongholds of the Eastern Empire and the object of a power struggle between the Greeks and Bulgarians. He was successively in the hands of one first and then the other, depending on the profitability of each army, to 812 when the Bulgarian Khan Krum seized after a siege of two weeks.

Until the recording by the Turks in 1453 Nessebar consists of monuments of exceptional quality: for example, the Stara Mitropolia, a large basilica without transept rebuilt in the 9th century, the Church of the Virgin; the Nova Mitropolia, founded in the 11th century and continuously further embellished until the 18th century, the Church of St John the Baptist, Which houses the archaeological museum; and finally a remarkable range of 13th- and 14th-century churches: St Theodore, St Paraskebba, St Michael and St Gabriel and St John Alituhgethos. Other notable churches are the old bishop's palace in an early Byzantine style (4TH- 5th century), and the New bishops Residence (St Stefan), containing valuable 12th-century frescoes.

The Turkish domination coincided with the decrease in Nessebar, but he did not affect the monumental heritage, enriched in the 19th century by numerous houses in the 'Plovdiv style'.  This common architecture for the cohesion of the urban fabric of high quality. Nessebar's National Revival houses with stone foundations and wide wooden roof parapet, which overhang narrow cobbled streets directly on the sea, are also remarkably beautiful.

Source:whc/unesco