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Regional tourist association Stara Planina 9, Opalchenska Street 5300 Gabrovo, Bulgaria tel./fax: +359 66/ 809 161 tel: +359 66/ 807 137 fax: +359 66/ 806 199 e-mail: office e-mail: info |
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With the financial support of the Swiss government |
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| TETEVEN - PROUD AND HOSPITABLE Tourist information Accommodation The town of Teteven (about 12 000 inhabitants, 425 m. altitude) is cuddled between the Teteven Balkan and the Vassilyov Mountain, along the Beli Vit River. This region is inhabited since ancient times. The Thracian Serdic tribe was of the first to settle there. The oldest written information about Teteven dates back to the year 1421. The St. Eliiah Monastery was built in the Middle Ages and up to the year 1930 a crucifix was stored there - a piece of art - a gift from the great Bulgarian Tsar Ivan Shishman. At present, the crucifix is in the London museum. Most probably, the settlement appeared around the monastery in XIII - XIV century. During the Ottoman yoke, the people of Teteven had the obligations and the rights of "voynuk" they had the task to guard the roads in the mountains against some privileges in tax paying. The people that lived in the surrounding villages were forcefully converted to Mohammedanism but Teteven was protected from spiritual constraint. The haidouk detachments of the voivodes Kostin, Deli Palo, Dancho and Angel guarded the Christians. In 1801, the Kurdjalis demolished the town and killed half of the people. Only four houses were preserved out of 3000. This tragedy hindered the development of Teteven for a decade. But the keen craftsmen resurrected the old fame of the town; the merchants went far up to Bucharest, Brashov, Vienna, Thessalonica, and Anatolia (60 of its inhabitants became pilgrims - they visited the Christ's Grave). In the Renaissance Teteven is awakening for spiritual and political freedom. The newly built churches and schools preserve and enrich Bulgarian self-consciousness. In 1872 Vasil Levski establishes there one of the secret committees with most members in it. The two most prominent and influential masters in the town heads it- Stanyo Vrabevski and Petko Milev the Frightful. Dimitar Obsti often visits the place - the organizer of the robbery of the Turkish Post office in Arabakonak - the cause for the tragic events - the debacle of the revolutionary network, the hanging of Vasil Levski and the repression of the April revolt. Only 15 km. from the town in Kostina Locality, Village of Ribaritsa is the place where Georgi Benkovski was killed - one of the leaders of the revolt, a victim of betrayal. The spirit of freedom brings the people of Teteven to the detachments of Hristo Botev, Panayot Hitov and in the armies during the Liberation war. After the Liberation, the town becomes attractive for tourists. The great Bulgarian writer, Ivan Vazov, exclaims, "Had I not come to Teteven, I would have stayed a foreigner for Mother Bulgaria". Knowledge of the past and historical relics is stored in the Town Museum of History (Sava Mladenov square, tel.: 0678 2005, working hours: 09.00-12.00 and 14.00-17.00, no days off in summer). The oldest monastery the St. Eliah Monastery survived the tragic year 1801 like in a miracle. It was built in XIV century and is a center of literature. In XVIII century it was robbed and put to fire - only the church is preserved - precious monument of Bulgarian architecture, restored in 1869. It is impressive with its enormous size, with the two church bells molten in Moscow, the carved pulpit and the iconostasis made by woodcarvers from Teteven. The icons are real masterpieces. One of the icon painters is Ivan Dospevski, a brother of the Renaissance artist Stanislav Dospevski. The houses that survived the year 1801 - Bobev's, Tuykov's, Hadji Ivan's (where the dugout of Vasil Levski is) and Yorgov's house are still preserved today as unique models of Teteven Balkan house. There is an art gallery in Teteven in the building of Syglasie Cultural Centre. A garland of Balkan peaks - Pertahil, Treskavets, Osrtich, Cherven, Haidouk meadow - makes Teteven one of the most picaresque towns in Bulgaria. The beauty of nature and the historic memory preserved in the Village of Ribaritsa have enchanted tourists for a long time. Fresh air and green silence predetermine the living of the village - recreation houses, villas, guesthouses and hotels meet the visitors cordially. Many marked trails start from here to the Teteven Balkan and the vertical walls of Petrahil are an alpine climbing site.In Ribaritsa Village is one of the official entrances into Central Balkan National Park. In the village, there is a Visitors informational center of the Park. The Prosechnik area and the waterfall in the Koznitsa River are great places for summer recreation. A four-hour walk from the village of Cherni Vit takes you to Momina Polyana hut, cuddled in an amazingly beautiful locality. A part of Teteven Municipalyty is included in the Territory of Central Balkan National Park; the natural reserves Boatin and Tsarichina are very close. 12 km. from Teteven is the village of Glozhene above which the Glozhene Monastery is situated. There is no other place so picturesque in location as the Glozhene Monastery. Perched on top of the high vertical rocks of the Lisets massif, it looks like a fairy-tale castle. From up above, there is a magnificent view of the Vit River curving down below, and of Glozhene village. Legend tells that the Russian Knyaz Georgiy Glozh, who fled here from Tatars, founded the monastery during the Second Bulgarian Kingdom (13th century). With the permission of Tsar Ivan Assen II, the Knyaz founded a settlement, Glozhene, and built the monastery of Sveto Preobrazhenie. Construction was non-durable; the miraculous icon of St. George disappeared. Later on, they found it on top of the rocks and thus - by the will of God - built another monastery, the Glozhene Monastery of Sveti Georgi Pobedonosets (the Victor). During National Revival period, it became a literature and educational center, as well as the refuge of leaders of national liberation movements, among them - the Apostle of Bulgarian freedom Vassil Levski. After Liberation, it continued to be a spiritual center. The earthquakes from 1904 and 1913 caused damage to the old church. A new one was erected in 1931. Icons, however, come from the National Revival Period and are the work of famous Revival painters such as Zahari Zograf, Stanislav Dospevski and Yoan Popovich. The Monastery kept the Kiev-Pechor Gospel from 1745, and on the Temple's Holiday, miraculous icon of Sveti Georgi Pobedonosets is carried out. |
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© 2003 RTA Stara Planina. All rights reserved. |
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