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Dream of having a weekend gateway

Anita Valentinova, 22.05.2008

What everyone wants to do after weeks of hard work and lot of engagements is to leave the hustle and bustle of city life and indulge in the silence of beautiful mountain areas. Every season has its own charm and beauty, but the bright freshness of the nature during the end of spring is gradually playing in the calm and tender green warmth of the summer. This lovely spring season/weather is just wonderful if you want to go somewhere quiet and peaceful and enjoy nature's beauty. So, I decided to experience the culture, traditions and the beautiful nature of Bulgaria through visiting historical sites and beautiful rivers. It isn’t necessary to have a real plan for travelling. Thus I as a person who likes adventures, decided to go travelling without any planned route. I set off to the central part of Bulgaria. The lovely peaks of Balkan mountain combined with the charming picturesque sceneries led me to the unique Triavna.

Triavna is a picturesque town situated in the middle part of The Balkan Mountain in the central region of sunny Bulgaria. It is 20 km. away from the city Gabrovo and 250km. away from Bulgarian capital. The Municipality of Tryavna is placed along the northern slopes of the Tryavna Balkan Mountain. The relief of this magnificent area is diverse - from mountain to river valleys, hills and gorges. The main part of its territory is covered mainly with oak and beech forests. The town of Tryavna first became a regional centre as early as XVIII century although earlier records, which indicate human settlement in Tryavna can be traced back to Thracian times. By the end of the 19th century, Tryavna had become the region’s main cultural and industrial centre and was heavily involved in the development of crafts during the Bulgarian Renaissance period. Tryavna also enjoys a moderate and healthy climate, cool mountain water, lush vegetation and the charming Drianovska river, which flows alongside the town. I was impressed with the numerous fountains along all streets in Triavna. I have seen fountains along the streets in many places, but Triavna’s fountains have a charm of their own. Numerous historical - cultural and natural landmarks will make your stay in Triavna a real feast. The surroundings of Triavna, the breech and pine forests, the wide green meadows around the village are a great places for tourism, outings and walks. Besides the fabulous natural scenery, Triavna is also one of the best places to observe the ethnic cultures and architecture in central Bulgaria. Industries including the production of furniture, woodworking and textiles were created during the first half of the 20th century in Triavna.

The centre of Triavna is completely renovated and everything is green-the facades of old buildings are repainted, flowers hang from the balconies, and green lawns and many fountains, rivaled to that you can see in famous European capitals. I found the building of The Asian and African art museum especially vivid with its stork’s nest on the chimney. It presents part of the donation made by Bulgarian sculptor Zlatko Paunov to the municipality of Tryavna. It consists 200 works of art originating from Tibet, Nepal, China,India and some african countries, all objects from the collection are unique, they have mainly ritual purpose, dating from different periods in the history – II a.c. - ХХ a.c. You can take a rest in the garden in front of the museum and feast your eyes on the fountain. If you direct to the river and look from the little bridge, you will see many fishes underneath the bridge in the centre of the town. Take a breath of mountain fresh air and continue to admire this wonderful town. I was amazed with the mixture of Bulgarian Renaissance period architecture and the modern one. While being in Triavna, I felt as if the time had stopped to show us that we are not eternal and we should be happy for our life here and today, not running after unachievable dreams. Some of the best examples of buildings from the Bulgarian Renaissance period have been well preserved in Triavna. All museum collections contain unique pieces of art from the late medieval period, such as icons and woodcarvings. In addition, the town of Tryavna has preserved its old town square, the only one left in the country, which has been proclaimed as a Monument of Architecture. You shouldn’t just pass by clock tower of Triavna, which dates back to 1814. It is one of the symbols of Triavna and it is pictured on every souvenir. Amazingly, the tower can be seen from anywhere in the town and it is a centre of the picturesque scenery. To the right of the tower is situated the old school, which nowadays is a museum of Triavna carving old school. Tryavna school was set up between 1836 and 1839 and ranked among the first secular schools in Bulgaria. Petko R.Slaveikov, an influential writer lived here. One of the earliest ever known book depository in Bulgaria was set up here. The refurbished building of the shkolo holds several interesting museum collections of documents and authentic objects which feature the period in Bulgaria until the Liberation. A display of time-pieces from the Ancient times to the beginning of the 20th century is collected. It can be seen in the museum. Temporary exhibitions are on at the school as well. Daskalovata house is famous with lots of suns on the ceiling. It is typical for the houses from the period of Bulgarian Renaissance. Suns, wood carved on the ceiling are a result of hard work-6 years and even now this is unachieved acme in wood carving art. Definitely all shown expositions here worth seeing! Raikovata house is a museum, typical for the architecture of the period of late Renaissance in Triavna. It is a symbol of the spirit and self-confidence of Triavna residents from the time of Bulgarian Renaissance. Museum of icon-painting and wood-carving treasures the one and only collection of Tryavna icons from the 17th to the turn of the 19th century. Over 160 original icons represent the creative output of the six renowned families of icon-painters. The exhibits on display rank among the most fascinating artistic samples of the school. Triavna stays in visitors’ hearts with the reminiscence of charming tranquility and natural beauty. What I realized after my short stay here is that people have built without disturbing nature’s harmony. Once I have been in this beautiful city, I began to love this place and desire for visiting it again. All this natural magnificence is waiting for you to enjoy it, far from the noise and pressure of the big city - a real revelation for your spirit and soul.