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The Emen Cave, located at the beginning of the Emen Walking Trails, is 3,113 meters long and ranks seventeen in the list of the deepest caves in Bulgaria.
In the past, the cave was used consistently as mushroom plantation, a warehouse for ripening cheese, and as a part of the military base, built above the cave. This explains the concrete slab at the entrance and the elevator shaft in the arch.
Lafchieva House is the only remaining three-storey Bulgarian house in traditional style from the Revival period. This interesting Revival house was built around the early 40s of the 19th century and is famous for its construction, which does not include a single nail or metal bracket. All fittings are carved from wood. The house is located on the main street of Dryanovo and is a listed building of national importance.
Nikola Gaynardzhiyata is the master-builder of the Lafchieva House. Because of its method of construction, the house is also known as “the house with no nails”. A little known fact is that it is not a single home, but two semi-detached homes, Lafchieva and Pereva Houses, connected through their roof and façade in an architectural composition.
Typical of the Renaissance style, each upper floor of the Lafchieva House slightly protrudes over the lower floor. The ground floor is designed for business – it consists of shops, warehouses and basements. Тhe house looks completely different from the inner court. Seen from there, it has two floors, made of stone and whitewashed façade, with a gallery and tall, rectangular carved wooden columns supporting the roof.
Lafchieva House (and the Pereva) impresses with its precise workmanship and elegant use of wood in the interior, as well as the perfect masonry, which at that time was typical of Dryanovo builders. Characteristic of the Lafchieva House (unlike the National Revival period houses of Tryavna) is its minimalistic decoration – small stylized rosettes diversify the doors of some of cupboards, and there is a carved “sun”on the ceiling of the dining room, characteristic of that period.
Internally, the house is decorated with furniture and household items that combine local craft production with the West European import furniture, especially fashionable in that era. Now, here you can see a permanent museum exhibition, which depicting the life, crafts, fabrics and clothing typical of wealthy Bulgarians from that period.
On the ground floor, there is a vintage photo studio, where tourists and residents of Dryanovo can be photographed dressed in traditional costumes of this region.
Bulgarian Orthodox Church marks Dimitrovden, or St Dimitar Day, tomorrow October 26. Dimitrovden is believed to herald the beginning of the winter.
According to Bulgarian mythology St Dimitar brings the winter, while St. George – the summer. A folktale presents the saints as twin brothers, St Dimitar being the first born. He rides a red horse and is the master of frost and snow. It is believed that the first snowflakes fall from his white long beard.
G-Kal Artisan Bakery, based in Gorsko Kalugerovo, takes quality wholesome ingredients, locally produced & sourced, and hand-makes a variety of baked goods, such as breads, cakes, savoury & sweet pies and tarts, as well as delicious preserves & candies!
Unpublished and never before shown photos from the archives of the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency (BTA) reveal what has been exciting Bulgaria through three centuries .
The travelling exhibition called “Nezalichimo”(Indelible) will be displayed in Rafael Mihailova Art Halls in Veliko Tarnovo from November 1.
The exhibition, curated by Ivo Hadjimishev, will show glimpses of events from the past 115 years, covered by Bulgarian journalists from several generations and periods. The 45 boards exhibit historic moments from the Bulgarian Liberation and the First Constitution, through Principality and Third Bulgarian Kingdom years, 1920s Balkan War Years, rebellions and resistance, the People’s Republic and the Bulgarian Socialist Period, the democratic changes, membership in NATO and the EU, as well as recent events.
The exhibition shows Bulgarian life and how it is perceived, and written about, how the media were/are reporting the pulse of the day. 115 years of social, cultural, media life of Bulgaria come to life. It is worth to be seen if you have recently moved to Bulgaria and/or want to learn more about the country.