The city of Veliko Turnovo is located in Central Bulgaria, at the foot of the Balkan Range. It has a picturesque location on the hills of Tsarevets, Trapezitsa and Sveta Gora, overlooking the Yantra River. Incomparable treasures have been created through the centuries of Turnovo’s existence. The fortresses, palaces and churches preserved were witnesses of the flourishing of Bulgarian culture in the 12th-14th century. Step into the medieval fortress of Tsarevets and you will see housing estates, small churches and the large royal palace. The top of the hill is crowned with the Patriarchate. With the fall of dusk a special spectacle of sound and light on Tsarevets presents the rich history of Bulgaria.
To this day the so-called Assenova neighborhood features the medieval churches dedicated to St. Demetrios of Salonika, the Forty Holy Martyrs of Sebast, St. George and St. Peter and St. Paul.
In Turnovo one also finds many of the architectural masterpieces of the great Bulgarian National Revival master, Kolyo Ficheto. The House with the Monkey, the Hadjinikolaev han (Hadjinikolay`s inn), the Konak in which the First National Assembly was held in 1879, as well as some 40 churches in the city and in the neighbouring Arbanassi village came out of his hands.