Elena City
Elena (Bulgarian: Åëåíà) is a Bulgarian town in the central Stara Planina mountain in Veliko Tarnovo Province, located 42 km away to southeast from the city of Veliko Tarnovo. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Elena Municipality. The area is a popular mountain resort also known for the typical local cuisine.
The beautiful town of Elena is situated in the skirts of the woody Elena Balkan range, in the nice valley of Elena river. On the north are situated Elena’s Hills, and on the south is the Balkan range. On the north of the town is Chukani Hill, where – amongst the pine trees, is situated the building of the former Climate Health School. Beyond the Hill there are few eminences composed of limestone, malm, and sandstone. The town is situated 38 km on the south of Veliko Tarnovo, 230 km away from Varna, and 280 km away from Sofia.
Elena is an old settlement founded before the 15th century. During the 18th and 19th century it established itself as a centre of crafts, trade and education. There are several architectural ensembles preserved dating back to the Bulgarian National Revival and comprising about 130 old houses. Wall-to-wall construction forms interesting street silhouettes. The houses have stone basements with white-washed or wooden walls of the upper floor with protruding bays above.
The town's sights include an old first class school, founded in 1848 and named Daskalolivnitsa, where future teachers were educated (and where nowadays a museum exhibition is arranged), the St Nicholas Church of the 16th century, with valuable mural paintings and icons, and the three-naved Church of the Assumption, built entirely of stone (1837). The clock tower that features an antique clock mechanism (1812) rises at the town's highest point.
There are a lot of legends about the establishment of the town of Elena, but one of them, the most interesting one, is about two lovers. The legend says that in the virgin forests of the Balkan Mountains was a pathway. The happy newly-married couple was passing through this way. The bride was called Elena – from the village of Kapinovo, and the groom was Samuil from Tvarditsa. Bandits attacked the wedding ceremony at the place where the town of Elena is situated nowadays. The abductors could not gain the girl’s participation, and thus she was killed by the Bridge of the Turkish Police office. She was laid in a grave in the area called “The Cross” that was later changed into a churchyard later on. Samuil was beheaded at the end of the present town now known as “Samuilets”. Because of the sorrow towards their son, Samuil’s parents settled down in this region and established the village that was named after Elena.
Cultural and natural sights:
147 cultural monuments were preserved, 7 out of them are of national importance:
- The native house of Ilarion Makareopolski
- The clock tower
- The cultural and historic complex “Daskalolivnitsata”
-The church “Saint Nikola”
- The church “The Assu of Holy Virgin” with its bell tower
- The five houses of Razsukanovs
- The house of Pope Nikola
The town of Elena possesses more than 6 000 ethnographic objects of material cultural heritage, 780 works of Revival and Modern art, lots of ancient books.
-Kaleto: It is situated on a hill above Elena. In the ages of kardzhalii there was a huge stone stronghold. In its highest part there was a guard who kept a sharp eye on potential approaching of kardjalii. If he had noticed them coming, he would had given an alarm, and all the churches had started ringing their church-bells. This served as a signal for the people of Elena to head for Kaleto as fast as possible in order to find protection against the bandits. After the kardzhalii’s crime activities were over, the fortress Kaleto was used as Turkish Army barracks, but it started demolishing. In 1836, when the church “The Assu of Holy Virgin” was built, there were used materials from the demolished stronghold Kaleto to build the church.
There are a few natural sights near Elena:
- The Stone of Marko – a huge stone that was said to be thrown there by the strong King Marko
Raev Stone
- The Elephant Tree – a huge oak tree that is 1300 years old, it has one low and thick branch which looks like proboscis
- The waterfall of Hristivtsi
- The peak of Chumerna
- The peak of Ostrets – an extinct volcano
- The peak of Simanovo
Area size: 62.42 sq.km
Post code: 5070
Phone code: 06151
