6 Best Sights in Arbanasi, Bulgaria

The former palace of Todor Zhivkov, the then-People's Republic of Bulgaria last communist head of state, is today a hotel. It's run down and we don't recommend staying here; come instead to soak up the history. The building, its exterior made up of white marble and stone, dates to just 1975, and though its interior is shabby, you can see traces of the regal building this once was; the original ceiling medallions and chandeliers are still intact and many of the ceilings are constructed of beautifully carved wood. The view of the surrounding forest and Veliko Tarnovo in the distance is stunning and best enjoyed on the terrace with a drink.

The simple exterior looks more like a stone barn than a house of worship but Arbanasi's oldest church has exceptional artwork hidden within. Built during the 15th century, its exterior is so unexceptional so as to avoid rousing the ire of the then-ruling Ottoman Empire. In the mid 17th century, nearly every single inch of the church's walls and vaulted ceiling were painted with stunning frescoes—nearly 2,000 scenes from both the Old and New Testament are featured. Most have been lovingly restored, but a few were left untouched so that visitors can make a comparison. Keen craftspersons should also take note of the church's hand-carved iconostasis.

The 17th-century church is hidden inside a handsome, tree-shaded stone building with terracotta roof—it looks more like a wealthy merchant's house than one of worship. The reason is because when Bulgaria was under Turkish rule, it was decreed that churches could not be taller or more ornate than mosques. Its interior walls and domed ceilings are covered entirely in striking frescoes. The wood-carved iconostases were meticulously carved by artists trained at art school in Tryavna.

Believed to have been built in the Middle Ages, this working convent has been plundered several times over its long history, and sections of the church were rebuilt in the 18th and 19th centuries. After the Liberation of Bulgaria in 1878, a belfry went up over the eastern entrance. The convent's beautiful frescoes are the work of then-well known icon painters, two of whom, a father and son pair, were trained at the art school in Tryavna.

You can tell the wealth of the former owner of this 17-century home by its most exclusive feature: an indoor toilet. True, it's less 'porcelain throne' and more 'hole in the ground,' but it was a luxury when the house was built. Today a museum and tiny ethnographic gallery, this two-story house—with a stone lower half and timber on the upper floor—surrounded by a stone fence, is typical of Arbanasi. Walking through the house, particularly the kitchen with period cookware, it's possible to imagine what it life would have been like for a wealthy merchant family in 17th-century Arbanasi.

A pleasant place to stroll through well-tended gardens and soak up the history, St. Nicholas Monastery has seen its fair share of turmoil: it was pillaged and burned down once in the 14th century and twice in the 18th century, and shortly thereafter had to shut down because of the plague. It was restored in the 1830s, and this is the structure you see today. The monastery has played host to two of Bulgaria's former rules, Tsar Ferdinand and his son Tsar Boris III, and you, too, can sleep where royalty once did; St. Nicholas Monastery has a few simple rooms that can be rented.