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THE TOWN OF ELENA
HISTORY
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The town of Elena
The town of Elena is situated in a mountain valley in the Middle Balkan Range. It is situated at the distance of 280 km northeast of Sofia and 40 km southeast of Veliko Tarnovo.
Elena is a small town with atmosphere from the National Revival Period, founded in the 15th century. It reached prosperity during the 18th and the 19th centuries as a craftsmanship, trade, Revival and revolutionary centre. The first class school was founded in 1848 in the town of Elena where future teachers have been educated and is preserved up to date.
During the centuries under the Ottoman power the Turks used the town's population to guard the nearby mountain passes, giving them a measure of autonomy in return, so the local painters and woodcarvers were able to decorate the churches of the surrounding countryside, and patriotic local merchants could finance the restoration of nearby monasteries like Kapinovski.
The citizens of Elena took part in several uprisings and revolutionary committees have been organized in town. During the Russian-Turkish War of Liberation the town and its surrounding areas were an arena of fierce battles and it was destroyed by fire, fortunately not completely. |
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| There have been renovated and preserved several architectural ensembles dating back to the Bulgarian National Revival and comprising about 130 old houses. The houses have stone basements with whitewashed or wooden walls of the upper floor with protruding bays above.
Most renowned are the first teachers training school in the country previously mentioned, the Museum of Revival and the Struggles for National Liberation and the clock tower of 1812, which counts every hour still today.
Being the birthplace of the great church activist Ilarion Makariopolski, there is located a museum in his home, the house itself being a valuable architectural monument. Popnikolov’s house of 1830 –completely made of wood - is perhaps the most beautiful building of the Revival Period in the town.
There is special charm and romance in the ensemble of houses along the cobble-stoned streets - worthy visiting are the five Razsukanov’s houses, dating back to the end of the 18th century; the five Hadzhi Dimitrov’s houses, the Poryazov’s house, etc.
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There have been preserved two old churches - St. Nicholas Church (with valuable mural paintings, icons) and the three-naved Church of the Assumption, built entirely of stone. They are located next to each other and are both distinguished by the rich wood-carvings in style of the Tryavna School which is the second evoking respect by its big dimensions.
The Art Gallery located in the home of the writer Petko Yu. Todorov exhibits a priceless collection of icons and modern works of art.
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At a distance of 25km north-west from the town of Elena can be found The Saint Nikola Kapinovski Monastery which was founded in 1272. It was a religious, cultural and revolutionary centre during the Ottoman Rule and nowadays is considered one of the most impressive monasteries in Bulgaria. During the centuries the monastery has been devastated several times and rebuilt, renovated and restored afterwards.
There is an entire tourist settlement located amongst the picturesque surroundings nearby the Monastery. |
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| Just 2-3km north-west from the Kapinovski monastery is located Saint Iliya Plachkovo Monastery. It was destroyed when the country succumbed to Ottoman Rule and was ruined five times and it was rebuilt for the last time in 1845, after the pogrom, which followed Velcho’s Conspiracy (uprising against the Ottomans in the region of V.Tarnovo which unfortunately was crushed), with the active participation of Kolyu Ficheto.
There are several extraordinary icons in the monastery, the most valuable of them “Christ Great Prelate” (work of Zakhari Zograf (the Icon-painter) is a masterpiece of art.
At a mere distance of 4-5km from Elena, Yovkovtsi Dam lake spreads its waters. This could be the perfect site for recreation, water motor sports, sunbathing, water tourism and fishing.
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