Architecture
Elena has managed to preserve the greater part of its architectural heritage – there are 147 preserved monuments of the material and spiritual culture, 7 of them are with national value. The city clock tower is a remarkable and ingenious monument of culture. Constructed by an unknown master-builder as early as 1812. The tower is visible from any part of the town. The Ilaryon Makaryopolsky museum-house is the most interesting of all the old houses in Elena. Elena’s community-centre, by the name of “Headway”, was founded in one of the rooms here. The Popnikolov house was built around 1830. The Kamburov Inn served as an inn in the Bulgarian Renaissance and had the functions of a public building. The Razsukanov houses are five in number and built under the same roof. There is an art-gallery which has a valuable ancient icon collection in the Jordan Hadjipetkov house. The Daskalolivnitsata is the first Bulgarian civil school in the town of Elena. It was built in 1844 because of the need of First Bulgarian school. After the Liberation the building was used as a government hospital. Later it was used as a school. In 1967 – 1968 there was a rebuilding which returned the original appearance of the building. Now there is placed museum exposition “Elena during the Revival Period”. This exhibition shows the participation and the contribution of the settlement in three directions – Church – National fight, Fight for the National Enlightenment, National – Revolutionary movement.