BULGARIA - Thracian Tomb of Sveshtari

Postcard sent by me during a trip to Bulgaria.
Sent 18/08/2019.

INSCRIPTION/INSCRITO: 1979

Discovered in 1982 near the village of Sveshtari, this 3rd-century BC Thracian tomb reflects the fundamental structural principles of Thracian cult buildings. The tomb has a unique architectural decor, with polychrome half-human, half-plant caryatids and painted murals. The 10 female figures carved in high relief on the walls of the central chamber and the decoration of the lunette in its vault are the only examples of this type found so far in the Thracian lands. It is a remarkable reminder of the culture of the Getes, a Thracian people who were in contact with the Hellenistic and Hyperborean worlds, according to ancient geographers. The Thracian Tomb near Sveshtari is an extremely rare and very well preserved monument of the sepulchral architecture containing remarkable elements in terms of their quality and style sculpture and painting. The Tomb is also remarkable for the fact that it represents local art, inspired by Hellenism, a rare case of an interrupted creative process which possesses specific characteristics.

BULGARIA - Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak

Postcard sent by me during a trip to Bulgaria. 
Sent 18/08/2023.

INSCRIPTION/INSCRITO: 1979

Discovered in 1944, this tomb dates from the Hellenistic period, around the end of the 4th century BC. It is located near Seutopolis, the capital city of the Thracian king Seutes III, and is part of a large Thracian necropolis. The tholos has a narrow corridor and a round burial chamber, both decorated with murals representing Thracian burial rituals and culture. These paintings are Bulgaria’s best-preserved artistic masterpieces from the Hellenistic period. The Thracian tomb of Kazanlak is a unique aesthetic and artistic work, a masterpiece of the Thracian creative spirit. This monument is the only one of its kind anywhere in the world. The exceptionally well preserved frescos and the original condition of the structure reveal the remarkable evolution and high level of culture and pictorial art in Hellenistic Thrace.

I'm still not sure if the place we visited was a recreation or the real thing.

BULGARIA - Boyana Church

 Postcard sent by me during a trip to Bulgaria.

INSCRIPTION/INSCRITO: 1981

Located on the outskirts of Sofia, Boyana Church consists of three buildings. The eastern church was built in the 10th century, then enlarged at the beginning of the 13th century by Sebastocrator Kaloyan, who ordered a second two storey building to be erected next to it. The frescoes in this second church, painted in 1259, make it one of the most important collections of medieval paintings. The ensemble is completed by a third church, built at the beginning of the 19th century. This site is one of the most complete and perfectly preserved monuments of east European medieval art. There are several layers of wall paintings in the interior from the 11th, 13th, 15-17th and 19th centuries which testify to the high level of wall painting during the different periods. The paintings with the most outstanding artistic value are those from 13th century. Whilst they interpret the Byzantine canon, the images have a special spiritual expressiveness and vitality and are painted in harmonious proportions.

BULGARIA - MAP

 

Bulgaria

10

Properties inscribed

on the World Heritage List

Cultural 

• Ancient City of Nessebar (1983)
• Boyana Church (1979)
• Madara Rider (1979)
• Rila Monastery (1983)
• Rock-Hewn Churches of Ivanovo (1979)
• Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak (1979)
• Thracian Tomb of Sveshtari (1985)

Natural 

• Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe (2007, 2011, 2017, 2021)
• Pirin National Park (1983, 2010)
• Srebarna Nature Reserve (1983)

Postcard sent by myself during a trip to Bulgaria

Sent 19/09/2019.

An amazing trip to an extraordinary country!

BULGARIA - Rila Monastery

Postal enviada por Stefka (Smiley29)  por un UNESCO offer tag.

Envío - 12 de Setiembre del 2015.

INSCRIPTION/INSCRITO: 1983

Rila Monastery was founded in the 10th century by St John of Rila, a hermit canonized by the Orthodox Church. His ascetic dwelling and tomb became a holy site and were transformed into a monastic complex which played an important role in the spiritual and social life of medieval Bulgaria. Destroyed by fire at the beginning of the 19th century, the complex was rebuilt between 1834 and 1862. A characteristic example of the Bulgarian Renaissance (18th–19th centuries), the monument symbolizes the awareness of a Slavic cultural identity following centuries of occupation.

Este monasterio fue fundado en el siglo X por San Juan de Rila, un eremita canonizado por la Iglesia Ortodoxa. Su austera morada y su tumba se convirtieron con el tiempo en lugares sagrados, donde se creó un conjunto monástico que desempeñó un importante papel en la vida espiritual y social de la Bulgaria medieval. Destruido por un incendio, a comienzos del siglo XIX, el conjunto fue totalmente reconstruido entre 1834 y 1862. Este monumento ejemplar del Renacimiento Búlgaro (siglos XVIII y XIX) simboliza la toma de conciencia de una identidad cultural eslava después de siglos de ocupación.
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/216

Mi segunda carta de la hermosa Bulgaria! En esta ocasión uno de los principales puntos de visita obligatoria por parte de los viajeros (y que espero en un futuro visitar). La postal en multiview enseña algunos de los puntos más interesantes del sitio.

Thanks for the awesome card Stefka!

Postcard 2:

Postcard sent by Iva in a direct swap

Sent 11/04/2016.

BULGARIA - Ancient City of Nessebar

Postal enviada por Fidel a cambio de  una UNESCO española.

Envío - 21 de Marzo del 2016.

INSCRIPTION/INSCRITO: 1983

Situated on a rocky peninsula on the Black Sea, the more than 3,000-year-old site of Nessebar was originally a Thracian settlement (Menebria). At the beginning of the 6th century BC, the city became a Greek colony. The city’s remains, which date mostly from the Hellenistic period, include the acropolis, a temple of Apollo, an agora and a wall from the Thracian fortifications. Among other monuments, the Stara Mitropolia Basilica and the fortress date from the Middle Ages, when this was one of the most important Byzantine towns on the west coast of the Black Sea. Wooden houses built in the 19th century are typical of the Black Sea architecture of the period.

Edificada en una península rocosa del mar Negro, la tres veces milenaria ciudad de Nessebar fue, en sus orígenes, un asentamiento tracio llamado Menobria. A comienzos del siglo VI a.C. se convirtió en una colonia griega. Sus vestigios arqueológicos datan esencialmente del periodo helenístico y comprenden la acrópolis, el ágora, un templo dedicado a Apolo y una muralla tracia. La basílica de Stara Mitropolia y la fortaleza son de la Edad Media, época en la que Nessebar era una de las ciudades bizantinas más importantes de la costa occidental del Mar Negro. Sus casas de madera, construidas en el siglo XIX, son representativas de la arquitectura de esta época en la región del Mar Negro.

Mi primera postal de Bulgaria!

Gracias por una postal tan bonita Fidel! Me ha encantado el enorme y simpático sello que me has puesto en ella!