Historical Park[edit]

The Historical Park (in Bulgarian: Исторически Парк) is a historical theme park located in Neofit Rilski (between Varna (33km) and Shumen (52 km)), Varna Province, close to the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. It is the first historical, cultural and recreational-educational park of its kind in the world.

History[edit]

The Historical Park project began in 2011, when Ivelin Mihaylov, a Bulgarian financial consultant, cultural activist and philanthropist (now director of the project Historical Park), decided to create a large-scale complex and park aiming at sharing with the world the historical past and the culture of Bulgaria.

In 2016, the pilot project of the Neolithic village was opened to the public in Neofit Rilski, Vetrino municipality, to gauge the local reaction of local and foreign tourists to an attraction centered around history, in a region where the industry has so far been oriented towards seaside resorts and leisure tourism. The complex is a tourist attraction with a cultural and historical orientation. It displayed separate exhibitions of the everyday life and culture of various civilizations that inhabited Bulgaria and its surroundings, during Prehistory and Antiquity (with the Neolithic and Chalcolithic huts, a Thracian museum and a reconstitution in the stylistic of the tomb of Aleksandrovo). The village also proposed authentic ancient recipes, archery, participating to the Thracian wine ritual, pictures taken in traditional historical outfits, tours in a Thracian chariot, pony rides and a themed playground for its visitors.

The construction of the Historical Park started in 2017. Its development is intended in successive stages, proposing a new era to the visitors every year. Spanning on over 32 acres as of 2019, the complex will cover over 135 acres in its completed form. The concept of the visit proposes an interactive voyage up to 10,000 years back in time during the five eras of human civilization. It will range from the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods, through the Thracian period, the Roman civilization, the Early Medieval period with the Proto-Bulgarians and the Early Slavs, until the heyday of the First and Second Bulgarian Empire.

More than 4,000 people have been involved in the project, including renowned archaeologists and historical consultants, writers, musicians, sculptors, master craftsmen, reenactors and historians. The materials used are strictly authentic for the eras involved - stone, wood, marble and ceramic among others. Historical Park opened to the public on the 22nd of June 2019.

In addition to its cultural mission and search for historical accuracy, the long-term goal is to promote Bulgarian culture around the world. The complex aims at remaining as environmentally-friendly as possible, by using bio-degradable material and limiting the use of plastic to a minimum, while offering organic and locally-grown food products.

The activities of the project saw the creation with over 100 comics, illustrated books and encyclopedias which have been translated into over 7 foreign languages, which is in line with the long-term goal of promoting the rich and valuable Bulgarian culture around the world.

Attractions[edit]

The park is split into 8 distinct civilizations, related to 5 human eras (Prehistory, Antiquity, Early Middle Ages, High Middle Ages and Late Middle Ages):

The Neolithic dwellings[edit]

The huts and stilt houses, with their structure, furniture and tools were reconstructed with authentic materials, according to the local research and finds. They present the earliest stages of sedentary life and the early aspects of agricultural activity, as well as innovative elements of the period such as the transition from hunting and gathering and nomadic / semi-nomadic lifestyle to an agricultural and sedentary lifestyle, animal husbandry, the domestication of the dog and the settlement in permanent villages.

The Chalcolithic huts[edit]

The Stone-Copper age area includes specific wattle and daub houses and presents the revolution of metallurgy that occurred in that time period, with the display of copper axes, hoes and other tools and labour instruments, which while soft and fragile, were more precise and of higher quality than stone ones. The reproduction of artefacts made of gold and tin shows the discovery of these other metals. The most important element of this era is the life-sized wax figure of the gold-adorned body discovered in Grave 43 of the Varna Chalcolithic Necropolis, related to the eponymous Varna culture, displaying a reconstruction of the oldest processed gold in the world (the original being displayed in the Varna Archeological Museum).

The Thracians[edit]

The Thracian zone contains a temple dedicated to the goddess Kybela, a palace reconstructed according to the findings related to the historical Thracian palace of Seuthes III at the bottom of the contemporary Koprinka reservoir and the reproduction of three Thracian tombs (the Aleksandrovo, Pomorie and Sveshtari tombs), with a Thracian-themed restaurant offering authentic Thracian dishes, inspired by archeological finds and historical sources, thus promoting experimental culinary archeology.

Visitors can learn about Thracian warfare, culture or take part in Thracian wine rituals and witness the prelude of a feast, held by the Thracian monarch in his throne room.

Rome[edit]

In this zone, the public will be able to discover the largest and most technically-challenging area, Rome. The official opening of this zone is planned for the beginning of the touristic season of 2022. It will be divided into 4 smaller sections, the meeting forum (open air square), the theatre building, the open theatre and a Roman villa.

The Proto-Bulgarian camp[edit]

Among the camp of felt yurts and mobile dwellings, reflecting the original nomadic lifestyle of these warriors, the guests can watch presentations about Proto-Bulgarian warfare with different weapons from the arsenal of Proto-Bulgarians - like the sword, whip or composite bow. The shooting range dedicated to archery introduces the public to the techniques of the Bulgarian bow.

The Proto-Bulgarian army was essentially cavalry-focused, as portrayed in the demonstration of equestrian skills and mounted archery. The area pays homage to the migration of the five sons of Khan Kubrat, with a bronze statue of Khan Kotrag, next to the equestrian show area.

The visitors are also initiated to falconry, with a help of specially trained birds of prey.

The Slavic village[edit]

The area is composed of a fortified settlement, with its earth rampart, palisades and a watchtower. Several poluzemlianki-type wooden houses, with their clay ovens, furniture and decoration represent the living quarters.

The First Bulgarian Kingdom[edit]

This zone will present a restoration of the palace of the city of Preslav with its emblematic fortress wall, scriptorium, barracks, market, royal gazebo, early Orthodox church and palace complex. As the largest Slavic cultural center of the time, it will display the fusion of the Byzantine and Proto-Bulgarian cultural influence. In addition to the visit of the site, visitors will be able to participate in workshops, where they can try their hand at writing in Glagolithic and in Cyrillic alphabet with quill and parchment inside the scriptorium.

The Second Bulgarian Kingdom[edit]

During this stage, the zone of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom will be added to the functional zones of the project. A part of the fortress wall with three types of towers will be built in this area - an open battle tower, a closed one and a tower keep, behind which will extend a palace complex, a royal Orthodox church and an administrative building, based on the royal stronghold of Tsarevets.

The entrance fortress, next to the parking area and main access, is also linked to this time period and was built and inspired by the architectural style of the Baba Vida fort. It is not an historical area like the others, but is used as an administrative centre. The park also possesses three lakes, 2 restaurants and a playground for children.

Thematic crafts courses, historical performances and films, ancient martial arts lessons, training in traditional skills, horseback riding, theoretical seminars, exhibitions and accurate restorations of objects, tools and lifestyle elements of the past are available to the visitors. The park also proposes traditional facilities for relaxation and eating with authentic recipes from ancient times, prepared only with natural Bulgarian products.

As of 2020, the areas of the Neolithic, Chalcolithic, Thracian, Proto-Bulgarian and Slavic period are functional. In the coming years, the other architectural complexes will gradually open, presenting:

- The Second Bulgarian Kingdom - in 2020

- The First Bulgarian Kingdom - in 2021

- Rome - in 2022

- The "Majesty" equestrian center - in 2023

Awards[edit]

In December 2019, the Historical Park won the “Choice of the Bulgarians” award, a contest organized by the Bulgarian Ministry of Tourism.

References[edit]

Archeology in Bulgaria : "World's largest historical park to be opened"
Archeology in Bulgaria : "15,000 ATTEND GRAND OPENING OF WORLD’S LARGEST HISTORICAL PARK"
VisitVarnaBG: Historical Park's entry
Novinite: The Biggest History Park in the World Opens in Bulgaria, Near Varna in the Spring
Bulgarian National Radio: The historical park near Varna where history comes to life

User:H718P/sandbox