Veliki Preslav

Veliki Preslav is situated in the the Kamchya River valley, near the exit of the passage of Varbitsa
in the Balkan range. It's located 20 km of Shoumen and has 13 700 residents.

2 km to the south of the modern town have been made archeological researches, proving the existence of a magnificent
settlement in the area. It was a capital of the Bulgarian kingdom from 893 to 969, and was rightly
called Veliki Preslav (Great Preslav). It arose in the first half of the 9th century under Khan Omurtag.
Later under Tsar (King) Simeon capital was not Pliska but Preslav.

Preslav was one of the most famous capitals in the Southeastern Europe. The city covers a territory of 3.2 sq. km
and features big buildings decorated with gold and silver. In the past, Preslav was surrounded by two great fortified
walls. The first wall encompassed the outside town were common people lived and the second one encompassed the inner
town called the Citadel with the administrative buildings.

The museum in the archeological reserve keeps rare finds from the Second Bulgarian capital.

2 km southeast of the old town, is located the Patleyna Monastery, which has been existing since the 10th century.
According to the legend, Tsar Boris retired into this monastery after his abdication.

Source: visit.bg