From 1 to 5 April Veliko Tarnovo is hosting the biggest fair dedicated to cultural tourism in Bulgaria. The ancient city has emerged as this country's cultural capital and one of the emblems of Bulgarian tourism. With its unique historical monuments from the Middle Ages and a diverse cultural playbill, Bulgaria's medieval capital attracts from five to eight hundred thousand visitors and the medieval castle of Tsarevets is this country's most visited landmark.  

This year's 12th edition with 78 participants features booths of 40 Bulgarian municipalities, tourist associations and hotel managers as well as travel agents advertising their latest cultural routes. Over time the fair has expanded attracting participants from South Africa, Croatia, Indonesia, India, China, Greece, Russia and Romania.   

The Veliko Tarnovo Cultural Tourism Fair boasts a diverse business program with workshops and discussions about the future of the sector. Participants share ideas of how cultural tourism can be used to extend the otherwise short summer season in Bulgaria, how to make Bulgarian heritage more attractive and other relevant topics.

Minister of Tourism Nikolina Angelkova has arrived in Veliko Tarnovo for the event. She will join the annual conference of Bulgarian mayors. Central to the conference is the management of Bulgaria's nine tourist regions.  

Parallel to the fair Veliko Tarnovo is hosting the international film festival On the East Coast of Europe presenting 56 documentaries about tourism from 23 countries. In the meantime, leading Bulgarian print and online media specializing in tourism compete in the national online competition with the motto Read and Travel.  

A most eagerly anticipated event is due on Sunday when the Tsarevets Castle will become the stage of a spectacular show. Organizers will take viewers back in time when Tarnovo saw its heyday as the eulogized capital of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom. For the purpose reenactments are planned from the daily round of our ancestors and demonstrations of typical medieval crafts such as blacksmithing, pottery, minting, carving, knitting baskets. Ladies will be acquainted with the old technology of preparation of cosmetic products. Furthermore there will be demonstrations of fighting with swords and shields, as well as of archery and crossbow marksmanship accompanied by lectures on martial arts that our ancestors mastered to perfection. Among the ruins of the former fortress, spectators will be listening to medieval music. The Der Dudelgeist band is going to perform using replicas of instruments from medieval time. 

English Daniela Konstantinova