Tryavna

Tryavna is a town in the region of the Balkan in Bulgaria.

Understand

A street scene in Tryavna.

Tryavna (Bulgarian: Трявна) is a town in central Bulgaria, situated in the north slopes of the Balkan range, on the Tryavna river valley, near Gabrovo. It is famous for its textile and crafts industry and typical National Revival architecture, featuring 140 cultural monuments, museums and expositions. Tryavna is the birthplace of Bulgarian writer Pencho Slaveykov and revolutionary Angel Kanchev.

The location has been inhabited since Thracian times, or for thousands of years, but the earliest definitive proof of the existence of the modern village dates to the 12th century, in the years around the conquest of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom by the Ottoman Turks. During the period of Bulgarian National Revival, when Bulgarian society redefined itself in the 18th and 19th centuries during the Ottoman occupation, the town became heavily involved in the development of crafts. Houses from this period feature their own architectural design. The ground floors had irregular forms and housed craftsmen and traders. The upper floors featured wooden bow-windows, the roofs were covered with well arranged rocks.

Climate

The city has a continental climate, owing to its position close to the Balkan Mountains and distance from the Black Sea. Tryavna has hot summers and cold, snowy winters — which is good for the popular sky resorts in the nearby Uzana area. This part of Bulgaria has all four seasons, although spring is brief and falls mainly in April. The average high daily temperature in summer is about 27°C and in winter about 4°C.

Get in

The old clock tower in Tryavna.

The town is well connected with the whole country thanks to its excellent road network and railway station.

By Car

The town is located on Route 609 and Route 552, which are the same road when they pass through Tryavna. Highway 55, running north-south, passes the town to the east and Highway 5 passes the village to the west.

By bus

A regular daily bus connect Tryavna with Sofia, though it runs only once a day. A bus runs back and forth from Tryavna to Gabrovo about 10 times a day during the week, and about half as often during the weekend.

By Train

Tryavna may be accessed through a railroad station on the European railway line C-E 95 (which runs north-south). Other stops on the mainline to the north include historic Veliko Turnovo and the major transport hub of Gorna Oryahovitsa and stops to the south include the mountain village of Raduntsi and the city Stara Zagora on the southern side of the Balkan Mountains.

Get around

The town has its own small bus system, some taxis and marshrutkas. However, it is a comparatively small community and most of the historical and interesting areas are close enough to each other to be accessed on foot.

See

• Museum of Icon-Painting and Wood-Curving (Музеят на иконописта и дърворезбата), No. 1, Breza Str. (1 ул., ☎ [phone]. Winter; 8:30 - 16:309, Summer; 10:00 - 18:00. The museum treasures the one and only collection of Tryavna icons from the 17th to the turn of the 19th century. Over 160 original icons represent the creative output of the six renowned families of icon-painters. 
• Angel Kanchev Museum-House (Ангел Кънчев Къщата-музей), No. 39, Angel Kunchev Str. (39 ул. Ангел Кънчев.), ☎ [phone]. Closed in winter, Summer; 9.30-13.30 and 14:00-18:00. Documents and domestic life exhibits follow the life and revolutionary work of Angel Kunchev, the struggle of the townspeople to break the shackles of the Turkish Yoke as well as the participation of the town in the Russian-Turkish War of Liberation (1877-1878). 
• The Clock Tower and Old Bridge (Часовниковата кула и стария мост) (Close to the center of town). No closed hours.. The Clock Tower was built in 1814 and the clock installed in 1815, which still functions. No fee required. 
• St. Archangel Michael Church (Св. Архангел Михаил), No. 128 Angel Kunchev Str. (128 ул. Ангел Кънчев), ☎ [phone], fax: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. An exceptionally valuable monument of culture dating back to the Middle Ages; it keeps an old cross with 12 scenes from the Bible wood-carved on it; the church iconostasis and the bishop's throne have been recognized as masterpieces of the Tryavna school of woodcarving. 

Do

A historical village and architectural preserve - the old buildings are maintained - Tryavna offers a lot to sight seers, photographers, people who enjoy shopping and similar activities. The town is also home to a number of galleries and museums, which art and artifacts from across the history of Bulgaria.

Buy

Tryavna offers a profusion of shopping opportunities, many of which cater to tourists, including shops selling sojourners, clothings, jewelry, arts and craft items and similar goods.

• Art-M Gallery (Арт-М галерия), Address (20 ул. Ангел Кънчев), ☎ [phone]. Offers paintings icons, small sculpture pieces and souvenirs. 
• Gabi Company (Габи Дружеството), No. 50 Angel Kanchev Str. (50 ул. Ангел Кънчев), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Gabi Company offers unique handmade jewelries. 
• Pavel Pavlov Craft Enterprise (Павел Павлов занаятите), Nо. 9 V. Mihalev Str. Fl. 3 Ap.10 (Nо. 9 ул. В. Михалев Str. Етаж 3 Апартамент 10), ☎ [phone]. Art processing of wood and specialized manufacture of wooden toys. 
• Peter Shterev (Петър Щерев), No. 13 Zdravets Str. (13 ул. Здравец), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. A master of traditional Bulgarian dance shoes for dances and souvenirs. 

Eat

A restaurant in Tryavna.

• Kalincheva House Restaurant (Kalincheva Къща ресторант), No. 45 P. R. Slaveikov Str. (45 ул. П. Р. Славейков) (near the center of town), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. This restaurant, which serves traditional Bulgarian food, is located in the old part of the town and represents a preserved house from the National Revival Period, dating back from 1830. 
• Old Vine Restaurant (Старата Лоза ресторант), No. 44 P. R. Slaveikov Str. (44 ул. П. Р. Славейков) (near the center of town), ☎ [phone], fax: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Country-style atmosphere, traditional Bulgarian food, summer garden. 
• Tryavna Beer House (Бирария Трявна), No. 7 Angel Kanchev Str. (7 ул. (near the center of town), ☎ [phone], fax: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. This establishment is a meeting place for real beer and cuisine connoisseurs. They make beer from natural Belgian products and traditional Belgian recipes and technologies. 

Drink

Drinking establishments are common in Bulgaria and Tryavna. Beer and alcohol are available at almost all coffee shops, restaurants and shops where food and refreshments are available. There are few establishments which serve only alcohol.

Sleep

• Art-M Hotel, 20 Angel Kanchev St (near the center of town), ☎ [phone]. The hotel is home to an art gallery, a cafeteria and a number of comfortable hotel rooms. 
• Brashlyan Hotel Complex, 6 Panorama St (at the edge of town), ☎ [phone]. This hotel offers two-room apartments, one-room apartments, luxurious apartments and one-family houses situated closely to the hotel, amidst a grove of pine trees. The hotel also includes a restaurant, terrace over-looking the town, barbecue, conference hall, night bar and recreation center. 
• Complex Harmony Hotel, 54 Hristo Botev St (at the edge of town), ☎ [phone]. This hotel offer hotel rooms, a coffee shop and restaurant, wireless Internet connection, a swimming pool and a summer garden. 
• Hilez Hotel, 17 Stara Planina St (near the center of town), ☎ [phone]. This hotel offers 24 double rooms, lobby bar and tavern with 100 seats. 

Go next

Hiking, biking and camping opportunities are widely available in the nearby Central Balkan National Park and in the Nature Park Bulgarka, itself home to Ethnographic Complex Etara, Dryanovo Monastery, Sokolski Monastery, Shipka Pass, and the Uzana area. The Bozhentsi Trail (Екопътека Боженци - Дряновски манастир) leads to the village and the Dryanovo Monastery.