Shumen

Carved into a 23-meter-high rock face near Madara is a horseman spearing a lion – an image from the early 8th century. A trip to Shumen leads you to the beginnings of the Bulgarian state, because this is where its first two capitals, Pliska and Preslav, were located.

Pliska, Preslav and Madara

The Madara Horseman is a UNESCO World Heritage site and the only rock relief of its kind in Europe. From the terrace beneath the relief, steps lead up to the plateau with the remains of a fortress. In Pliska, the first capital of the Bulgarian Khanate from 681, you can see the foundations of the palace and the Great Basilica, one of the largest churches in early medieval Europe. Veliki Preslav, the capital from 893, was a center of Old Bulgarian literature. The ruins of the Golden Church and the museum with the Preslav Gold Treasure testify to its wealth.

Shumen and Surroundings

Above the city of Shumen, on the plateau, rises the "Founders of the Bulgarian State" monument, a monumental concrete complex built in 1981 for the 1,300th anniversary of the founding of the state; a long staircase leads up to it from the center. Nearby are the Shumensko Plato Nature Park and the Shumen Fortress. In the center stands the 18th-century Tombul Mosque, the largest in Bulgaria. The city is also known for its brewery, and Shumensko beer is drunk all over the country. Novi Pazar is a small industrial town to the east. For nature lovers, the Shumensko Plato Nature Park, with its beech forests, caves and rock formations, is a good addition, as is the nature reserve near Madara, with cliffs where swifts and falcons nest. The area around Preslav is also well suited to bike tours among vineyards and small villages.

Food, Getting There and Best Time to Visit

The region's cuisine is shaped by grain and meat, with kebapcheta, banitsa and lamb; white wine from the Preslav winery pairs well with it. Shumen lies on the Sofia–Varna rail line and on the Hemus Motorway, and the trip to Varna takes about an hour. The best time to visit is April to October; the ruins are more pleasant in spring and fall than in the summer heat.