100 Tourist Sites of Bulgaria is a Bulgarian national movement established in 1966 to promote tourism among Bulgaria’s most significant cultural, historic, and natural landmarks.
As part of this program, sites of cultural and historical significance have been selected, ranging from historic places and monuments to archaeological and architectural sanctuaries, museums, monasteries, as well as national parks, mountain peaks and other geological phenomena. Each of the chosen landmarks has its own individual seal, which is stamped onto pages of an official passport-like booklet issued by the Bulgarian Tourist Union (BTU). A booklet can be purchased at any tourist union center or on location at any of the sites and it costs a symbolic 1 lev. The booklet comes with a separate map which includes a list of the sites, their addresses and working hours. The maximum number of collectible stamps per booklet is 100 and, contrary to the movement’s title, the exact number of official sites exceeds the number 100.
A reward scheme has been developed to encourage collection of as many stamps as possible. Depending on the number of stamps collected, participants may receive bronze, silver or gold badges. 25 stamps earn bronze, 50 stamps earn silver and 100 stamps (a complete booklet) earn gold. The National Organizational Committee of the BTU holds an annual lottery for the previous year’s badge earners every August. Prizes include domestic and overseas excursions, bicycles, tents, sleeping bags, and other travel-related items.
Some landmarks in the original program highlighted Bulgaria’s Communist government, which collapsed on November 10, 1989. In 2003 the BTU removed many of these sites from the official list. Both the original and current lists appear below. The list has since seen minor changes in 2007, 2008 and 2009.
A variety of organizations and institutions participated in developing and promoting the 100 Tourist Sites of Bulgaria. These include:
Bansko — Velyanov House, Neofit Rilski Museum, Nikola Vaptsarov Museum, Permanent Icon Exhibition, Holy Trinity Church[5]
Pirin — Vihren Peak
Dobarsko village — Church of Theodore Tyro and Theodore Stratilates
Melnik — Historical Museum of Melnik, Kordopulov House, Rozhen Monastery
Petrich — Rupite Protected Area including St. Petka Church,[8] Samuil’s Fortress National Park Museum
Nesebar — Archaeological Museum. (Formerly also: Architectural Reserve.)
Pomorie – Museum of Salt, Lake Pomorie
Burgas – Cathedral of Saints Cyril and Methodius, Poda Protected Area
Malko Tarnovo — Petrova Niva Site, Museum of History
Sozopol — Archaeological Museum
Varna — Museum of History and the Maritime Museum
Devnya — Museum of Mosaics
Veliko Tarnovo — Tsarevets archaeological reserve, Museum of History, Arbanasi architectural reserve
Svishtov — Aleko Konstantinov’s House
Vidin — Konaka Museum (Museum of History) and Baba Vida Fortress
Magura Cave
Belogradchik – Museum of History, Belogradchik Rocks. (Formerly also: Belogradchik Fortress)
Vratsa — Ledenika Cave, Regional Museum of History
Mezdra – Kaleto archaeological complex
Mount Okolchitsa — the place of Hristo Botev’s death
Kozloduy — Radetzky steamship-museum, Monument of Hristo Botev
Gabrovo — Etar Architectural-Ethnographic Complex, Museum of Education, Uzana locality, House of Humour and Satire
Bozhentsi village — Architectural and historical reserve
Tryavna — Museum of the Wood-Carving and Ethnographical Arts
Dryanovo — Dryanovo Monastery, Kolyu Ficheto Museum, Bacho Kiro Cave
Dobrich — House of Yordan Yovkov, Art Gallery
Balchik — Palace complex, University Botanic Garden
Kavarna — Kaliakra Headland, Kaliakra Archaeological reserve
Kardzhali — Ruins of Perperikon, Monastery of John the Precursor, Regional Museum of History
Kyustendil — Vladimir Dimitrov Art Gallery, House of Dimitar Peshev, Medieval Church of St George museum, regional historical museum
Blagoevgrad – Varosha Quarter, regional historical museum
Ruen Peak in Osogovo Mountain
Rila Monastery
Skakavitsa Chalet and the Seven Rila Lakes
Lovech — Vasil Levski Museum, Kakrina Inn
Karlukovo – National cave house
Devetaki – Devetashka cave
Troyan — Natural History Museum at Cherni Osam, Troyan Monastery, Museum of Folk Arts
Teteven — Museum of History
Brestnitsa village — Saeva Dupka Cave
Berkovitsa — Museum of Ethnography, House of Ivan Vasov. (Formerly also: Kom Peak)
Pazardzhik — Church of Virgin Mary, House of Stanislav Dospevski, Regional Museum of History
Panagyurishte — Oborishte locality, House of Rayna Knyaginya
Peshtera — Snezhanka Cave, Peristera Fortress
Batak — Museum of History
Tran — the Gorge on the Jerma River
Pernik – Underground mining museum
Pleven — St George the Conqueror Chapel Mausoleum, Pleven Panorama, Regional Museum of History
Plovdiv — Roman theatre, Ethnography Museum, Museum of History. (Formerly also: Old Plovdiv architectural reserve, St. Konstantin and Elena Church)
Perushtitsa — Museum of History
Sopot — the Nunnery, House of Ivan Vazov
Karlovo — Vasil Levski National Museum, Museum of History
Kalofer — Hristo Botev National Museum
Sandanski – Episcopal Basilica, Archaeological Museum
The Botev Peak
Asenovgrad — The Bachkovo Monastery, Asenova krepost fortress, Museum of History
Razgrad — Abrittus Archaeological reserve
Isperih — Museum of History, Sboryanovo museum of history and archaeology, the Thracian town of Chelis and Demir Baba Tekke at Sveshtari village. (Formerly also: Thracian Tomb)
Rousse — House of Zahari Stoyanov, Pantheon of National Revival Heroes
Silistra — Museum of History, Medcidi Tabi fortress
Srebarna Nature Reserve
Tutrakan — Military Tomb Memorial Complex, Museum of Danube Fishing and Boat-Making.
Sliven — House of Hadzhi Dimitar, National Textile Museum, Art Gallery
Velingrad – Museum of History. (The Sinite Kamani Natural park and Karandila Chalet previously occupied this position.)
Kotel — Georgi Sava Rakovski’s Pantheon and the Museum of Famous People of the Bulgarian Revival Age, Natural History Museum
Zheravna village — House of Yordan Yovkov. (Formerly also: Architecture and Ethnography Reserve)
Sofia — The National Museum of History, Boyana Church National Museum
Sofia — Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, National Museum of Military History
Elena – House of Hilarion of Makariopolis, Daskalolivnitsa historical complex. (The National Church Museum of History and Archaeology in Sofia previously occupied this position.)
Sofia — Earth and Man National Museum, National Palace of Culture
Sofia — National Gallery for Foreign Art, Ethnographic Institute with Museum maintained by the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
National Art Gallery
Etropole — Museum of History, Clocktower, Monastery of the Holy Trinity
Krestevic, Sredna Gora — Buntovna Commemorative Tourist Complex
Sofia — National Museum of Natural History maintained by the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
Sofia — Museum of the History of Sport located inside the Vasil Levski National Stadium
Sofia Zoo, National Anthropological Museum maintained by the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
Starosel village — Thracian tomb
Hisarya — Archaeological Museum
Sofia — Institute of Archaeology and Museum maintained by the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, National Polytechnical Museum
Chiprovtsi – Museum of History, Chiprovtsi Monastery
Bratsigovo — Town Museum of History
Chirpan — House Museum of Peyo Yavorov, Nikola Manev Art Gallery, St. Athanasius monastery in Zlatna Livada village. (The St. Sophia Temple formerly occupied this position.)
Haskovo (added in the 2010s) – Virgin Mary monument, Aleksandrovo tomb and museum centre. (The Sofia Synagogue occupied this position prior to 2007.)
Mezek – Medieval fortress, Thracian domed tomb.
Ivaylovgrad – Villa Armira, Municipal historical museum.
Dimitrovgrad — History Museum, the House of Penyo Penev, Giordano Bruno observatory
Vitosha — Aleko Chalet.
Cherni Vrah
Koprivshtitsa — Archaeology and History Reserve
Nova Zagora – Karanova Mogila museum. (Bogdan Peak at Sredna Gora formerly occupied this position.)
Klisura — Museum of History
Osenovlag village — Seven Altars Monastery
Samokov — Museum of History, the Nunnery.
Belchin village – Tsar Mali Town.
Rila — Musala Peak
Botevgrad — the Clocktower. (Slivnitsa town cemetery occupied this position prior to 2005.)
Skravena village — monument at St. Nikolai Monastery to the members of Hristo Botev’s detachment
Smolyan — Museum of History. (Uhlovitsa Cave formerly occupied this position.)
Smolyan Planetarium
Momchilovtsi village
Pamporovo — Uhlovitsa Cave, Snezhanka Peak
Rhodope Mountains – Golyam Perelik Peak, The Wonderful Bridges
Zlatograd — Ethnography Complex
Rhodope Mountains – Shiroka Laka village archaeological reserve
Madan, Smolyan Province – Rhodope Crystal Hall, Sharenka Cave
Rhodope Mountains – Trigrad Gorge. (Formerly also: the Devil’s Throat Cave)
Rhodope Mountains – Yagodinska cave, Buynovo gorge
Stara Zagora – the Neolithic Houses Museum, the Stara Zagora Defenders Memorial Complex, Museum of History. (Formerly also: the Roman Forum of Augusta Traiana)
Kazanlak – Chudomir Art and Literature Museum, Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak
Shipka town — Shipka Memorial Church
Shipka Pass — Shipka Memorial
Shumen — Shumen Fortress Historical and Archaeological Reserve, Founders of Bulgaria Monument, Regional Museum of History
Shumen — Tombul Mosque
Pliska — Archaeological Reserve Pliska, Great Basilica, Pliska
Madara — Madara Rider
Veliki Preslav – National Historical and Archaeological Reserve
Yambol — the ancient town of Kabile, Museum of History
Elhovo — Museum of Ethnography
