Or the story of why fantastic medieval masterpieces are being built in a small sleepy Bulgarian village.
I have traveled quite a bit in Bulgaria and often I come across the sad fact that being Bulgarian is actually pretty hard. I have talked to quite a few Bulgarians and many of them notice that there are a lot of less nice people in Bulgaria. Very often they allude to the mafia, the Roma (Bulgaria is the country in Europe that has the largest proportion of Roma in relation to the number of inhabitants, approx. 5%) or the corrupt politicians, but also generally poor Bulgarians who might be doing something illegal to put bread on the table and feed their kids.
They are sad that their government is not working because of corruption. Sad that, for example, their national football team has been taken over and destroyed by the same corruption. By people who only think of themselves and money.
As I have written before, Bulgaria is the country in Europe with the largest population emigration. The population has decreased from approx. 9 million in 1990 to approx. 6.5 million in 2024. You often see old worn or dilapidated houses that no one bothers to do anything about. It seems that a large number of Bulgarians simply do not want to live in Bulgaria. At least not as things are now.
But fortunately there are some people in Bulgaria who have a vision to change that. The project is called "Historical Park AD" and is located about 40 km west of Varna - approx. 30 minutes by car.
First, a little background history
I visited the Historical Park in 2023 with my mother, Linda, and my 3 children. The park was beautiful and exciting and a whole chapter in itself. But what really caught my attention was that in the small town of Neofit Rilski, next to the Historical Park, many exciting buildings were built in genuine Bulgarian medieval style. We were given a guided tour by Radoslav who drove us around and showed us Neofit Rilski and the buildings that had been made in the city. So when I returned to Bulgaria in 2024, I wanted to try to take some nice pictures of the city's newly build houses and write a little about the project.
The town of Neofit Rilski (Неофит Рилски) is named after a 19th century monk, teacher and artist. He was an important figure in the Bulgarian national revival of the 1870s. And areas and streets are named after him.
The project
The idea behind the Historical Park is huge. The idea is that from being a small sleepy town in Bulgaria, the whole area must be transformed into a place that Bulgarians can be proud of. A place where they can celebrate their history, their culture and a place that tourists can visit and actively participate in experiences and see what Bulgaria really has to offer.
Ivelin Mihaylov (Ивелин Михайлов) is the founder and one of the primary visionaries behind the Historical Park project. Ivelin Mihaylov has been instrumental in conceptualizing and driving the development of the park, which aims to showcase Bulgaria's rich history through immersive and interactive experiences.
The project consists of several areas:
The historical park
Development of Neofit Rilski
A new town next to the historic park aimed at tourists
The historical park
This time I didn't visit the historical park directly, but the area around it, so I don't have pictures from here. It's also a (his)story in itself - pun intended.
Neofit Rilski
When you drive into Neofit Rilski, it immediately looks like an ordinary Bulgarian village with cozy houses with grape vines and garden walls with beautiful stonework that you come across in the cities of Bulgaria. But from the town centre, which doesn't show much, you suddenly see beautiful buildings built in medieval style. From a small ordinary town it can seem very pompous. But there is an idea behind it.
The guesthouses
This is one of the guest houses that are currently builing built and you can rent when it is finished. Really beautiful and like the other houses built in the older Bulgarian medieval style, the stones are hand hewn. It is beautiful craftsmanship and there is real care for the details.
A few other guesthouses. Also impressive style. Note the decoration on the wall with the blue circles and crosses.
Bulgaria's most beautiful bus stop
Here we have the bus stop, which is by far the most beautiful in Bulgaria. I've seen a lot of bust stops where you'd almost rather stand outside and wait in the rain than inside. The buildings have been donated to Neofit Rilski by the Historical Park AD. The label on a display case inside the building reads: Български - зона за мир: "Bulgaria - a zone for peace"
Post office
This building will serve as a post office and other administrative tasks and is also donated by Historical Park AD to the city.
The bridges
Another nice detail is that there is a small stream running in the city at the bridge crossings, Historical Park AD has also made these decorations.
The Inn
Pictures from the hotel Ханът (The Inn), which you can already stay at and eat in the restaurant.
The tent camp
There is also a youth camp for children and families who can spend the night in this tent city. In the earliest times, the Bulgarians were a nomadic people and lived in similar, though probably more minimalist, tents.
More nice details
A few other atmospheric photos from Neofit Rilski. There is, among other things, a "Rosarium" - a museum about Bulgaria's great export product: the rose. Bulgaria is the world leader in rose oil and perfumes made from roses. Every year, the Rose Festival is held, where the year's harvest of roses is celebrated.
There are also a few other houses in Neofit Rilski which are built in the "Bulgarian National Revival style". A bit of that style can be seen in the picture below. That's a story for another time.
More are coming all the time
And new ones are being built all the time. The bottom building below must be a large hotel and is located on the outskirts of the city:
New tourist town next to the historical park
The third major project in the project is the construction of a new town with over 120 houses. The idea is for tourists to come and visit the area and the historic park. This in fantastic medieval style, which can be seen in the video below.
The area is under construction and here are pictures from the new city:
And the project requires stones and lots of stones. I was shown around the back of the project, where piles and piles of stones lay. Many of these must be processed before they can be used.
Thank you!
Thanks to Radoslav, Anes and Velislava for showing me around and talking about the project. I love your enthusiasm - you are great people!
Epilogue
The project is supported by a lot of private investors, crowdfunding and income from the historic park. The project is not government supported, as there are many corrupt people in the country who look askance at the whole project and can put it to halt. They do not understand that such a large project can be run by well-intentioned people who want to do something for Bulgaria and the Bulgarian people and not for themselves and their own gain.
I really want it to be a success and will follow along in the coming years. Bulgarians need a place where they can show how amazing they and their country are.
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Birds who happily watch the project progress
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