Japanese Declare Their Love on Tsarevets

Article by Ivan Ivanov, Standard Daily, 22nd Nov 2005

The Sound and Light show is the perfect present for weddings and birthdays

To fly from Japan to say you love somebody on Tsarevets, the fortress enclosing the capital of the second Bulgarian Kingdom, it sounds like a romance movie. For the people of Veliko Tarnovo, though, this is everyday life. No one is any longer surprised to see a group of foreign tourists who have come for a romantic kiss on the historical hill. The famous audio-visual show is a real hit even in distant Japan. Japanese hire charters to enjoy the light show in the old capital. Every month at least one wedding closes the show. It is considered the most attractive present for weddings and birthdays. Over 140 000 have already watched the largest audio-visual show on the Balkans.

Such spectacles can be found on no more than three other places in the world. One of them is the pyramids in Giza. This year it is twenty years since the spectacle was first shown to the public. The first demonstration was in 1981 on occasion of the 1300th anniversary of the foundation of the Bulgarian state. The show was officially set on a regular basis in April 1985 in honor of 800 years since the uprising of brothers Assen and Petar that restored the Bulgarian state after a century of Byzantine occupation.
By means of dramatic music, colorful lights, lasers and church bells - Sound and Light show tells the story of the second Bulgarian kingdom from 1185 to 1393.

Buy a romantic second home in Veliko Tarnovo

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