Archaeological complex 'Valley of Thracian Kings' opened in Shipka

The archaeological complex "Valley of Thracian Kings" was officially opened on April 9 in the town of Shipka, Southern Bulgaria. It is the first of its kind in the country and aims to present Thracian culture and art.

The complex is located in the immediate vicinity of the Thracian tombs of Griffins, Helvetia, Golyama Kosmatka, Ostrusha and Shushmanets. It is part of one of the largest-scale projects of Kazanlak Municipality "The World of Thracians".

The complex has a central building where visitors will have the opportunity to see wax figures of the Thracian king, queen, cupbearer and warrior, created in the likeness of the frescoes in the Thracian tomb in Kazanlak and take pictures with them dressed in the typical clothes of the era. Visitors will be able to see the throne room of the palace in the ancient city of Seutopolis. The ancient city itself is recreated in a model.

The creation of the complex shows how we can use the developments and tools of the modern world to present the Thracian cultural heritage in an accessible and contemporary way and preserve the greatness of the Thracian kings.

"This is a place where tourists can not only get information with the use of the latest technologies, such as 3D glasses, interactive visualization, through the throne room, the clothing of the Thracians," said Galina Stoyanova, Mayor of Kazanlak municipality.

Images by BNT reporter Ivan Yanev

"In this case, the most important thing is that everything is separate from the originals. The originals are in the Valley. There you can see absolutely everything, and here you can see the reenactments, starting from the reenactments and ending with the customs of the Thracians, which are uniquely made," said prof. Nikolai Ovcharov.