Preslav
An inscription chiseled into an ancient stone column reads that the town was founded by Khan Omourtag. It reached its heyday when Tsar Simeon the Great ruled the country. The year 893 marked important events in the history of the Bulgarian State. A Council was held in Preslav at which they decided to adopt Christianity as the official religion of the Bulgarian State and the Old Bulgarian as the official language. The Council also decreed that the Bulgarian Church was no longer subordinate to the Byzantine Church. They encouraged education and literature, designated Prince Simeon I to reign and moved the capital from Pliska to Preslav.
So Preslav was the second Bulgarian capital city. While Pliska's layout resembles a military camp Veliki Preslav was designed and built as a typical Medieval town. Even its ruins today look impressive. They sprawl on an area of 3.5 square kilometres. The builders of Preslav were the first in Europe to put up two concentric rings of fortress walls. Even today you can see remains of the fortress wall, the round Eastern tower, the North and the South Gates, the Palace and its adjacent buildings. Written documents and fragments of the interior decoration reveal that the Grand Throne Hall and the royal apartments made visitors to marvel at the grandeur and splendour of the Palace.
The Round (Golden) Church was awe - inspiring too. Its gold plated dome was richly decorated inside with a fantastic mosaic on a background made of gold. It rested on 12 marble columns. The church was built on top of a hill outside the city walls so that citizens and travellers could enjoy the view.
Velikli Preslav was the centre of the flourishing Medieval Bulgarian literature and culture and its Golden Century. It was the Preslav Literary School that had a strong influence on the cultural development of Eastern Europe. When Preslav was the capital of Bulgaria the country had the political authority, economic power and military might to make other European rulers, Byzantium and barbaric tribes conform to it. A proof of past wealth and grandeur of the city is the Preslav Treasure, consisting of 150 objects of exquisite craftsmanship. Preslav's decline started at the time of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom when the capital was moved to Turnovo.