The town of Tryavna (440 metres above sea level) is situated in a small valley expansion of the Tryavna Balkan mountain (Central Stara Planina), along the two banks of the Dryanovska River. It is situated at the distance of 242 km north-east of Sofia, and 42 km south-west of Veliko Turnovo. Cradle of the unique in its kind Revival Art School - the Tryavna School.

History

According to the legend the settlement originated during the 12th century during the reign of the Assen Dynasty. The youngest brother Kaloyan erected the St. Archangel Michail Church in the area of Truvna (named after the resilient grass around), around which a whole village gradually grew up. During the Ottoman Rule Tryavna was a privileged settlement, whose inhabitants guarded the pass through the Balkan to Odrin and Istanbul. The settlement reached prosperity at the end of the 18th and at the beginning of the 19th century when the crafts, the applied arts and the trade established themselves on the market. The influence of the representatives of Tryavna Art School is strongly felt. Masons built beautiful houses, schools and churches. Icon-painters ornamented them with icons and mural paintings and joiners (woodcarvers) completed their work with unparalleled altars, ceilings and windows. Felix Kanits who visited the town in 1872 called in the "Bulgarian Nuernberg". A lot of Tryavna citizens took an active part in the struggles for an independent Bulgarian church, for national awareness and liberation. The town is the birthplace of Levski's associate Angel Kunchev. Petko R. Slaveikov lived there, too and his eminent son, the poet Pencho P. Slaveikov was born in Tryavna.
The exceptionally healthy climate and the divine countryside of Tryavna made it a paramount resort as early as in 1896. Later on the first in our country children's sanatorium for chest diseases was built up here with a donation from Tsaritsa Ioana (wife of Tsar Boris III).
Landmarks. Tryavna has preserved its Revival appearance even today. The old part was proclaimed an architectural reserve with about 140 monuments of Revival architecture. The brightest evidence of it are the ensembles at Dyado Nikola Square, P. R. Slaveikov Street, Peter Bogdanov Street, Kachaunska Mahala (quarter). The Daskalov's House (1804) is incomparable in which the Museum of Woodcarving and Icon-Painting is located. The two magnificent wood-carved ceilings created by Dimitur Oshanina and Ivan Bochukovetsa in 1808 after a bet made between them. The Tryavna School of Icon-Painting Museum  contains over 160 icons. The Slaveikov's House Museum (Angel Kunchev House-museum and monument. The House of Dyado (Grandfather) Dobri (1834). Popangelov's House (from the end of the 18th century) - the oldest in the town. Raikov's House . St. Archangel Michail Church dating back to 1819 with its magnificent richly carved iconostasis (work of Vitan Koyuv-Junior), the unusually beautiful bishop's throne made by Priest Koyu Vitanov about 1821. The church possesses a relic - over-throne cross of palisander wood carved with 12 scenes from the Bible.
St. Georgi Church (1848-1852) has a remarkable iconostasis, work of the masters Dimitur Deikov and Nikola Dragoshinov (1852). In Shkoloto (The School) Museum there are permanent exhibitions, among which the donation of the world famous Bulgarian painter Dimitur Kazakov stands out. The exhibits in the collection "Time-measuring devices and technology of Medieval times up to the end of the 19th century" are quite original. The Clock Tower (1814). The upper bridge (1844). The Totyo Gubenski Art Gallery in the ancient Kalinchev's house (45, P. R. Slaveikov) dates back to 1830. It is in possession of 500 pictures donated by the collector Gubenski. The Ivan Popdimitrov House-Museum (P. R. Slaveikov Street) with pictures, donated by his grandson. There is a permanent exhibition, too - a donation by the sculptor Ivan Kolev.
Every odd year on 26th and 27th May Slaveikov's Days are held here including various cultural events. The town is host of the unique in the country International Plain-Air Painting on Wood Plastics "Bet in Tryavna", which is held each year.