We have all had dreams, at some point in our lives, of what we would do or how we would change history if we could go back in time, why not thousands of years back.

There is a place that is like a dream come true, or a time-machine – the Historical Park near Neophit Rilski village, just 33 kilometres from the city of Varna on the Black Sea. The park is divided up into historical epochs and covers an area of 50 hectares.

More about the park from its commercial agent Georgi Detelinov:

“The historical park covers the epochs from the Neolithic and the Chalcolithic age, through Roman times, the Proto-Bulgarians, the first and the Second Bulgarian Kingdom. That is where we stop at this time because there are so many other places where the country’s history from the period of the National Revival can be seen. We do not want to repeat ourselves, we want to show periods that have not been reenacted as an addition to what already exists. We offer a thrilling walk-around, but in addition, anyone can be the central character in the action. Visitors will be able to put on period costumes, learn different kinds of crafts, sample the authentic food of the times, practice different kinds of sports like horse riding, archery, or conquer a fortress. They will be able to go up in a balloon and take aerial photographs.”

As to the tourists expected to come for the opening, Detelinov says they will come from Europe, but also from USA, Canada, Japan, South Korea…

Each one of the sites at the park was built of authentic materials – stone, wood, marble, and the investments, 50 million euro, are 100 percent Bulgarian, with no credit or European funding. Over 4,000 people have been involved in the project since its inception eight years ago. Its completion is planned in 2022, until then every year, a new section of the Historical Park is opened to the public.

The Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Thracian zones are to open on 22 June this year. The Thracian section includes the first fully restored Thracian palace, a temple to the Mother Goddess, two Thracian tombs, a Slav and a Proto-Bulgarian settlement with the houses typical of the period. There will be two artificial ponds and catering establishments where visitors will be able to taste food from different historical ages. Visitors will be able to see a multitude of historical reenactments and rituals, something made possible thanks to the joint work of the people who created the park with foremost historians and archaeologists.

Photos: ipark.bg