A general compass:
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150 km (about an hour and a half) from Sofia and the city Airport.
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30 km (half an hour) from Plovdiv and the local airport. The bus between Plovdiv and Tsarimir costs 1.40 euro in one direction and it is available a few times per day.
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16 km (20 minutes) from Zhitnitsa - a place known for its really nice and affordable horse riding camp. There's also a spa complex, a gym and a restaurant.
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27 km (30 minutes) from Staro Zhelezare - the so called "Street art village" where you'll find streets full of great murals as well as the local MoMA street representing some of the famous artworks one can see in the real MoMA.
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10 km (15 minutes) from Kaloyanovo - a nearby village with a regular weekly flea market.
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35 km (half an hour) from Starosel - a village famous for its amazing natural hot spring spa complex and its vineyards as well as for one of the most famous historical sights in the country - the Thracian underground temple near Starosel.
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31 km (half an hour) from Hisarya - a small resort town with a dozen hot mineral springs in its center - it is also notable for the impressive remains of the ancient Roman city of Diocletianopolis, the enormous walls of which still stand close to their original height for the majority of their circuit.
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56 km (an hour and ten minutes) from Asenovgrad - a city known for its amazing 13th century fortress and its religious diversity.
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50 km (less than an hour by car) from Karlovo - the beautiful "City of The Bulgarian Rose".
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130 km (two hours by car) from Shiroka Laka - the most famous entirely preserved traditional village in the heart of the magnificent Rhodope Mountains. The place is known for it's folklore musical school and rich traditions.
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90 km (an hour and a half by car) from Buzludzha - the famous abandoned socialist UFO building part of every socialist architecture list of must see ones!
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270 km (three hours by car) from the Black Sea city of Burgas - the closest beach destination.
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Close to the village there is a NATO airforce airport and that is why one could regularly hear the sounds of the planes - that makes it even more exotic though.
About the village of Tsarimir
The name literally means "Where peace blossoms" and the funny part is that the street where the residency is located is called "Rebel's street" :) It has a long tradition of silk bugs harvesting and that is why it is full of mulberry trees - their leaves are the only food for the silk bug.
In the past it was populated by close to 3000 people, today they are about 700. A typical example of plain village architecture with intense communistic history. You'll find a lot of old objects, there's a regular village market, fishing spot, plenty of home grown eco food, there are also a few very well organized food shops and two small restaurants. In other words - the daily needs are covered easily. You can spend some of your time exploring the local life and since we know almost everybody, we'll introduce you to key customs, folklore and curious habits.
Due to the typical depopulation of such type of villages in the country which has been taking place in the last 20-30 years, Tsarimir is a place with quite a few abandoned buildings which are often used by our residents for artistic projects. The roads are bad and the first impression could be of a neglected place. Yet, behind this immediate surface, there are rich traditions, warm people with curious Balkan habits as well as plenty of hidden remains referring to the communistic past and the hopes for the future. The residency area is like a small island representing a perfect artistic environment which allows you to get inspired by the local life, yet to have really comfortable conditions to step out of this life and to focus on you project.
The residency is well known in the village, it is a crossing point of great interest and enthusiasm from the locals, that is why some of them have already participated in a few artistic projects. We know literally everybody and we can be really helpful when it comes to establishing a meaningful contact with them. Sometimes, in the last week of your residency stay, before the actual final exhibition in Sofia or Plovdiv, we might organize open studios day for the village community (this is optional, it is not a requirement!).
About Plovdiv
The cultural capital of Europe for 2019. It is an amazing city uniting the old architecture from different epochs with the contemporary life style and aesthetics, artistic neighborhoods, galleries for modern and contemporary art, great places to relax and have fun in an urban environment. A must experience during the residency! We will share with you our best advices. Plovdiv is the second largest city in country after the capital Sofia. It has been recognized as the oldest city in Europe as these lands have been inhabited since 6th millennium BC! That is why the city of the seven hills, as we call it, represent quite a few cultural layers in its archeological history. It is also well known for its peaceful life where Christians, Muslims, Jews, Armenians, Greeks, Gypsies all live together in great understanding. The majority of the population is Christian as in all of Bulgaria.
You can learn more about the city through the followong links:
