Ancient Roman town Nove near Svishtov

The ancient town Nove is a Roman legionary camp on the Danube close to Svishtov, Veliko Tarnovo Region. It is located 4 km east of Svishtov, 87 km north-west of Veliko Tarnovo and approximately 239 km north-east of the capital Sofia city.

The capm was founded in 45 A.D by the order of the Roman Emperor Claudius and as many of the mansions on our territory is situated on what used to be a Thracian settlement.

Originally the camp covered an area of 17 ha but it gradually expanded by 10 ha. It had rectangular shape and had one gate on each wall. Behind the walls of the camp you could find the headquarters of the camp, the military hospital, the officers' housing, the bathroom, the military barracks, the house of the legion commander and the auxiliary army barracks. The civil settlement was situated outside the city walls. Gradually the ancient city changed its appearance. New buildings such as churches, workshops of artisans appeared. In V-VI centuries the city of Nove was the seat of a bishop.

Today you can only see the remains of what once were forts and buildings. Informational signs among the ruins show a computer reconstruction of the military camp and the buildings around it. Nove was mentioned for the last time at the beginning of the seventh century.

"The Principle" or the headquarters of the legion is the largest building found in Nove. Many statues and a coin treasure were found there. The items can be seen in the visitor center built close to the excavation. The remains of the military hospital (valetudinarium) are also quite interesting. An information sign shows how the building where up to 300 legionaries were treated used to look like. In the courtyard of the hospital there was situated a little shrine dedicated to the gods of health Asclepius and Hygeia.

Outside the legionary fortress, near its western gate, the remains of a building with a questionable purpose were found. It was considered to be the residence of the legion commander for a long time. The most recent signs indicate that this was probably a residence of the temporarily residing in the legion dignitaries.

In V-VI centuries the old legionary fortress transformed into an early Byzantine city. The remains of the episcopal complex consisting of a large and a small basilica, dwellings with an impressive bathroom and a large building, designed to meet the pilgrims of the local martyr St. Lupus are since then. West of the basilica entrance a baptistery /extension to the church, where Christian baptism was performed/ with an impressive architecture was revealed.

During its long history Nove has been visited by some of the most famous Roman emperors: Trajan (98-117 AD), Adrian (117-138 BC), Caracalla (198-217 AD). There are suggestions that the emperor Maximinus Thrace (235-238 AD) was born in Nove. In the second half of the V century AD Nove was the main residence of the Gothic king Theodoric the Great who later conquered Rome.

A Festival of the Ancient Heritage is held for several years in Svishtov and Nove. Gladiatorial battles, Roman artillery demonstrations and scenes from the works of Greek and Roman authors are recreated during the festival. Traditionally, many foreign groups take part in the festival. Nove was declared an architectural monument of national importance in 1968.

In 2006, the Nove museum was opened, close to the excavations. The archaeological site has a visitors center which offers a variety of services - guided tour of the site, lectures. Such services are also offered by the guides from the Historical Museum in Svishtov.

transport

Nove can be reached by car from Svishtov if you go east by secondary road II-52.

accomodation

The visitors of the ancient town can take advantage of the hotels in Svishtov which offere excellent accomodation conditions.

Sources:  http://bulgariatravel.org, http://sever.bg
Photos: http://ivoso.blog.bg, http://bulgariatravel.org, http://www.panoramio.com