Tsarevets reconstruction. Brasov Minei and Tarnovgrad (Veliko Tarnovo) project

Reconstruction by Professor Mariana Mojnova and Assist. Professor Plamen Sabev

“BRASOV MINEI AND TARNOVGRAD (VELIKO TARNOVO)” is a project for 3D visualization of the Bulgarian town of Veliko Tarnovo, according to the illustration of sheet 79b of the medieval Bulgarian manuscript Ms. Slav № 34, originating from the library of the church “St. Nikolay” in the city of Brasov, Romania. This illustration is unique and at the same time carries valuable information about how the medieval Bulgarian city appeared in the 14th century.
Emphasis in the project is the drawing of sheet 79b in the Brasov Minei, where fantastic buildings rise and symbolic characters appear, possibly related to Bulgarian history.
The author of this drawing has signed – “Copier Dimitar, royal producer and supplier of honey, born of the Bulgarian village of Musina”. But his work should not be perceived as a direct reflection of reality, but rather an expression of his own (God-inspired?) Vision of the most significant structures, handed over to the caliphras himself, possibly migrated to the late XIV century in Romania.

Mythological and religious symbols are interwoven in the painting. But, the greatness of the capital’s capital, as well as the overwhelmed danger above it, is essential in the overall visualization. In this sense, the idea was to make a 3D view. In this project, the structures built and reconstructed for years on this historic hill can not show with absolute precision! Rather, this project deploys a three-dimensional version of an ancient painting. The specificity of the present work lies in the fantastic symbolic world that has reached the present day and the possibilities for its artistic interpretation. It is interesting to note that in the 1980s the Bulgarian academician Dimitar Dimitrov gave the painting from Brasov Minei as a model for a real restoration of the Tsarevets museum site. And to a large extent, builders are complying with this information.

However, there are disputes about how the capital of Bulgaria really looked. This project proposes a three-dimensional perspective, without claiming exhaustiveness. Rather, this is an artistic look!
This short animated clip complements the painting from the Brasov Minei. Computer animation was actually enriched with light effects with the idea of enlightenment and travel through the ages.