Samovodska Charshya – Veliko Tarnovo

The Samovodska Charshiya (Market Street) was established in the 1860s–1870s when Tarnovo began expanding westward from its commercial center, Bazhdarluk. Two streets formed, lined with shops, craft workshops, and inns. One of them started from a small square, now known as Samovodski Pazar (Market).

During the Bulgarian National Revival period, this area hosted various specialized bazaars—such as the grocer’s, leatherworker’s, blacksmith’s, and coppersmith’s markets—as well as inns like Hadji Davidov’s, Hadji Velikov’s, and Atanas Yonoolu’s. The metoch (dependency) of Hilandar Monastery was also located here.

Along the narrow street leading west from Samovodski Pazar, alongside the craft workshops, stands the well-preserved Hadji Nikoli Inn, which still exists today. After the Liberation (1878), this commercial district of Tarnovo long retained the traditions of the Revival-era craft bazaars. It became a symbol of the artisanal and mercantile character of the old town.