Have you ever seen something like the traditional Bulgarian target for archery?

It was created by the reenactor Milen Petrov in 2019 after in-depth research in this area.

The dragon slayer appeared at the end of the 5th-6th century AD, precisely here, in present-day Bulgarian lands, in Roman Thrace, nicknamed the "mother of soldiers" and the heart of the Eastern Roman Empire. The target is described in the anonymous Roman military treatise - "On archery", from the time of Emperor Anastasius (491-518), Justin I (518-527) or Justinian the Great (527-565), due to the continuous Bulgar attacks (493, 494, 498, 499, 502, 505, 513, 514, 515, 516, 517, 530, 535, 538 and 548), the aspect of Roman military strategy completely and definitively changed. Then, under the influence of the Bulgars, the cavalry became the most important part of the Byzantine army, and the bow became the main weapon of the early-Byzantine warrior.

As an homage to the ancient Bulgarian military traditions, the Orthodox faith and the heroic epic of our people, we present you the DRAGON SLAYER, traditional target and archery discipline.

We strongly believe that this Bulgarian discipline in archery will take its rightful place in all national and international tournaments held both in Bulgaria and around the world.

You can see the target at the shooting range in the Historical Park, where it is possible to shoot a bow.

This September, the Second International Archery Tournament is being organized in Historic. The event will take place on the 25th and 26th of September . Read more about it on our website or Facebook page.