,,BULGARIAN SCHOOL OF ANCIENT MILITARY ARTS - VELITCHIE" is an Association for historical reenactments - reconstruction of two large and complete periods of Bulgarian history: Antiquity and the Middle Ages.
The school was founded on the 6th of May, 2018, on the feast day of Great Martyr Saint George the Victorious - Dragon Slayer and patron of Bulgarian soldiers.
The place of its foundation is "HISTORICAL PARK" - the village of N. Rilski, and its conceptual founder and Honorary member is the CEO of the Park, Mr. Ivelin Mihailov. From the creation of the HISTORICAL PARK until today, under the leadership of its de facto founder, Milen Petrov, the school has become the beating heart of the cultural-historical complex and its face before Bulgaria and the world.
The main goal of the "BULGARIAN SCHOOL OF ANCIENT MILITARY ARTS - VELICHIE" is the recreation of the ancient martial culture of the Bulgarians and its values, by exercising the body in the historical forms of armed struggle, as well as presenting them to the general Bulgarian and foreign public .
The school's activities include:
• Training in ancient military arts - an educational and creative process, a means of personal experience of the ancient cultural forms of Antiquity and the Middle Ages and their preservation in the form of ancient (Thracian and Old Bulgarian) military games "Ristanie" (Old Bulgarian ret, ristanie, ourestanїe – "dispute, fight, competition") or "Areti" (other Greek. ἀρετη - "race"):
- spear fighting (Old Bulgarian: ourestanie kop'iemi, other. Greek: akontismos);
- archery (Old Bulgarian. othvlashti; old Greek. toxobolia);
- wrestling (Old Bulg. bran, bor, borenie; old Greek. pali);
- hand-to-hand combat (Old Bulgarian ourestanїe pѧnstami; old Greek. pygmachia);
- cutting (Old Bulgarian ourestan'e scechevno psprevan'e, dvoboꙗ; old Greek. monomachys);
- equestrian warfare (St. Bulgarian: konnoe ouristan; other. Greek: hippodromos);
- falconry (Old Bulgarian kragouare), etc.
A large part of the ancient martial arts are also practiced in the form of historical combats, popular in modern times, etc. sports, with participation in tournaments under federations, according to the rules of: HMBIA (Historical Medieval Battle International Association); HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts); WA (World Archery Federation/ Barebow) and IFAA (International Archery Association/ FA), combat archery - "combat shooting"; WHAF (World Horse Archery Federation); IAF (International Falconry Organization) etc.
"BULGARIAN SCHOOL OF ANCIENT MILITARY ARTS - VELICHIE" develops the following directions in historical reconstruction:
• Experimental archeology - the study of the authentic production processes related to the manufacture of ancient weapons, clothing and household items, as well as the reconstruction of the same as a tool for studying and experiencing the past, and in response to questions arising in historical science.
• Historical event reenactment - presentation of the various social and cultural aspects of military life and the life of the population in our lands to the general public, with the aim of popularizing the history among the Bulgarian society and, as a result, its inclusion in the active preservation of the national cultural-historical values and heritage .
Education at the school takes place on the territory of the cultural and historical complex "HISTORICAL PARK", located 30 km from the city of Varna, in the village of Neofit Rilski, Vetrino municipality.
Telephоne:
00359889524130 - Milen Petrov
Chairman of NPO "VELICHIE" and Head of the School.
