Velyan’s House


This richly painted 18th-century mansion stands out among Bulgaria's countless heritage properties. Admire elaborate frescoes within the house-museum and around the courtyard, and peer at intricate wood carvings of the Debyrska School. Prettiest of all is the 'Blue Room', dedicated to the artist's wife.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Bansko Permanent Icon Exhibition

0.08 MILES

Housed within a former nunnery dating to 1749, this small museum exhibits 18th- and 19th-century icons painted by the Bansko School of art.

2. Sveta Troitsa Church

0.08 MILES

Surrounded by 1m thick stone walls, this 19th-century church has the air of a fortress. By contrast, the interior is a multicolour marvel with flower…

3. House Museum of Neofit Rilski

0.09 MILES

Occupying a Revival-era stone and wood building, this house-museum exhibits manuscripts by, and photos of, Rilski (1793–1881), the father of Bulgarian…

4. Museum of Otets Paisii Hilendarski

0.11 MILES

Commemorating the eponymous local monk, author and instigator of Bulgarian nationalism, this museum contains a chapel with a replica of the room at the…

5. House Museum of Nikola Vaptsarov

0.17 MILES

This house-museum was the birthplace of Nikola Vaptsarov (1909–42), a respected antifascist poet and activist. Influenced by communist ideology while a…

6. Historical & Ethnographical Museum

0.18 MILES

This museum in a 19th-century mansion contains finds dating back to 6000 BC, plus antique, medieval and 19th-century National Revival–period items.

7. Church of Rozhdestvo Bogorodichno

21.96 MILES

The highlight of Rila Monastery is this magnificent church, built from 1834 to 1837, with distinctive black-and-white archways and three yellow-painted…

8. Ecclesiastical & Historical Museum

21.97 MILES

Rila Monastery's museum has a diverting collection of items and documents from across the centuries, including 14th-century wood carvings, Revival-era…