The monument honours the Asen dynasty, the rulers of the Second Bulgarian Empire. In 1185 the brothers Asen and Peter led the uprising against Byzantium that restored the Bulgarian state, with Tarnovo as its capital; their successors Kaloyan and Ivan Asen II made it one of the strongest powers in the Balkans. The four riders represent these kings, and the sword symbolises the rebirth of the Bulgarian state.
Unveiled in 1985 for the 800th anniversary of the uprising, it sits beside the city's art gallery and is reached by a footbridge from the old town.
Come in the evening, when the monument and the houses on the hillside are lit up.
