Kaliakra is a long and narrow headland in the Southern Dobruja region of the northern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, located 12 km east of Kavarna and 60 km northeast of Varna. The coast is steep with vertical cliffs reaching 70 m down to the sea.
In 4th century BC a settlement called Tirrisis was founded bearing the name of a local Thracian tribe. In Roman times the fortress rapidly grew – lots of public buildings and facilities were built. There were plumbing system, churches, public baths (Roman thermes), fortification walls most of which can still be seen today. The cape became a strong Bulgarian fortress and flourished in the second half of the 14th century as a capital of the Dobrotitsa dukedom. It was a powerful medieval town minting its own coins. The fortress declined when it was conquered by The Ottoman Empire.
References:Duino Castle was built by the Wallsee family in 1389 on the cliffs overlooking the Gulf of Trieste. It replaced an older castle from the 11th century. Over time, the Wallsee family disappeared and the castle, after having been used as a prison, became the residence of the Luogar and Hofer.
At the end of the 19th century it became the property of Prince Alexander von Thurn und Taxis from the Czech branch of the House of Thurn and Taxis. It remains with the family to this day with his great-grandson Prince Carlo Alessandro della Torre e Tasso, Duke of Castel Duino the current owner. The castle has been opened to the public as a museum and park.