Tsarevets Fortress, Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria

Tsarevets is a medieval stronghold located on a hill with the same name in Veliko Tarnovo in northern Bulgaria. It served as the Second Bulgarian Empire's primary fortress and strongest bulwark between 1185 and 1393, housing the royal and the patriarchal palaces, and it is also a popular tourist attraction.

The hill has evidence of human presence from the 2nd millennium BC and was settled in the 4th century. After the Bulgarian Rebellion, it became the empire's key fortress, comparable to Rome and Constantinople. In 1393, it fell to Ottoman forces, marking the Bulgarian Empire's demise.

The fortress has three entrances, with a central complex featuring a throne hall, castle church, and king's chamber. Restoration started in 1930 and was completed in 1981. The stronghold, surrounded by thick walls and three gates, housed kings Petar, Asen, Kaloyan, and Ivan Asen II. The palace complex included a fortified wall, towers, and entrances. The patriarchate, at the hill's top, has the Cathedral of the Ascension of the Lord.

Baldwin's Tower, a modern reconstruction in the southeastern part, commemorates Latin Emperor Baldwin I's death. During the Middle Ages, the hill had residential buildings, workshops, churches, and monasteries. Archaeologists found 400 buildings, 22 churches, and 4 monasteries. Execution Rock, where traitors were pushed into the Yantra River, is also located here; Patriarch Joachim was executed in 1300.

References:

Wikipedia

Castles and fortifications in Bulgaria

User Reviews

Thanath Gopalan (5 months ago)
Absolutely worth the visit. Quite a large fortress. Interesting to see and figure how they were strategically constructed back then. Quite a bit of walk and climb to see the place so make sure you have comfortable footwear.

Paul V (8 months ago)
This is a great part of Bulgarian history. It is well work the price of admission and a guided tour is not that expensive. The art work in the chapel is of modern design. If you look at the bottom of the walls and structures if you see a 2 inch band of red mortar that is the hight of the structure prior to restoration work.

Nick Goryachev (9 months ago)
Amazing place with well preserved forts and church. You can walk at the fortress wall and appreciate the choice made by people who erect it. Walls are not as thick as great Chinese wall, but still impressive. Great light show at night if you are lucky to see it

Balkrishna Shroff (9 months ago)
We came to visit this area from our river cruise. We stopped at Yantra Grand Hotel for lunch. This beautiful fortress is located 700 meter above sea level on a hill. and it required a long walk. Since I had some problem walking, we sat in the balcony of hotel and enjoyed the view from there. Other members of the group liked this fortress.

Ina Maxim (9 months ago)
We went there for the second time. First time 2 years ago in Spring, nice warm weather, blooming trees. This time in the Summer was incredibly hot. But I still really enjoyed it, incredible views, really worth visiting, great place to take pictures. Nice view from the church tower, when open. There is a place selling beer and water, really useful on a hot Summer day.

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