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:The first written record of church in Danmark locality date back to the year 1291. Close to the church are several stones with a Christian text and cross inscribed. The oldest parts of the present red-brick church are from the 1300s. In the late 1400s the church was enlarged to the appearance it has today. The church has been modified both internally and externally several times, among other things after the fires in 1699 and 1889. There are lot of well-preserved mural paintings in the walls.