Hotalich Fortress

Sevlievo, Bulgaria

Ruins of the medieval town-fortress Hotalich are located 4km north-west from the today`s town of Sevlievo. The fortress was built by the Byzantines in the 5th century. In 10th century, at the same location, the Bulgarian state began construction of defense facilities to defend the country from the barbarian invasions from the north and Byzantium from the south.

The fortress was the largest in area except these of the old Bulgarian capitals Pliska, Preslav and Veliko Tarnovo.The excavations of medieval town of Hotalich and the fortress began for the first time in 1981. The archaeologists were found a high tower, two parallel walls (first of them dates back to the Early Byzantine period and the second from the 9th-10th century), remains of two main gates, ruins of quarters, churches, palace of the boyar (the local ruler), etc.

References:

visit.guide-bulgaria.com

Castles and fortifications in Bulgaria

Address

Sevlievo, Bulgaria

See all sites in Sevlievo

Details

Founded: 10th century AD
Category: Castles and fortifications in Bulgaria

More Information

visit.guide-bulgaria.com

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

Shipka Monument (40,4 km)
St George the Conqueror Chapel Mausoleum (52,9 km)
Dryanovo Monastery (32,4 km)
Sokolski Monastery (36,7 km)
Storgosia Fortress (50,3 km)

User Reviews

Alisa Kapler (2 years ago)
Great place to visit if you are around Sevlievo and want to explore the history in this region. Be prepared for a lot of stairs in bad condition, however when you reach the top you will understand that the breathtaking views were definitely worth a struggle ?. There are many places to seat and enjoy the view ?

Ivaylo Kostadinov (3 years ago)
Amazing views from the top. There are a lot of stairs to go there.

Danko (3 years ago)
Really beautiful place with a view over Sevlievo city and Rositsa river. It takes a while to walk up and some water would be fine in the back-pack.

Martin Vasilev (4 years ago)
Opened 24h,good to visit when not very hot as it is on the top of a hill. Nice reconstruction and well preserved. Great view and a lot of history to learn

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Beckov Castle

The Beckov castle stands on a steep 50 m tall rock in the village Beckov. The dominance of the rock and impression of invincibility it gaves, challenged our ancestors to make use of these assets. The result is a remarkable harmony between the natural setting and architecture.

The castle first mentioned in 1200 was originally owned by the King and later, at the end of the 13th century it fell in hands of Matúš Èák. Its owners alternated - at the end of the 14th century the family of Stibor of Stiborice bought it.

The next owners, the Bánffys who adapted the Gothic castle to the Renaissance residence, improved its fortifications preventing the Turks from conquering it at the end of the 16th century. When Bánffys died out, the castle was owned by several noble families. It fell in decay after fire in 1729.

The history of the castle is the subject of different legends.