Belogradchik Fortress is located
on the north slopes of the Balkan Mountains, nearby to the northwestern
Bulgarian town of Belogradchik.
Belogradchik Fortress is also famous as Kaleto Fortress. The fort is
nestled on the base of a remarkable rock formation belonging to the
“Belogradchik massif” which comprises of oddly shaped sandstone and
conglomerate rock formation that are believed to resemble shapes of objects and
people. Therefore, some of the rocks reach up to about 200 meters in height;
however the ones serving as the backdrop to the fort are 70 meters tall.
Although this fort existed here
since the Roman times. Because in the 1st to the 3rd century AD, the Romans
were used to constructed roads across the new provinces of the empire on the
Balkan Peninsula, as well as some fortresses to guard them. So, the mission of
Belogradchik Fortress was to control the road. At that time they built the
highest part of the fortress, famous as the Citadel, using the rocks as natural
protection. Moreover fortified walls were built only on the northwest and
southeast sides, with the rest of the sides around the yard being surrounded by
rocks.
Furthermore, as the time passes
with several centuries, Belogradchik Fortress has been used by a succession of not
the same forces including the Byzantines. However, in the 14th century, the
Bulgarian tsar of Vidin Ivan Stratsimir stretched the old fortress, building
fortified garrisons before the existing rock massifs. Thus, fort became one of
the most significant strongholds in the region. So, by the end of 14th
century, Belogradchik Fortress was take control by the Ottomans, who extended
it further and used it to overpower local uprisings.
Besides, Belogradchik Fortress
continued to be used for military and defensive devotions, so until the 19th
century. In the mid of 18th century, Belogradchik Fortress played a
vital role in the Ottoman suppression of the Belogradchik uprising, being the
place where decapitation of captured activists was performed. Therefore, the
fort was last used in warfare during the Serbo-Bulgarian War in 1885, so after
that the Belogradchik Fortress is now one of the best-preserved strongholds in
Bulgaria, and together with the Belogradchik Rocks, it is the town's main
cultural and historical sightseer attraction.
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