Belogradchik Fortress ( Bulgarian. Belogradchishka Fortress ), also known as Kaleto ( Bulgarian. Kaleto , from the Turkish. Kale - “fortress”) is a large fortress on the northern slope of the Balkan Mountains in Bulgaria, northwest of the city of Belogradchik . The main attraction of northwestern Bulgaria, along with the surrounding cliffs of bizarre outlines [1] .
| Fortress | |
| Belogradchik / Kaleto | |
|---|---|
| bulg. Belogradchik / Kaleto | |
 | |
| A country |  Bulgaria |
| City | Belogradchik |
| Status | fortress museum |
| condition | historical Museum |
The thickness of the walls of the fortress is 2 m at the base, height - 12 m. Three separately fortified parts are connected to each other using a gate. The area of the fortress is 10210 m². After restoration, the fortress was declared a national monument and transferred to the jurisdiction of the Museum of Local Lore Belogradchik.
History
The first fortress on the site of the existing one was built during the time of the Roman Empire . The surrounding Belogradchik cliffs served as a natural defense, so the walls needed to be built only from the northwest and southeast.
Originally, Belogradchik served only as an observation point. In the XIV century, Tsar Ivan Sratsimir expanded the fortress by building several towers and walls in front of the rock massifs. Under his rule, the Belogradchik fortress became the most important citadel of Bulgaria, second only to the Baba Vida fortress in the then Bulgarian capital in size and importance.
In 1396, the Turks took the fortress, after which they not only rebuilt it, but also strengthened the garrison to suppress the uprisings. At the beginning of the 19th century, the fortress was again rebuilt by the Turks, this time under the guidance of French and Italian experts, with the addition of elements of Turkish and Western European architecture.
In 1850, the fortress played an important role in the suppression of the anti-Turkish uprising , and was last used in 1885 in the Serbian-Bulgarian war . In the XX century Belogradchik was museized.
Plan
Notes
- ↑ Belogradchik Attractions . Date of treatment December 9, 2014.