{"id":6689,"date":"2022-02-12T13:52:51","date_gmt":"2022-02-12T13:52:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/visitmybulgaria.com\/?p=6689"},"modified":"2025-10-23T09:42:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T09:42:11","slug":"10-beautiful-castles-bulgaria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/visitmybulgaria.com\/10-beautiful-castles-bulgaria\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Most Beautiful Castles in Bulgaria"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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10 Most Beautiful Castles in Bulgaria<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Due to the vital location of Bulgaria on the Asia-European crossroad, its history has inevitably been a string of battles and wars. Romans conquered Thracians, Bulgarians fought Byzantines, and Ottomans fended off western crusaders. These historical turbulences led to the construction of majestic fortresses and castles in Bulgaria<\/b>.\u00a0<\/p>

Many of these fortresses served as protective city barriers<\/b> and to this day, you can see the remains of the ancient town’s churches, workshops, and dwellings. Others were residencies to the country’s royalty<\/b> and were constructed with extravagant architecture and ornate features.<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0To this day, these sites carry the history and spirit of the battles and events that took place thousands of years ago. Plenty of these locations are open to visitors year-round and make for an excellent day trip from Sofia<\/a>, Plovdiv, or Varna.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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1. Belogradchik Fortress and Belogradchik rocks <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The best-preserved ancient castle in Bulgaria is located on the north-western slopes of Stara Planina<\/em> (Balkan Mountains). Close to the town of Belogradchik you will find the Belogradchik Fortress. <\/strong>The strategic location of this castle takes advantage of the incredible rock formations in the area. Namely, the <\/span>Belogradchik Rocks<\/b><\/span>, which are a significant natural site on their own.<\/span><\/p>\n

This fortress was constructed during the time of the Roman Empire somewhere between the 1st and 3rd centuries when the empire was expanding its territory to the Balkan peninsula. After the fall of the Romans, the land was occupied by the Byzantine Empire before becoming part of the newly-established Bulgaria in the late 7th century. Bulgarian tsar Ivan Stratsimir expanded the existing construction in the 14th century, which established the Belogradchik Fortress as one of the most significant castles in the country at the time. <\/p>\n

When can you visit the Belogradchik Fortress? The site is open for visitors every day of the year. Hours vary based on the season, but it opens every day at 9 AM and the earliest closure is 5 PM<\/b>. The fare includes both the fortress and Belogradchik Rocks. Be sure to bring comfortable shoes as there are lots of steep stairs and climbs. <\/span><\/p>\n

As of 2022, the price for an adult ticket is 6 BGN and 4 BGN for children. <\/b>This location is quite popular and gets fairly crowded on weekends during the summer. We recommend visiting on a weekday during spring or autumn for the best weather and open views. <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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