During centuries, fortification walls and towers were built to protect ancient Nessebar. The first inhabitants on the peninsula were the Thracians who started to build these walls in the 8th century BC. From this period, a fortified wall and gate were found and can be seen today. After the decay of the Roman Empire, Byzantine rulers started an active construction work in the middle of the 5th century AD. The built walls were in style opus mixtum- an alternation of bricks and stone. Best preserved walls can be seen today near the city gate. The early Byzantine construction system was used in the middle ages as well.
Due to enemy war attacks, part of the walls were destroyed, but then quickly rebuilt. After the Ottoman rule in 1453, the fortification walls lost their significance and strategic importance and were left in ruins.
References:Sigmaringen Castle was first mentioned in the year 1077 in the chronicles of Petershausen monastery. The oldest parts of the castle are concealed beneath the alterations made during the 17th and the 19th centuries. The secret of the earliest settlement built on this defendable rock will never be fully revealed: large-scale excavation work would be necessary, which the extensive land development renders impossible. Judging from the many Roman remains unearthed in the area around Sigmaringen, the 12th century keep known as the 'Roman Tower' could be traced back to a Roman predecessor.
The castle remains that have been preserved (gate, great hall and keep) date back to the Staufer period around 1200. The castle remains were integrated into subsequent buildings. The foundations of the castle buildings are to a large extent identical to the surrounding castle wall.
These remains give us a good idea of how the castle might have looked during the 12th century.