Cherven Fortress

Ivanovo, Bulgaria

Cherven was one of the Second Bulgarian Empire's primary military, administrative, economic and cultural centres between the 12th and the 14th century. The town was a successor to an earlier Byzantine fortress of the 6th century, but the area has been inhabited since the arrival of the Thracians. Cherven was first mentioned in the 11th century in an Old Bulgarian apocryphal chronicle. It gained importance after 1235, when it became the seat of the medieval Bulgarian Orthodox Bishopric of Cherven.

During the second half of the 14th century, the stronghold's area exceeded 1 square kilometre and had intensive urban development, including a fortified inner city on vast rock ground in one of the Cherni Lom river's bends, and an outer city at the foot of the rocks and on the neighbouring hills. The town had a complex fortification system and was completely built up. Cherven grew to become a centre of craftsmanship in the 14th century, with iron extraction, ironworking, goldsmithing, construction and arts being well developed. The town was an important junction of roads from the Danube to the country's interior, which also made the town a key centre of trade.

Cherven was conquered by the Ottoman Turks in 1388 during the Bulgarian-Ottoman Wars, initially retaining its administrative functions but later declining in importance.

A large feudal palace with fortified walls reaching up to 3 metres wide, two well-preserved underground water supply passages, 13 churches, administrative and residential buildings, workshops and streets have been excavated. The three-storey tower, 12 metres high, from the 14th century has also been fully preserved and was even used as a model for the reconstruction of Baldwin's Tower in Tsarevets, Veliko Tarnovo, in 1930. The site has been a national archaeological reserve since 1965 and is a popular tourist attraction.

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Address

Cherven, Ivanovo, Bulgaria
See all sites in Ivanovo

Details

Founded: 11th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in Bulgaria

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Road Raven (5 months ago)
Nice experience. It costs 10 leva to go and takes approximately 10 minutes of going uphill.
Roel Derckx (6 months ago)
The Cherven fortress is really a very impressive site to visit. Unbelievable that this city that once housed thousands of people, is now nothing but ruins. But there still is a lot to see, not just the foundation ruins. And it's quite a big site, we spend almost 3 hours there. Great views as well. Would advise to pick a day with 20-25 degrees, because there is hardly any shade on the hilltop. You can also visit outside of official opening hours, as it is openly accessible, so in the summer months i actually advise visiting after 19:00 as temperatures lower.
V Th (8 months ago)
The views from the top are great- the hike is fine when there’s stairs. Not so reassuring: a huge chunk of a rock broke off and fell into the staircase- made me a bit anxious. The fortress is extensive and just fun to walk around in. Nothing is too well taken care of and people carve their initials into the rocks, as there is no guide at the top. The qr codes next to the signs don’t do anything but give you the signs to read. Don’t scan the QR code at the bottom/at the car park- it’s an app that let‘s you scan bar codes that costs 0,01€ for the first day and then it’s 60€ a month- just use your regular phone camera. Entrance fee is about 3,50€ I think to remember- the little shop has no great sales, the bathroom costs but is in acceptable condition. Didn’t try the restaurant at the car park- very much liked the little dog.
Garth Austin (8 months ago)
What an incredible experience. A must if you in the area. We were here unbelievably alone for the first hour and then only another couple. Great destination without the hordes of tourists.
Geert Joosen (2 years ago)
Fantastic archeological site with beautiful views on the surroundings
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