Tsarevets is a medieval stronghold located on a hill with the same name in Veliko Tarnovo in northern Bulgaria. It served as the Second Bulgarian Empire's primary fortress and strongest bulwark between 1185 and 1393, housing the royal and the patriarchal palaces, and it is also a popular tourist attraction.
The hill has evidence of human presence from the 2nd millennium BC and was settled in the 4th century. After the Bulgarian Rebellion, it became the empire's key fortress, comparable to Rome and Constantinople. In 1393, it fell to Ottoman forces, marking the Bulgarian Empire's demise.
The fortress has three entrances, with a central complex featuring a throne hall, castle church, and king's chamber. Restoration started in 1930 and was completed in 1981. The stronghold, surrounded by thick walls and three gates, housed kings Petar, Asen, Kaloyan, and Ivan Asen II. The palace complex included a fortified wall, towers, and entrances. The patriarchate, at the hill's top, has the Cathedral of the Ascension of the Lord.
Baldwin's Tower, a modern reconstruction in the southeastern part, commemorates Latin Emperor Baldwin I's death. During the Middle Ages, the hill had residential buildings, workshops, churches, and monasteries. Archaeologists found 400 buildings, 22 churches, and 4 monasteries. Execution Rock, where traitors were pushed into the Yantra River, is also located here; Patriarch Joachim was executed in 1300.
References:House of the Blackheads (Melngalvju nams) is a building situated in the old town of Riga. The original building was erected during the first third of the 14th century for the Brotherhood of Blackheads, a guild for unmarried German merchants in Riga. Major works were done in the years 1580 and 1886, adding most of the ornaments.
The structure was bombed to a ruin by the Germans June 28, 1941 and the remains demolished by the Soviets in 1948. The current reconstruction was erected from 1995 to 1999. Today the House of Blackheads serves as a museum and sometimes concert hall.