Belogradchik

Among the red sandstone pinnacles of the western Balkan foothills, Belogradchik grew beneath a fortress protected by towering natural walls. The rocks provided a formidable setting for a stronghold first used in Roman times. In the 14th century, under Tsar Ivan Sratsimir of Vidin, the fortress was enlarged and the settlement became a military, administrative and craft center.

An Ottoman register of 1455 recorded Christian households below the fortress and a small garrison and mosque within it. The citadel continued to guard the surrounding country under Ottoman rule. In 1805 a substantial reconstruction and expansion began, joining new masonry to the cliffs and adapting the defenses to the artillery of the age. The unusual rock formations remained an integral part of the fortress, rising above the walls built at their feet.