Zemlungrad

Above the Struma River, the fortress of Zemlungrad guarded the narrow Zemen Gorge in the mountains of western Bulgaria. Its walls and towers formed part of a chain of defenses that made use of the gorge's steep, rocky heights. The stronghold was occupied in several periods, with substantial remains dating from the early Byzantine era and the Second Bulgarian Empire. Its irregular circuit enclosed a citadel with an eight-sided tower. Nearby stood the church of the Zemen Monastery, a surviving monument of the region's medieval religious life.