Ruins of the fortress Ustra description and photos - Bulgaria: Kardzhali (Topic)

Ruins of the fortress Ustra description and photos - Bulgaria: Kardzhali. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photos and a map showing the nearest significant objects.

Photo and description

The ruins of the Ustra fortress are located near the village of Ustra in southern Bulgaria in the eastern part of the Rhodope. The Ustra fortress was one of the most inaccessible citadels of the Rhodope Mountains, it is located on a mountain peak, at an altitude of more than a thousand meters above sea level. The citadel was very difficult to access for the invaders, since it was protected by sheer cliffs from the north and northwest, and the defenders of the fortress had an ideal view from above.

From 1971 to 1973 archaeological excavations were carried out here, as a result of which scientists found that the Ustra fortress was erected in the 10th century. For a long time it was a Byzantine property; the main function of the fortress was to protect a very important trade route. Later it was captured by the army of Simeon the Great, to whom Bulgaria owes its Golden Age, however, after the death of the king, these lands were returned to the Byzantine Empire as a tribute for the recognition of the imperial titles of the Bulgarian rulers. In the period of 12-14 centuries, the fortress passed from the Byzantines to the Bulgarians and back, but it was in the possession of Byzantium for an overwhelming amount of time.

The ruins of the Ustra fortress occupy an area of about 1300 square meters, it stretches for 113 meters. For the construction of the fortress walls, rubble stone was used, in some places the height of the wall reaches eight to ten meters. Visitors can see the remains of ancient buildings, ruins of walls. You can see three fortress towers that have survived to this day - two rectangular and one semicircular. Each of the towers was three-story, and inside there are some stairs. In the southeastern and southern parts of the fortress there were several three-story buildings. The entrance to the fortress was in the eastern wall.

The ruins of the fortress are an architectural monument of the Middle Ages. Visiting Ustra fortress is free.

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Topic: Ruins of the fortress Ustra description and photos - Bulgaria: Kardzhali.