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Ramblings of a Polymath (more like a ferret) & His S
This was not a good day for Ches. When we arrived at the rock formations she realised that she wouldn't be able to climb them and that her thighs had deteriorated to the point where she is looking at rehab starting where she was at two years ago. It was really upsetting for her that she has been set back and that she wouldn't be able to climb to the top. It took a lot of the enjoyment out of the day.
The drive out to the snow capped mountains was as enjoyable as yesterdays. The land is being farmed and the country is scenic. As we approached the town, we wound our way through around 6 km of forest which was shattered. Broken branches and trunks that looked like they had exploded; and they had. In February they had two days of continuous rain and then the temperature dropped to -10 and the trees exploded.
For my part, having climbed the Hidden Staircase at Fort Bueux, I could now climb almost anything .... almost! The actual climb was steep but not frightening but what was, was that the top only has a few stretches of fence for you to approach for photographs but most of the top is open. We'd never get away with it in Australia. One of the girls wanted me to photograph her and she turned her back and backed up to the edge. I lost it. She scared the ... out of me.
I'll let the photographs tell the story.
Back in Vidin, we stopped to see the old Synagogue and castle. The Synagogue was used as a storage building by the communist and allowed to deteriorate. It looks like it would have been a stunning building. The castle has a moat and I can only assume that at one time it would have been open to the river at some time but now there is a high bank and its the peoples "beach"
The Belogradchik Fortress (Bulgarian: Белог 88;адчиш& #1082;а крепо 89;т, Belogradchishka krepost), also known as Kaleto (Калет 086;, "the fortress" from Turkish kale), is an ancient fortress located on the north slopes of the Balkan Mountains, close to the northwestern Bulgarian
town of Belogradchik and is the town's primary cultural and historical tourist attraction, drawing, together with the Belogradchik Rocks, the main flow of tourists into the region.[1] It is one of the best-preserved strongholds in Bulgaria and a cultural monument of national importance.The fortress's walls are over 2 metres (6.6 ft) thick in the foundation and reaching up to 12 m (39 ft) in height. Three separate fortified yards exist that are connected with each other through gates. The fortress has a total area of 10,210 square metres (109,900 sq ft).
The Belogradchik Fortress was reconstructed to later become a proclaimed cultural monument. It is managed by the local historical museum authority.The initial fortress was constructed during the time when the region was part of the Roman Empire. The rock formations in the area served as a natural protection, as fortified walls were practically only built from the northwest and southeast, with the yard being surrounded by rocks up to
70 m (230 ft) high from the other sides.Initially, the Belogradchik Fortress served for surveillance and not strictly defense. Bulgarian tsar of Vidin Ivan Stratsimir extended the old fortress in the 14th century, building fortified garrisons before the existing rock massifs. During Stratsimir's rule, the Belogradchik Fortress became one of the most important
strongholds in the region, second only to the tsar's capital fortress of Vidin, Baba Vida.During the Ottoman conquest of Bulgaria, the fortress was captured by the Ottomans in 1396. They were forced to further expand the stronghold due to the intensified hajdukand insurrectionist activity in the region.Considerable changes to the fortress were made in the early 19th
century. These changes were typical for the Ottoman castle architecture of the period, a full reorganization being carried out, as well as additional expansion.Typically European elements
were added to the Belogradchik Fortress owing to the French and Italian engineers that participated in the expansion.
The stronghold had an important role in the Ottoman suppression of the Bulgarian Belogradchik Uprising of 1850. It was last used in warfare during the Serbo-Bulgarian War in 1885.
The drive out to the snow capped mountains was as enjoyable as yesterdays. The land is being farmed and the country is scenic. As we approached the town, we wound our way through around 6 km of forest which was shattered. Broken branches and trunks that looked like they had exploded; and they had. In February they had two days of continuous rain and then the temperature dropped to -10 and the trees exploded.
For my part, having climbed the Hidden Staircase at Fort Bueux, I could now climb almost anything .... almost! The actual climb was steep but not frightening but what was, was that the top only has a few stretches of fence for you to approach for photographs but most of the top is open. We'd never get away with it in Australia. One of the girls wanted me to photograph her and she turned her back and backed up to the edge. I lost it. She scared the ... out of me.
I'll let the photographs tell the story.
Back in Vidin, we stopped to see the old Synagogue and castle. The Synagogue was used as a storage building by the communist and allowed to deteriorate. It looks like it would have been a stunning building. The castle has a moat and I can only assume that at one time it would have been open to the river at some time but now there is a high bank and its the peoples "beach"
The Belogradchik Fortress (Bulgarian: Белог 88;адчиш& #1082;а крепо 89;т, Belogradchishka krepost), also known as Kaleto (Калет 086;, "the fortress" from Turkish kale), is an ancient fortress located on the north slopes of the Balkan Mountains, close to the northwestern Bulgarian
town of Belogradchik and is the town's primary cultural and historical tourist attraction, drawing, together with the Belogradchik Rocks, the main flow of tourists into the region.[1] It is one of the best-preserved strongholds in Bulgaria and a cultural monument of national importance.The fortress's walls are over 2 metres (6.6 ft) thick in the foundation and reaching up to 12 m (39 ft) in height. Three separate fortified yards exist that are connected with each other through gates. The fortress has a total area of 10,210 square metres (109,900 sq ft).
The Belogradchik Fortress was reconstructed to later become a proclaimed cultural monument. It is managed by the local historical museum authority.The initial fortress was constructed during the time when the region was part of the Roman Empire. The rock formations in the area served as a natural protection, as fortified walls were practically only built from the northwest and southeast, with the yard being surrounded by rocks up to
70 m (230 ft) high from the other sides.Initially, the Belogradchik Fortress served for surveillance and not strictly defense. Bulgarian tsar of Vidin Ivan Stratsimir extended the old fortress in the 14th century, building fortified garrisons before the existing rock massifs. During Stratsimir's rule, the Belogradchik Fortress became one of the most important
strongholds in the region, second only to the tsar's capital fortress of Vidin, Baba Vida.During the Ottoman conquest of Bulgaria, the fortress was captured by the Ottomans in 1396. They were forced to further expand the stronghold due to the intensified hajdukand insurrectionist activity in the region.Considerable changes to the fortress were made in the early 19th
century. These changes were typical for the Ottoman castle architecture of the period, a full reorganization being carried out, as well as additional expansion.Typically European elements
were added to the Belogradchik Fortress owing to the French and Italian engineers that participated in the expansion.
The stronghold had an important role in the Ottoman suppression of the Bulgarian Belogradchik Uprising of 1850. It was last used in warfare during the Serbo-Bulgarian War in 1885.
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