Lovech Fortress is a medieval stronghold in

Lovech Lovech ( bg, Ловеч, Lovech, ) is a List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, city in north-central Bulgaria. It is the administrative centre of the Lovech Province and of the subordinate Lovech Municipality. The city is located about northeast f ...

, Bulgaria, that gained prominence during the

Second Bulgarian Empire The Second Bulgarian Empire (; ) was a medieval Bulgarians, Bulgarian state that existed between 1185 and 1396. A successor to the First Bulgarian Empire, it reached the peak of its power under Tsars Kaloyan of Bulgaria, Kaloyan and Ivan Asen II ...

. After the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

unsuccessfully besieged Lovech in 1187, it was forced to recognize de facto the restoration of the Bulgarian state. The town remained an important economic and commercial centre until the fall of Bulgaria under Ottoman rule in the early 15th century. It was at Lovech Fortress in 1187 that the

came into being, after the Byzantines failed to capture the fortress and town. Coincidentally, Lovech was also one of the last holdouts of Bulgarian rule after the destruction of the

during the Bulgarian-Ottoman Wars, the Second Bulgarian Empire was dissolved in 1396, but Lovech held out until 1446.

History

Early history

A Roman fortress was constructed on the current site, remnants of it were incorporated into the later medieval castle. The current fortress was mainly built in the 9th and 10th centuries.

Siege of Lovech

In spring 1187, Byzantines besieged the fortress of Lovech. This lasted for three months and was a failure. Their success was the capture of Asen's wife, but alas Isaac was forced to accept a truce, as such forming a facto recognition of the restoration of the Bulgarian Empire.

Later history

At the beginning of the 14th century, the citadel was the residence of Tsar

Ivan Alexander Ivan Alexander ( bg, Иван Александър, transliterated ''Ivan Aleksandǎr'', ; original spelling: ІѠАНЪ АЛЄѮАНдРЪ), also sometimes Anglicized as John Alexander, ruled as Emperor (''Tsar'') of Bulgaria from 1331 to 1371, ...

. The fortress played an important defensive role during the invasion of the Ottoman Turks in the 14th century. Lovech Fortress was one of the last strongholds to fall to the

Ottomans The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922). Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...

, holding out until 1446. Due to its long and spirited resistance,

enjoyed several privileges for many years after it was conquered.

Description

The Lovech Fortress is positioned on the two terraces of Hisarya Hill in the old part of

. It is among the most visited landmarks in Lovech. In 1967, it was declared a monument of architecture and construction; a product of publication in the State Gazette, issue #75

References

{{coord, 43.1278, 24.7157, type:landmark_region:BG, display=title Castles in Bulgaria 1180s in the Byzantine Empire 1440s in the Ottoman Empire