Matochina Fortress ( bg, Маточинска крепост), also known as Bukelon ( bg, Букелон) –

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

Byzantine 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 ...

and Bulgarian medieval fortress. Bukelon Fortress Matochina Bulgaria

Location

The ruins of Matochina Fortress are is located on a plateau on a hill raised high from the lowlands of the

Tundzha River The Tundzha ( bg, Тунджа , tr, Tunca , el, Τόνζος ) is a river in Bulgaria and Turkey (known in antiquity as the Tonsus) and the most significant tributary of the Maritsa, emptying into it on Turkish territory near Edirne. The rive ...

, near the village of

Matochina Matochina ( bg, Маточина, "lemon balm") is a small village in southeastern Bulgaria, part of Svilengrad municipality, Haskovo Province. Matochina lies in the southernmost ridges of the Sakar Mountain, from the municipal centre Svilengrad a ...

Svilengrad Svilengrad ( bg, Свиленград; el, Σβίλενγκραντ; ota, Cisr-i Mustafapaşa) is a town in Haskovo Province, south-central Bulgaria, situated at the border of Bulgaria, Turkey and Greece. It is the administrative centre of the h ...

Municipality,

Haskovo Haskovo ( bg, Хасково ) is a city in the region of Northern Thrace in southern Bulgaria and the administrative centre of the Haskovo Province, not far from the borders with Greece and Turkey. According to Operative Program Regional Develo ...

District, Southeastern

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

, near the Turkish border.

Ruins

What now remains of the castle dates from the XI-XIV century is preserved citadel that towers of 18 meters high. It is built of crushed stone jointed with plaster and facade is decorated with baked bricks. The architectural design of the tower consists of three parts: the eastern semi-cylindrical in shape, rectangular body in which they were at the accommodation and the west corridor, which was over a castle wall. Of the remaining buildings and fortifications has not retained much. There are signs of a small chapel and water containers. At its entrance is clear monogram in the form of a cross with the letters M, N, L and K. In general, the castle is about 65 meters wide and 150 meters long.

History

According to historians here have led to battles of Adrianople by the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

and the

Goths The Goths ( got, 𐌲𐌿𐍄𐌸𐌹𐌿𐌳𐌰, translit=''Gutþiuda''; la, Gothi, grc-gre, Γότθοι, Gótthoi) were a Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Europe ...

378. Later the fort was abandoned to return to the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

in all its glory and power. In the vicinity of the castle Bukelon takes place with the

Battle of Adrianople (1205) The Battle of Adrianople occurred around Adrianople on April 14, 1205 between Bulgarians, Vlachs and Cumans under Tsar Kaloyan of Bulgaria, and Crusaders under Baldwin I, who only months before had been crowned Emperor of Constantinople, ...

, when the troops of tsar

Kaloyan Kaloyan or Kalojan, also known as Ioannitsa or Johannitsa ( bg, Калоян, Йоаница; 1170 – October 1207), was emperor or tsar of Second Bulgarian Empire, Bulgaria from 1196 to 1207. He was the younger brother of Peter II of Bulgari ...

defeated the knights of the

Fourth Crusade The Fourth Crusade (1202–1204) was a Latin Christian armed expedition called by Pope Innocent III. The stated intent of the expedition was to recapture the Muslim-controlled city of Jerusalem, by first defeating the powerful Egyptian Ayyubid S ...

, led by

Baldwin of Flanders Baldwin I ( nl, Boudewijn; french: Baudouin; July 1172 – ) was the first Emperor of the Latin Empire of Constantinople; Count of Flanders (as Baldwin IX) from 1194 to 1205 and Count of Hainaut (as Baldwin VI) from 1195-1205. Baldwin was on ...

. After the fall of 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 ...

(1396) under

Ottoman rule Ottoman is the Turkish spelling of the Arabic masculine given name Uthman ( ar, عُثْمان, ‘uthmān). It may refer to: Governments and dynasties * Ottoman Caliphate, an Islamic caliphate from 1517 to 1924 * Ottoman Empire, in existence fro ...

, the fortress fell into disrepair and was abandoned. At the end of the last century Bukelon has been partially restored. It was declared a cultural monument and is part of the 100 National Tourist Sites of Bulgaria.

Restoration

The first comprehensive architectural and archaeological study was conducted in 1961 by arch. Stefan Boyadzhiev. The ruins near the village of Matochina were declared an "object of national importance" in 1968. In 1970, limited measures were taken to preserve the medieval tower. Research and excavations of the fortress were carried out in 2008 and 2017.

Sources

* Zaikov, Konstantin "Treasures of the Tundzha Valley, between Strandzha and Sakar" * Boyadzhiev, Stefan. "The fortress near the village of Matochina" – in the magazine "Archeology" VII, Sofia 1965, no. 1, 1 – 8. * Boyadzhiev, Stefan "The medieval fortress near the village of Matochina, Svilengrad region": in coll. "The Battle of Edirne in 1205", comp. Gyuzelev, V., ed. University Publishing House "St. Kliment Ohridski ”, Sofia 2005 * Yordanov, Angel "Vukelon", magazine "Buditel", issue. 1, 2006, Sofia {{coord, 41.8536, 26.5470, type:landmark_region:BG, display=title Castles in Bulgaria Tourist attractions in Haskovo Province Buildings and structures in Haskovo Province