The Tetovo Fortress ( mk, Тетовско кале; sq, Kalaja e Tetovës) is a ruined fortress and archaeological site in
Tetovo
Tetovo ( mk, Тетово, , sq, Tetovë/Tetova) is a city in the northwestern part of North Macedonia, built on the foothills of Šar Mountain and divided by the Pena River. The municipality of Tetovo covers an area of at above sea level, w ...
,
North Macedonia
North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...
. Because of its location on a hill called Baltepe, it is also known as Baltepe Fortress. The fortress was built beginning in 1820 under Abdurrahman Pasha, who also reconstructed the
Šarena Mosque. On the site previously stood a monastery dedicated to
Saint Athanasius
Athanasius I of Alexandria, ; cop, ⲡⲓⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ ⲁⲑⲁⲛⲁⲥⲓⲟⲩ ⲡⲓⲁⲡⲟⲥⲧⲟⲗⲓⲕⲟⲥ or Ⲡⲁⲡⲁ ⲁⲑⲁⲛⲁⲥⲓⲟⲩ ⲁ̅; (c. 296–298 – 2 May 373), also called Athanasius the Great, ...
. The fortress was built with a guest house, a dungeon, a kitchen, a dining hall, and a fountain. Water did not flow from the fountain, reportedly, until Abdurrahman Pasha was summoned to
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...
in 1843 on suspicion of treason. After his departure from Tetovo, the fortress fell into ruin. It is believed that three escape tunnels were built from the fortress: one to the city center, one to the upper part of Tetovo, and one to the village of
Lavce.
In 1922, a new church dedicated to Saint Athanasius was built on the foundations of the medieval one.
A monument commemorating the
National Liberation War
Wars of national liberation or national liberation revolutions are conflicts fought by nations to gain independence. The term is used in conjunction with wars against foreign powers (or at least those perceived as foreign) to establish separat ...
, designed by
Bogdan Bogdanović, was erected beneath the fortress.
Excavation and restoration work occurred at the fortress from 2008 to 2012, alongside reconstruction of the Church of Saint Athanasius. From 2001 until this reconstruction, the church had been stolen from about five times.
Gallery
File:Tetove Castle Entrance.png, Gate of Tetovo Fortress
File:Tetovo Castle Entrance.png, Gate of Tetovo Fortress
References
{{Castles in North Macedonia
Castles in North Macedonia
Tetovo