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The Ustra Fortress
The battlefield successes of Tsar Simeon the First meant that Bulgaria's territory kept expanding throughout the tenth century. The country developed rapidly, and new trade routes appeared that needed protection. One of the defensive structures built for this purpose was the Ustra fortress, located in the Kardzhali region.
Erected at the very top of an unassailable cliff (1,114 m above sea level), the fortress offered a wide field of view and made it possible to control large areas.
Interestingly, for most of its history this fortress, built in the 10th century, belonged to the Byzantines. It passed into Bulgarian hands only for a short time, and later Tsar Simeon the First ceded it to the Byzantines.
The stone fortress wall is 113 metres long, and the total area is almost 1,300 square metres. To the north and north-west the fortress is protected by
sheer cliffs, and on the other sides by sheer walls that in places reach eight metres in height.
Three-storey buildings stand in the southern and south-eastern parts. The entrance to the fortress grounds was on the east, but today, now that relentless time has destroyed the once impregnable walls, one can also get inside through the breaches. Three fortress towers have survived to our day — one semicircular and two rectangular.
How to get there?
The fortress is located near the village of Ustren, which in turn lies 10 km from the town of Dzhebel (Kardzhali region). There is a parking area in front of the village. From there a steep footpath leads to the ruins of the fortress — roughly half a kilometre. The path is not very comfortable, so tourists are strongly advised to choose comfortable clothing and, above all, footwear. If you wish, the route can also be covered by off-road vehicle, but it is precisely walking through these parts, famous for their beauty, that allows you to fully appreciate both the grandeur of this most impregnable fortress and the magnificent scenery around it.
Entry to the fortress grounds is free. Archaeologists studied this area in the seventies of the last century, but today the fortress attracts not so much scholars as lovers of antiquity, beautiful views and “undiscovered” landmarks that most visitors to Bulgaria are not even aware of.
Veliki Preslav — Bulgaria’s second capital
The Historical Museum in Kardzhali
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