Photos of Asen's Fortress
About Asen's Fortress
Asen's Fortress sits uniquely along the spine of an isolated rock just south of Asenovgrad. The rock falls away sheer drops on three sides, which is why people have been fortifying it since Thracian times. Tsar Ivan Asen II rebuilt the place in 1231 and gave it the name it still carries. Most of the fortress sits in ruins now The building that survives sits at the lower point, right on the lip of the drop off. It stands two storeys high with a tall rectangular tower over the entrance end that is the oldest of its kind still standing anywhere in the Balkans. It's built in banded brick and stone, with rows of blind arches set into the walls that look like bricked up windows. For a wide shot, you can climb the stairs up to the ruined walls above and shoot back down at the building with the valley sprawling out behind it. You can also pause below fortress and you are making your way up and capture the whole rock, church and all. If you are lucky enough to have a misty morning, the fortress looking down on you takes on a haunted feel. Inside there are fragments of fourteenth century wall painting on the upper floors that are worth checking out while you are here. It's about two kilometres up from Asenovgrad and plenty of people walk it, although you can also choose drive right to the site. There's a fee to access the grounds. (Asenovgrad, Plovdiv, Bulgaria)
