Assen`s Fortress

You could reach that beautiful place by driving south from Plovdiv into the Rhodope mountains to the town of Assenovgrad. When just going out of Assenovgrad take the road to your right. This is the road which would brings you along with the thousands of tourists each winter eventually to the Pamporovo Ski Resort up in the mountains.

Your first wish to stop at the Assen`s Fortress is due to the fact that you simply can pass it by without its capturing all of your attention. (After being here, you could visit the Bachkovo Monastery, another sacred place for all the Bulgarians). The fortress as well as the neighbouring town itself (Assenovgrad - meaning Assen`s Town) are both bearing te name of one of the greatest rulers Bulgaria ever had - Tsar Ivan Asen II.

It was under the reign of the Bulgarian Tsar Ivan Asen II (1218-1241, son of Tsar Assen I and a nephew to Tsar Kaloyan), that the Second Bulgarian Kingdom reached its peak. Bulgaria expanded to three Seas and extended over Thrace, Macedonia and part of Albania.

Ivan Assen II signed a peace treaty with the Kingdom of the Magyars (i.e. Hungary) and married the Magyar princess. In 1230, he was victorious in the battle against the Byzantines led by Theodorus Komnin near the village of Klokotnitza, destroying the enemys army. The captured soldiers were set free, and this generous act made a favourable impression to everyone.

Tsar Ivan Assen II ruled with a significant statesmanship and diplomacy, successfully marrying all of his sisters, daughters and female cousins to the strong rulers of all the neighbouring lands, thus guaranteeing peace to his country. By means of his strategic and diplomatic attitude, he ensured political, economic, military and cultural prosperity to Bulgaria. Ivan Assens sincere religious faith endeared him even to his foes. He restored the autonomy of the Bulgarian Church and established a centralised administration.

Now, with some understanding of the history, join our photo exploration of the Assens Fortress (known in Bulgarian as Assenova Krepost). What remains intact from that fortress is the church, called Holy Virgin of Petrich. It was partially restored in the 20th century, primarily to prevent further deterioration.

It is one of the most valuable representations of sacral architecture in Bulgaria. Inside you will see preserved small bits of wall-paintings dated from the 14th and 19th centuries. The thumbnail images below are linked to larger images, which will lead you through a photo-tour of this part of the Bulgarian history.