Pernik Fortress

Pernik Fortress - Пернишка крепост, Pernik, Pernik Province, Republic of Bulgaria.

The medieval Pernik fortress is located on a small rocky plateau in the southwestern part of Pernik. The preserved remains outline a polygonal fortress, which is believed to have been built during the time of Khan Omurtag. Archaeologists have discovered remains that show that a fortress existed at this location as early as the 6th – 5th centuries BC. The fortress wall is 2 meters thick. Its outlines follow the natural curves of the plateau.
This Thracian fortress is one of the most significant in the Bulgarian lands, attested by archaeological means. At the beginning of the 11th century, the ruler of the fortress and the settlement of Pernik was the boyar from the Proto-Bulgarian family Krakra. Legends and songs about the invincible voivode Krakra are told and sung to this day. The Pernik fortress gained international fame when the theater of military operations between Bulgaria and Byzantium moved to the western Bulgarian lands. The Byzantine chronicler Skilitsa described the struggle of the Bulgarians, led by the governor of the Pernik fortress - Krakra, against the Byzantine emperor Basil II. The fortress withstood fierce sieges in 1004 and 1016.
The fortress offers a view of the area "Kurvavoto". According to legend, in 1016, Krakra withstood an 88-day siege, during which many Byzantines died. This is where the name of the area comes from. According to one of the lives of the protector of the city - Saint Ivan Rilski, the hermit's cave was located in this area.