Country

Castles in Bulgaria

26 landmarks in the Castle Map atlas — every one mapped with a photo and its story, 21 with sourced founding dates, ranked by Wikipedia coverage and real readership.

The most famous castle in Bulgaria is Tsarevets, ranked #589 of 9,079 in the world — followed by Baba Vida and Belogradchik Fortress.

The Castle Map atlas charts 2 castles, 9 fortresses, 4 palaces & châteaux and 11 ruins in Bulgaria. They span more than 16 centuries — from Storgosia (founded c. 300) to Balchik Palace (1937). Every one is plotted with its photo and story on the interactive castle map of Bulgaria.

Map of castles in Bulgaria

On the map they cluster thickest around Sofia — 6 within a 100 km day trip. The northernmost is Medzhidi Tabiya, the southernmost Ustra Fortress — about 336 km apart.

Planning a visit? Day-trip guides: Castles near Sofia.

See them on the map →

When they were built

Of the 26 landmarks mapped in Bulgaria, 21 carry a sourced founding date. Most were founded in the 12th century — 4 of them. 16 predate 1500 and 5 were built after 1700.

All 26 castles in Bulgaria

Tsarevets
Fortress · 12th century · #1 in Bulgaria
Tsarevets is a medieval stronghold located on a hill with the same name in Veliko Tarnovo in northern Bulgaria.
Baba Vida
Castle · 10th century · #2 in Bulgaria
Baba Vida is a medieval castle in Vidin in northwestern Bulgaria and the town's primary landmark.
Belogradchik Fortress
Fortress · 14th century · #3 in Bulgaria
The Belogradchik Fortress, also known as Kaleto, is an ancient fortress located on the north slopes of the Balkan Mountains, close to the…
Euxinograd
Palace & château · 19th century · #4 in Bulgaria
Euxinograd is a late 19th-century Bulgarian former royal summer palace and park on the Black Sea coast, 8 kilometres north of downtown Varna.
Vrana Palace
Palace & château · 20th century · #5 in Bulgaria
Vrana Palace is a royal palace, on the outskirts of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria.
Balchik Palace
Palace & château · 20th century · #6 in Bulgaria
The Balchik Palace is a small palace and former royal residence located in Balchik, a popular town and seaside resort in Dobrich Province, in…
Asen's Fortress
Ruin · 11th century · #7 in Bulgaria
Asen's Fortress, identified by some researchers as Petrich, is a medieval fortress in the Bulgarian Rhodope Mountains, 2 to 3 kilometres south of the…
Shumen Fortress
Ruin · 12th century · #8 in Bulgaria
The Shumen Fortress is an archaeological site overlooking the city of Shumen in north-eastern Bulgaria.
Royal Palace (Sofia)
Palace & château · 19th century · #9 in Bulgaria
The Royal Palace, in fact called Prince's Palace and later Tsar's Palace, is an architectural landmark of national historical and cultural…
Nebet Tepe
Ruin · #10 in Bulgaria
Nebet Tepe is one of the hills of Plovdiv where the ancient town was founded. The earliest settlements on Nebet Tepe are dated back to 4000 BC.
Trapezitsa
Fortress · 12th century · #11 in Bulgaria
Trapezitsa is a medieval stronghold located on a hill with the same name in Veliko Tarnovo in northern Bulgaria.
Tsepina
Ruin · #12 in Bulgaria
Tsepina or Tzepaina was a castle and town in the western Rhodope mountains, southern Bulgaria, now in ruins.
Medzhidi Tabiya
Fortress · 19th century · #13 in Bulgaria
The Medjidi Tabia Fortress is a fortress from the 1840s and early 1850s. The fortress was built in the period 1841-1853 according to the plans of the…
Bozhenishki Urvich
Ruin · #14 in Bulgaria
Bozhenishki Urvich is a ruined fortress on the northern slopes of Lakavishki ridge in the western Balkan Mountains/ Stara Planina, 3 km south of…
Markeli
Ruin · 5th century · #15 in Bulgaria
Markeli was a medieval Byzantine and Bulgarian frontier stronghold, the ruins of which are located in Karnobat Municipality, Burgas Province,…
Cherven
Fortress · 11th century · #16 in Bulgaria
The stronghold of Cherven was one of the Second Bulgarian Empire's primary military, administrative, economic and cultural centres between the 12th…
Palace of Omurtag
Ruin · 9th century · #17 in Bulgaria
The Palace of Omurtag or Aul of Omurtag is an archaeological site in northeastern Bulgaria dating to Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages located…
Hisarlaka Fortress
Fortress · 4th century · #18 in Bulgaria
Hisarlaka Fortress is an ancient and medieval fortress occupying a hill at 2 kilometres to the south-east of Kyustendil, in what is now Bulgaria.
Mezek Fortress
Fortress · 11th century · #19 in Bulgaria
Mezek Fortress is a medieval stronghold constructed in the 11th and 12th centuries west of the modern village of Mezek, southeastern Bulgaria.
Anevo Fortress
Ruin · 12th century · #20 in Bulgaria
The Anevo Fortress or Kopsis is a medieval castle in central Bulgaria, the ruins of which are located some 3 kilometres from the village of Anevo in…
Lyutitsa
Castle · 5th century · #21 in Bulgaria
Lyutitsa is one of the largest and best preserved castles in the easternmost part of the Eastern Rhodopes, located 3.5 hours' walk south-west of…
Storgosia
Ruin · 3rd century · #22 in Bulgaria
Storgosia was a Roman road station and later a fortress, located in the modern Kaylaka Park in the vicinity of modern Pleven.
Castra Martis
Ruin · #23 in Bulgaria
Castra Martis was a Roman fortified garrison in Dacia which became a town and bishopric and remains a Latin Catholic titular see.
Ustra Fortress
Fortress · 10th century · #24 in Bulgaria
Ustra is a medieval fortress in the eastern Rhodope Mountains in southern Bulgaria.
Kokalyanski Urvich
Ruin · 13th century · #25 in Bulgaria
Urvich is a medieval fortress in the territory of today's quarter Pancharevo, heir to the village of Glavishevo.
Devingrad
Fortress · #26 in Bulgaria
Momina krepost also called Devingrad is a medieval stronghold located on a hill with the same name in Veliko Tarnovo in northern Bulgaria.

Frequently asked questions

How many castles are in Bulgaria?

The Castle Map atlas maps 26 landmarks (2 castles · 9 fortresses · 4 palaces & châteaux · 11 ruins) in Bulgaria — a curated selection of well-documented landmarks from Wikidata, not a count of every fortification ever built.

What is the most famous castle in Bulgaria?

Tsarevets, ranked #589 of 9,079 worldwide in the atlas's fame ranking, founded in the 12th century.

What is the oldest castle in Bulgaria?

The oldest dated landmark in the atlas in Bulgaria is Storgosia, founded c. 300. Earlier structures may have existed — this is the oldest with a documented founding year.

Where are most of the castles in Bulgaria?

They cluster thickest around Sofia — 6 of the atlas's landmarks within 100 km.