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Castles in Bulgaria

23 landmarks in the Castlemap atlas — every one mapped with a photo and its story, 15 with sourced founding dates, ranked by Wikipedia coverage and real readership.

The most famous castle in Bulgaria is Tsarevets, ranked #593 of 7,738 in the world — followed by Baba Vida and Belogradchik Fortress.

The Castlemap atlas charts 3 castles, 11 fortresses, 3 palaces & châteaux and 6 ruins in Bulgaria. They span more than 59 centuries — from Trapezitsa (founded 4000 BC) 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

The northernmost is Medzhidi Tabiya, the southernmost Ustra Fortress — about 336 km apart.

See them on the map →

When they were built

Of the 23 landmarks mapped in Bulgaria, 15 carry a sourced founding date. Most were founded in the 12th century — 3 of them. 10 predate 1500 and 5 were built after 1700.

All 23 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 · #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…
Serdica
Fortress · #8 in Bulgaria
Serdica or Sardica is the historical Roman city that was located in today's Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria.
Shumen Fortress
Ruin · 12th century · #9 in Bulgaria
The Shumen Fortress is an archaeological site overlooking the city of Shumen in north-eastern Bulgaria.
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 · 40th century BC · #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 · #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…
Hisarlaka Fortress
Fortress · 4th century · #17 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 · #18 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
Fortress · 12th century · #19 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 · 18th century · #20 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
Castle · #21 in Bulgaria
Storgosia was a Roman road station and later a fortress, located in the modern Kaylaka Park in the vicinity of modern Pleven.
Ustra Fortress
Fortress · 10th century · #22 in Bulgaria
Ustra is a medieval fortress in the eastern Rhodope Mountains in southern Bulgaria.
Devingrad
Fortress · #23 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 Castlemap atlas maps 23 landmarks (3 castles · 11 fortresses · 3 palaces & châteaux · 6 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 #593 of 7,738 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 Trapezitsa, founded 4000 BC. Earlier structures may have existed — this is the oldest with a documented founding year.