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Tsarevets Fortress
Tsarevets Fortress is a medieval stronghold perched on a rocky hill surrounded by the meandering Yantra River in Veliko Tarnovo, the historical capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire (1185–1393). Home to Bulgarian emperors and patriarchs for over two centuries, the fortress was the site of brutal sieges, executions, and noble betrayals. Most famous for Execution Rock—a sheer cliff from which traitors were hurled into the river below—and Baldwin's Tower, where Latin Emperor Baldwin I was imprisoned and executed in 1205, Tsarevets is revered as a national sanctuary filled with lingering historical spirits.