The Belogradchik Fortress, built into the giant rocks sticking out of the ground, dates from the 1st – 3rd century. The Romans built the oldest sections of the fortress directly in to the rocks to be used for surveillance and as part of their defensive blockade in the northern Balkan Mountains. It was expanded during the Second Bulgarian Kingdom, then captured by the Ottomans in 1396. The Ottomans also added to the fortress, which was used in suppressing Bulgarian uprisings. Belogradchik is about an hour by car from Chiprovtsi.
The Magura Caves are also located in Northwest Bulgaria, about 30 minutes from Belogradchik. The halls in the cave were huge, with impressive stalagmite and stalactite formations like those I saw in the Ledenika Caves near Vratsa. Magura also has 2800 year old paintings made from bat guano. Pottery and other evidence of human use from the early Bronze Age have been found in the cave. It remained in use by Thracians during the Bronze Age and Roman rule.
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