History and legend

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History

The earliest traces of life on Tsarevets Hill date back to the Late Chalcolithic (4200 BC).

The hill was also inhabited during the Bronze Age and the Iron Age. Remains of dwellings and ceramics from the Hallstatt culture (XIII-V centuries BC) and from the later Latin culture (V-I centuries BC) were discovered. The Thracian settlement discovered under the ruins of the medieval Bulgarian capital existed throughout the 1st millennium BC. The intense life on the hill in the following millennia, and especially in the Middle Ages, almost completely destroyed the traces of it. Only small sections have survived under the later buildings. They originate from two residential horizons located directly above each other, from the period IV - II centuries BC. The dwellings and hearths found in them are typical of the Thracian culture, as well as ceramics and other materials.

The presence of Latin materials in an indisputably Thracian context makes it possible to emphasize once again that Latin elements should not be associated with the presence of Celts on Tsarevets. They are just one more proof of the direction and strength of the Latin influence on Thracian culture in the 4th - 1st centuries BC. in this area.

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It is not known how long the Thracian settlement continued its life. The absence of Roman pottery and coins from the period I-III centuries shows that it ceased to exist by the beginning of our era.

At the end of the 5th century, during the reign of Emperor Anastasius I (491 – 518), an early Byzantine fortress was built on the Tsarevets hill, recently identified with the famous Zikideva springs. It was one of the strongholds of the Eastern Roman Empire in the northern part of the Balkan Peninsula. It is assumed that the population of the Roman city of Nicopolis ad Istrum, which was then in decline, moved to Tsarevets Hill due to its better protection from barbarian attacks. A basilica and related buildings date from this period.

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This fortification survived until the beginning of the 7th century, when it was destroyed during the Avaro-Slavic invasions. The last early Byzantine coins on the hill date from 614, minted under Emperor Heraclius.

In the 8th century, an old Bulgarian settlement arose on the ruins of the early Byzantine fortress, which grew and occupied the entire hill. No traces of a feudal castle from this period have been found.

Towards the middle of the 12th century, the construction of the fortress and the feudal castle began. The city received its greatest development during the time of the Second Bulgarian State, when it became its capital.

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The legend

Legend has it that in Roman times there were fortifications that guarded the road to the magnificent Nicopolis ad Istrum. When the barbarians invaded, they besieged and destroyed the great city. Then the Romans settled in the mud. Under them were large dungeons connected by a tunnel. In the galleries the Romans carried the treasures of Nicopolis. The Romans fortified the fortresses and held them for some time.

When they had to retreat, they made deadly mechanisms in the galleries and smeared them with poison. Secret entrances masked. The entrance to the dungeon under Tsarevets was located in the southern part. A gallery led to an underground lake. Only a person who knew the secret of the treasure could continue. A hidden mechanism drained the water and steps led to another gallery. There were several levels from here down. The Romans left a treasure to each. Many dangers lurked in the galleries to the treasuries.

If the uninitiated entered, he would never return alive. In every hall there were priceless objects - gold and silver, decorated with precious stones. Countless gold coins were piled up. The underground under Momina's fortress was on two levels. The treasure was below. The entrance was a large geranium. Water was visible at the bottom. You went down the steps and there was a gallery on the other side. When the Romans retreated, they put a stone slab on top and filled it in. There was a second entrance in the lower part. The target was a large quartered stone with a ball on top.

ARCHITECTURAL AND MUSEUM RESERVE TSAREVETS | CITY OF VELIKO TARNOVO

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