The history of one of the main attractions of Bulgaria, the massive Belogradchik Fortress, or as the locals call it, Kaleto, began long before its construction, during the reign of the ancient Roman Empire. Back then, this place was an important observation post, surrounded by high rocks.

During the Middle Ages, one of the Bulgarian tsars, Ivan Sratsimir, decided to expand the ancient fortress. He built several towers and united the frowning Belogradchik Rocks with a fortress wall. That time is considered the fullest flourishing in the history of the great citadel. The impressive size of the medieval defensive structure was second only to the Baba Vida fortress in Vidin, the former Bulgarian capital.

The further history of the fortress was closely connected with the Ottoman Empire. Fearless Turkish soldiers captured it and significantly rebuilt it, strengthening the impregnable walls up to 12 meters high and up to 2 meters thick. But the greatest influence on the Belogradchik Fortress was exerted by the Turks in the 19th century when they had invited famous French and Italian architects to reconstruct it. This magnificent monument of Ottoman architecture with elements of Western European style can be found in the outskirts of Belogradchik.

Today, the famous Bulgarian fortress with an area of ​​more than 10 thousand square meters is a national monument and is under the jurisdiction of the local history museum. Those massive defensive walls that used to be the town's protection have become its main landmark. Photos of the walls together with the bizarre-shaped rocks adorn local tourist postcards.

Every rock formation, almost 200 meters high, is no less popular than the fortress. Besides, these rocks are the heroes of legends and have their own names. For example, there are stone Adam and Eve, the Dervish, the Monks, the goddess Bendida, the Madonna, as well as the Camel, the Lion, and the Bear, surrounded by the Mushrooms. All of them, including the Magura Cave, are included in the UNESCO list and are popular among fans of extreme tourism.