Bozhenishki Urvich Fortress

Overview

The fortress is located  80 km from Sofia and 20 km from Botevgrad. The road is easily accessible - drive on the Hemus highway, turn off the road to Botevgrad, and after Skravena turn right to the village of Novachene. From there, there are another 10 kilometers to Bozhenitsa. There are signs in the village that you will easily find your way around.

The road from the village of Bozhenitsa to the fortress begins with a small bridge built over the river Bebresh, which is said to have been so full of water that huge catfish swam in it. Today it is shallow and you can stop for a while to cool off. From this place, there are another four kilometers of asphalt road, which leads to a completely renovated park. The eco-trail starts from the park and leads to the fortress entrance.  It is slightly steep, but you can stop under the shade of ancient trees to have a rest.

The story of how the fortress was discovered is curious. In 1918, during a strong storm, a century-old tree fell on a mountain hill, where people grazed their cattle. After the storm passed, а shepherd took his animals to pasture and in the roots of the same tree, he came across distorted and incomprehensible letters carved on a rock. He quickly informed the authorities about the discovery and the famous Bulgarian historian Petar Mutafchiev, who was very young at the time and had just graduated, arrived in the village. He noticed that the letters were of different sizes - in places 22 centimeters in size, elsewhere twice smaller.

However, the future professor managed to read what was written: “I Dragomir wrote. I, Sevast Ognyan, was with King Shishman Kefalia and suffered a lot of evil. At that time the Turks were at war. I maintained the faith of King Shishman. ”