Late antique and medieval fortress Misionis

Overview

This is the prototype of the town of Targovishte. It dates from the period of early Byzantine and medieval Bulgarian history (IV-VI, IX-X, XII-XIV centuries). It is located in the area Parka , 7 km. southwest of Targovishte, and 1 km walk from the first class road Sofia - Varna, in the pass "Derventa", on a hill of Preslav Stara Planina. In the 1960s, the ruins of a 19-decare fortress were discovered, which a local legend links to Khan Krum's victory over the Byzantine emperor Nicephorus. Fortress walls with towers, two basilicas (V-VII c.), An early Bulgarian settlement (IX-X c.), The gate of the late medieval fortress (XII-XIV c.) mark the beginning.

The renewed archeological excavations of the fortress and its surroundings in the last decade have completely changed the notions of antiquity. Instead of an ordinary watchtower, a medieval city was resurrected here - a large and prosperous, commercial and spiritual Christian center, which existed from the beginning of the 4th to the end of the 14th century.
The fortifications surround an area of ​​120 decares, and during its heyday in the 14th century the town spread over 700 decares. For ten centuries Misionis played a key role in the trade of early Byzantium and the Bulgarian medieval state, important for the defense of the Bulgarian capitals Veliki Preslav and Veliko Tarnovo.
The thriving city was ruthlessly plundered, destroyed and burned by the Ottoman conquerors in the late fourteenth century. The historical memory of him fades. Only at the end of the twentieth century the memory of the town of Misionis was resurrected and revived in the minds of the people. Today the findings from the excavations of the town of Misionis are displayed in the permanent Archaeological Exposition of the Regional Historical Museum - Targovishte.
The fortress can be visited individually / free of charge / or for a paid talk with a guide from the information center located in the Hunting Park, at the beginning of the road to the fortress or by prior request at the Regional History Museum - Targovishte.