Pirgov Tower

Overview

Pirgov Tower is a medieval defensive tower in the town of Kyustendil. It is located in the center of Kyustendil, next to the city "Chifte Banya" and the mosque "Ahmed Bey". The name "Pirgova" comes from the Greek word - "pyrgos", which means tower. It has an almost square plan with dimensions of 8.25 X 8.35 m and a height of 15.50 m. It consists of a ground floor and three floors. The foundations of the ground floor are 1.40 m thick, on both floors 1.10 m and on the third - 0.80 m. The building is made of quarry stones and bricks (25 cm side and 4 cm thick), the latter being used mainly around openings and corners. It is built with materials from ancient baths. The facades are built of brickwork around the openings and corners. It is equipped with one entrance to the ground floor. It is illuminated by muzzles and windows at the upper end of the southern facade. Under the eaves is a built-in marble slab with a rosette. The ground floor served as a warehouse. The entrance from the east was opened in the late Middle Ages, when the tower was turned into a weapons depot. On the first floor there is a vaulted opening from the north, a fireplace and two loopholes. The second floor is organized for long-term living - with a fireplace, a niche, three windows and a mezzanine - a gallery with a niche for hygienic needs. The third floor provided the circular defense with vertical and round loopholes. Restoration and conservation works were carried out in 1966 by the NICP. The joists on the three floors, the floor levels and the roof have been restored. The pier tower in its architecture and construction belongs to the type of defensive towers from the XV-XVI centuries. It is an independent tower - a battlefield of a local feudal lord. By decree of Tsar Ferdinand I, the decision of the XIV ONS, adopted on 24.01.1909, was approved, "to cede to the Kyustendil city municipality, the state tower located in their city called" Pirkova kula ", together with the place around it , about 250 square meters. " The tower is an architectural monument of national importancе.