Shishman's fortress

Overview

Nikopol fortress and today's Shishman Gate have a curious history, and their name is most often associated with that of the Bulgarian ruler Tsar Ivan Shishman (reigned 1371-1395). During his time, the Turks besieged and captured Tarnovo, which practically put an end to the Second Bulgarian State and the common Bulgarian statehood.

Shortly before the siege of Tarnovo, Ivan Shishman left the city and settled in the fortress of Nikopol. There he spent the last two years of his life, meanwhile accepting to be a vassal of the sultan. The facts show that in 1395 his head fell ominously by order of Bayezid I, due to suspicions of riots, conspiracies and treason.

Nowadays, almost nothing is left of the Nikopol Fortress physically, except for the foundations of several stone walls overhanging the steep hill, where a high fortress wall towered.