NATIONAL HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY RESERVE
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This archaeological field, located 2 km north of the modern city, can be visited like a museum.
Two kilometers north of the modern city, famous for its cognac, is the archaeological field, which can be visited like a museum. The ancient Pliska is surrounded by three concentric fortifications. The outer city is bounded by a moat with an earthen embankment, comprising a rectangular area of 23 km². The inner fortress surrounding the "inner" city is located in the middle of the "outer" city. The fortress is a massive stone wall. On each corner stood a trapezoidal tower and on each of the four sides of the wall were built two five-cornered towers and a gate. The main entrance was the eastern gate. The most interesting and characteristic monuments whose remains have been preserved.
The Great Palace, the best preserved building of the inner city, whose foundations are clearly visible. This seat of the thrones of the Bulgarian rulers was officially used for the council of the khan, the reception of foreign missionaries and feasts. It was built by the Khan Omourtag (814-831) who contributed a lot to the transformation of Pliska into a great center of Eastern Europe in the High Middle Ages.
The Small Palace (the most representative building of the citadel), covering an area of 568 square meters, was the residence of the khan. Apart from it, the citadel also contained sanctuaries, a water reservoir, swimming pools and economic buildings. In Pliska, there were not only gigantic buildings, but also a high rate of urbanization, underground heating system, network of clay and lead pipes for clean and dirty water, glass windows.
The Great Basilica (located in the outer city, 1.5 km northeast of the inner city) was built by Prince Boris. Large parts of the walls are still standing, it is the best preserved monument of the site. It was the largest basilica in the Balkans: with three naves, with imposing dimensions (100 m x 30 m), one of the greatest masterpieces of Bulgarian architecture of the second half of the 9th century.
Pliska is the best example of the evolution of Bulgarian architecture from the earliest times to its Europeanization. The oldest testimony about Pliska is the inscription on the stone column dating from 821 (Khan Omourtag), near the village Tchatalar (nowadays railway station "Khan Kroum").