SAMURAI FORTRESS (КРЕПОСТ КРЕПОСТ)

18 km southwest of Petritch, this beautiful building is the main attraction of the area (accessible by bus). At the beginning of the ^11th century, King Samuil organized a defense system at the Klyoutch Pass, between the Belassitsa and Ograjden mountains, to protect himself from invasions by Byzantine armies. It is here, in the summer of 1014, after the defeat of the battle of Stroumitsa, the Bulgarians were taken back by the Byzantines having made the turn of the mountain of Belassitsa. According to the chronicles, 14,000 Bulgarian prisoners suffered the penalty of losing their sight, except for one man out of 100 who was to be used as a guide to their place of enslavement, at the home of Tsar Samuil in Ohrid (now in Northern Macedonia). These atrocities were carried out under the orders of the Byzantine emperor Basil, the winner of the battle. King Samouil died on October 6, 1014 and the Byzantine emperor received the sobriquet of Basil Bulgaroctone, "Bulgar killer"! Four years after this decisive battle, Bulgaria fell under the Byzantine domination which lasted almost two centuries. The majestic bronze statue of Tsar Samul represents this period: the sovereign is on his knees, bent over by grief. The relief figures of the blinded soldiers are visible on both sides of the large stone panels. A site to discover, as well as the small annexed museum. Of course, once you know the history of the place, you have a different look at the fortress.