| Добре дошли в Баба Вида Castle! Baba Vida Castle is a medieval fortress situated on the banks of the Danube River in the north-west corner of Bulgaria in the city of Vidin. Ivan Sratsimir (1324-1397) constructed the fortress on the ruins of the ancient town of Vidin. Vidin was the site of an ancient fortress that the main defensive installation of the area during much of the Middle Ages. Ivan Sratsimir defeated the city controlled by Vida and built Baba Vida where the former fortress was. Baba Vida (translated it means "Granny Vida") wasn't completely finished until the end of the 14th century. Ivan Sratsimir was the last Bulgarian king of the Second Bulgarian Empire before the kingdom fell to the Ottoman Empire. Ivan called this castle home for much of his life. In the years of 1365-1369, the castle fell under Hungarian control. in 1369, Ivan managed to retake control of his capital, though he did have to remain under Hungarian overlordship. Then in the year of 1388, the castle was taken over again by the Ottomans and Sratsimir was forced to become their vassal (someone who pledges to be loyal to a king and support them militarily). The fortress of Baba Vida was used as a prison/weapon warehouse for the Ottomans until the end of the 1700's. The castle was eventually deserted then reopened for tourism in the 1950's. You can see today that the castle has seen its fair share of fighting, with only 3 of the 9 towers still standing. A moat that surrounds the castle occasionally floods when the Danube rises. Excavations in the 1960's through today have brought up many finds, including hundreds of artifacts and the uncovering of the chapel foundations from the 1300's. Благодарим за посещение! |