Matochina Fortress (), also known as Bukelon () –

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

and Bulgarian medieval fortress. Bukelon Fortress Matochina Bulgaria

Location

The ruins of Matochina Fortress are is located on a plateau on a hill raised high from the lowlands of the

Tundzha River The Tundzha ( ; ; ''Tonsus'' in antiquity) is a river in southeastern Bulgaria and northwesternmost Turkey, a left tributary of the Maritsa. With a length of 390 km, of which 350 km are in Bulgaria, it is Maritsa's longest tributary, ...

, near the village of Matochina,

Svilengrad Svilengrad (; ; ) is a town in Haskovo Province, south-central Bulgaria, situated at the tripoint of Bulgaria, Turkey, and Greece. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Svilengrad Municipality. Geography Svilengrad is close to the ro ...

Municipality,

Haskovo Haskovo ( ) is a city in the region of Northern Thrace in southern Bulgaria and the administrative centre of the Haskovo Province, not far from the borders with Greece and Turkey. According to Operative Program Regional Development of Bulgaria ...

District, Southeastern

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

, near the Turkish border.

Ruins

What now remains of the castle dates from the XI-XIV century is preserved citadel that towers of 18 meters high. It is built of crushed stone jointed with plaster and facade is decorated with baked bricks. The architectural design of the tower consists of three parts: the eastern semi-cylindrical in shape, rectangular body in which they were at the accommodation and the west corridor, which was over a castle wall. Of the remaining buildings and fortifications has not retained much. There are signs of a small chapel and water containers. At its entrance is clear monogram in the form of a cross with the letters M, N, L and K. In general, the castle is about 65 meters wide and 150 meters long.

History

According to historians here have led to battles of Adrianople by the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

and the

Goths The Goths were a Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Europe. They were first reported by Graeco-Roman authors in the 3rd century AD, living north of the Danube in what is ...

378. Later the fort was abandoned to return to the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

in all its glory and power. In the vicinity of the castle Bukelon takes place with the

Battle of Adrianople (1205) The Battle of Adrianople occurred around Adrianople on April 14, 1205, between Bulgarians and Cumans under Tsar Kaloyan of Bulgaria, and Crusaders under Baldwin I, who only months before had been crowned Emperor of Constantinople, allied w ...

, when the troops of tsar

Kaloyan Kaloyan or Kalojan, also known as Ivan I, Ioannitsa or Johannitsa (; 1170 – October 1207), the Roman Slayer, was emperor or tsar of Bulgaria from 1196 to 1207. He was the younger brother of Theodor and Asen, who led the anti-Byzantine upr ...

defeated the knights of the

Fourth Crusade The Fourth Crusade (1202–1204) was a Latin Christian armed expedition called by Pope Innocent III. The stated intent of the expedition was to recapture the Muslim-controlled city of Jerusalem, by first defeating the powerful Egyptian Ayyubid S ...

, led by Baldwin of Flanders. After the fall of the

Second Bulgarian Empire The Second Bulgarian Empire (; ) was a medieval Bulgarians, Bulgarian state that existed between 1185 and 1422. A successor to the First Bulgarian Empire, it reached the peak of its power under Tsars Kaloyan of Bulgaria, Kaloyan and Ivan Asen II ...

(1396) under Ottoman rule, the fortress fell into disrepair and was abandoned. At the end of the last century Bukelon has been partially restored. It was declared a cultural monument and is part of the 100 National Tourist Sites of Bulgaria.

Restoration

The first comprehensive architectural and archaeological study was conducted in 1961 by arch. Stefan Boyadzhiev. The ruins near the village of Matochina were declared an "object of national importance" in 1968. In 1970, limited measures were taken to preserve the medieval tower. Research and excavations of the fortress were carried out in 2008 and 2017.

Sources

* Zaikov, Konstantin "Treasures of the Tundzha Valley, between Strandzha and Sakar" * Boyadzhiev, Stefan. "The fortress near the village of Matochina" – in the magazine "Archeology" VII, Sofia 1965, no. 1, 1 – 8. * Boyadzhiev, Stefan "The medieval fortress near the village of Matochina, Svilengrad region": in coll. "The Battle of Edirne in 1205", comp. Gyuzelev, V., ed. University Publishing House "St. Kliment Ohridski ”, Sofia 2005 * Yordanov, Angel "Vukelon", magazine "Buditel", issue. 1, 2006, Sofia {{coord, 41.8536, 26.5470, type:landmark_region:BG, display=title Castles in Bulgaria Tourist attractions in Haskovo Province Buildings and structures in Haskovo Province