Krepča Fortress

Bulgaria / Targoviste / Opaka /
 ruined castle, archaeological site

The overgrown site of a fortress functioning intermittently from Thracian times until the Late Middle Ages, located on the northern end of a steep wooded ridge some 2.6 km southwest of the modern village of Krepča. The main entrance into the fortress was located in its southern wall, defended by at least three towers and a moat. The fortress was divided into three fortified perimeters, providing successive lines of defense against an advancing enemy. Several sections of the fortifications are preserved well enough to be traced through the terrain. The original smaller fortress was expanded southwards in the 13th century. At present, dateable remains are found until the 13th century, but the fortress may feature under the names Giripçe and Krapeçene in Ottoman narratives about the conquest of this part of Bulgaria in 1388-1389. During the Ottoman period the ruined and abandoned fortress came to be called Cinkale, "Fortress of Spirits."
The site has not been subject to systematic archaeological excavations, but is a listed cultural monument since 1969.

www.bulgariancastles.com/s-krepcha-krepcha-kale/
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   43°27'52"N   26°6'44"E
This article was last modified 2 years ago