Anevo Fortress
Encyclopedia
The Anevo Fortress or Kopsis (Копсис) is a medieval
castle in central Bulgaria
, the ruins of which are located some 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from the village of Anevo in Sopot Municipality, Plovdiv Province
. Constructed in the first half of the 12th century, it lies on a steep hilltop at the southern foot of the Balkan Mountains
, not far from the Stryama
river. In the end of the 13th century, the fortress was the capital of a small short-lived quasi-independent domain ruled by the brothers of Tsar Smilets of Bulgaria
, Voysil and Radoslav.
(1st–4th century), early Byzantine
(5th–6th century) and Bulgarian
(11th–14th century) periods of rule. The castle reached its heyday in the last quarter of the 13th century, when under the rule of the Bulgarian nobles (bolyari
) Voysil and Radoslav it was the capital of a quasi-independent realm. The domain comprised the landholdings of the two renegade brothers of Tsar Smilets, which lay between the Balkan Mountains and Sredna Gora
, approximately from modern Sliven
west to Kopsis.
The Anevo Fortress is dominated by its fortified inner city
or citadel
, surrounded by defensive wall
s with gates and towers. The entire fortress was around 7000 – in area, of which 5000 m² (53,819.6 sq ft) are taken up by the citadel and other archaeological remains, the unfortified part of the city measured around 1000 m² (10,763.9 sq ft) and a monastery with adjacent buildings amounted to 1000 –. In total, the Anevo Fortress is thought to have had eight defensive towers, of which only several have been preserved. The towers are either rectangular or polygonal in shape, and their ruins reach up to 12 metres (39.4 ft) in height.
The western wall of the castle, flanked by a tower at each end, is in best condition. It is 96–110 m (315–360.9 ft) long and around 1.65 m (5.4 ft) thick. The walls were constructed according to the opus emplectum
technology out of broken local stones and river stones welded together by means of white mortar
. Residential buildings within the citadel were generally built of broken stones and white mortar and had most often one, though in some cases two or more floors. The foundations of four churches have been unearthed: two of those lay in the citadel and the remaining two were located outside of it. At least one of the churches boasts preserved traces of medieval fresco
es and pavement. Pottery has also been discovered at the Anevo Fortress.
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
castle in central Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, the ruins of which are located some 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from the village of Anevo in Sopot Municipality, Plovdiv Province
Plovdiv Province
Plovdiv Province is a province in central southern Bulgaria. It comprises 18 municipalities on a territory of 5,972.9 km² with a total population, as of December 2009, of 701,684 inhabitants...
. Constructed in the first half of the 12th century, it lies on a steep hilltop at the southern foot of the Balkan Mountains
Balkan Mountains
The Balkan mountain range is a mountain range in the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula. The Balkan range runs 560 km from the Vrashka Chuka Peak on the border between Bulgaria and eastern Serbia eastward through central Bulgaria to Cape Emine on the Black Sea...
, not far from the Stryama
Stryama
The Stryama is a river in southern Bulgaria, an important left tributary of the Maritsa. The river is 110.1 km long and has a drainage basin of 2,853 km²....
river. In the end of the 13th century, the fortress was the capital of a small short-lived quasi-independent domain ruled by the brothers of Tsar Smilets of Bulgaria
Smilets of Bulgaria
Smilets reigned as emperor of Bulgaria from 1292 to 1298. The date of his birth is unknown.Although Smilec is credited with being descended "from the noblest family of the Bulgarians", his antecedents are completely unknown...
, Voysil and Radoslav.
History and architecture
The hill where the Anevo Fortress is situated has been populated since no later than Antiquity (3rd–1st century BC), with habitation also evident throughout the Ancient RomanAncient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
(1st–4th century), early Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
(5th–6th century) and Bulgarian
Second Bulgarian Empire
The Second Bulgarian Empire was a medieval Bulgarian state which existed between 1185 and 1396 . A successor of the First Bulgarian Empire, it reached the peak of its power under Kaloyan and Ivan Asen II before gradually being conquered by the Ottomans in the late 14th-early 15th century...
(11th–14th century) periods of rule. The castle reached its heyday in the last quarter of the 13th century, when under the rule of the Bulgarian nobles (bolyari
Boyar
A boyar, or bolyar , was a member of the highest rank of the feudal Moscovian, Kievan Rus'ian, Bulgarian, Wallachian, and Moldavian aristocracies, second only to the ruling princes , from the 10th century through the 17th century....
) Voysil and Radoslav it was the capital of a quasi-independent realm. The domain comprised the landholdings of the two renegade brothers of Tsar Smilets, which lay between the Balkan Mountains and Sredna Gora
Sredna Gora
Sredna Gora is a mountain range in central Bulgaria, situated south of and parallel to Balkan mountain range and extending from the river Iskar to the west and the elbow of Tundzha north of Yambol to the east. Sredna Gora is 285 km long, reaching 50 km at its greatest width...
, approximately from modern Sliven
Sliven
Sliven is the eighth-largest city in Bulgaria and the administrative and industrial centre of Sliven Province and municipality. It is a relatively large town with 89,848 inhabitants, as of February 2011....
west to Kopsis.
The Anevo Fortress is dominated by its fortified inner city
Inner city
The inner city is the central area of a major city or metropolis. In the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Ireland, the term is often applied to the lower-income residential districts in the city centre and nearby areas...
or citadel
Citadel
A citadel is a fortress for protecting a town, sometimes incorporating a castle. The term derives from the same Latin root as the word "city", civis, meaning citizen....
, surrounded by defensive wall
Defensive wall
A defensive wall is a fortification used to protect a city or settlement from potential aggressors. In ancient to modern times, they were used to enclose settlements...
s with gates and towers. The entire fortress was around 7000 – in area, of which 5000 m² (53,819.6 sq ft) are taken up by the citadel and other archaeological remains, the unfortified part of the city measured around 1000 m² (10,763.9 sq ft) and a monastery with adjacent buildings amounted to 1000 –. In total, the Anevo Fortress is thought to have had eight defensive towers, of which only several have been preserved. The towers are either rectangular or polygonal in shape, and their ruins reach up to 12 metres (39.4 ft) in height.
The western wall of the castle, flanked by a tower at each end, is in best condition. It is 96–110 m (315–360.9 ft) long and around 1.65 m (5.4 ft) thick. The walls were constructed according to the opus emplectum
Opus emplectum
Opus emplectum is an advanced construction art relying on structuring both sides of the wall with hewn stone blocks and fulfilling area between them with broken stones with mortar. The good example of this technique are ruins of the romanesque tower in Strzelno....
technology out of broken local stones and river stones welded together by means of white mortar
Mortar (masonry)
Mortar is a workable paste used to bind construction blocks together and fill the gaps between them. The blocks may be stone, brick, cinder blocks, etc. Mortar becomes hard when it sets, resulting in a rigid aggregate structure. Modern mortars are typically made from a mixture of sand, a binder...
. Residential buildings within the citadel were generally built of broken stones and white mortar and had most often one, though in some cases two or more floors. The foundations of four churches have been unearthed: two of those lay in the citadel and the remaining two were located outside of it. At least one of the churches boasts preserved traces of medieval fresco
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
es and pavement. Pottery has also been discovered at the Anevo Fortress.