Provadia, Ovech Fortress

The fortress of Ovech, another picturesque place with a stone stronghold is located east of the town of Provadia. Like the Madara region, it is rich in unique natural formations, such as attractive above-ground and underground karst caves. There are also sinkholes, picturesque valley formations in the form of small ravines and inaccessible rock ledges.

The fortress, built on a ship-shaped plateau, has been called by different names over the centuries. The oldest is the Byzantine name Provat. Bulgarians called it Ovech which means "ram" in Bulgarian, while Turks called it Tash hisar (which means a stone fortress translated from Turkish). The fortress was inhabited successively by Thracians, Romans, Byzantines, Bulgarians and Turks.

It has three entrances. The eastern entrance has been preserved in its original form with steps carved into the rock. The western entrance is accessible from the city via the original spiral staircase with 111 steps, which we have found to be the most attractive for you and as such marked it with GPS coordinates.

The northern entrance is the main entrance to the fort. In front of it, an imposing 160 m long wooden bridge construction connects the fortress with the adjacent plateau.

The golden years of Ovech were in the period of 12th-14th century when the fortress was a military, religious, economic and administrative centre of the region. In the fortress, visitors can also see the speaking 79 m deep well, formerly an echo pit, the bishop's church, the knight's prison, the tower with the devil's path, and the friar's cave.

At the top of the former fortress, the plateau and the connecting bridge, you can enjoy the breathtaking view.