 Kaleto fortress
In Bulgarian: Крепост Калето
Category: Fortress
Location: Mezdra
Longtitude: 23.70398998 Latitude: 43.13999776
The fortress Kaleto is located really close to the town of Mezdra, on a rocky massive, approximately 230 altitude high, bending over the impressive bed of Iskar River. For many years this fortress had protected the access towards the Old Mountains. The hill is naturally protected and situated on a place, where important roads were crossing and still are. These realities made it really attractive place for living.
From the ancient time the place is crossing point of important roads. There passed roads linking the Roman towns Uplia Eskus and Serdica. Today the region is also a place through which pass the road linking Sofia with the Danube plain and Eastern to Western Bulgaria.
The foundations of the fortress walls are situated on the remains of the Chalcolithic period. Archeologists say that a Byzantine defensive post was built over the Roman fortress. During the years, the fortress was repeatedly rebuilt and repaired, but now on the top of the hill can be seen only the ruins of the fortress walls which were built during the Roman and Byzantine period and Bulgarian Middle Ages. These remains are the second best preserved fortification system after the one of Hissar. Archeologists have discovered really interesting and surprising objects in the remains, like for example one really well preserved box of perfume, made 17 centuries ago. During the excavations one of the best preserved in height defense tower from the Roman period was revealed, which was destroyed in XI-th century.
A lot of interesting relics were found, objects from different periods, dwellings, parts of streets. Under the layers of the “Kaleto”, the history of a living city is sealed and all objects which have been discovered by the archeologists are a proof for the wealth and the prosperity of the inhabitants of this ancient city.
The fortress Kaleto is one of the architectural sights of the region which surprise with their unsophisticatedness and uniqueness. Anyone who sees the ruins of the fortress walls will feel the desire to walk around and inside it, trying to take a look in the past life of people, which seems really familiar and at the same time not so much.
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town Mezdra
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