Kyustendil
Kyustendil
The presence of the Thracians in the Kyustendil valley dates back to the end of the Bronze Age (second half of the 3rd millennium BC). The area is inhabited by the Thracian tribes Peoni, Agriani, Denteleti, etc. After the largest of them, the entire field is called Denteletics. In the 5th - 4th centuries BC attracted by the healing mineral springs, the Thracians founded a settlement. After the fall of Thrace under Roman rule , the Romans turned the settlement into an important commercial center and a famous balneological resort, which they called Pautalia.
"Hisarlaka" fortress
Hisarluk fortress is located on the highest flat part of the hill of the same name, rising 2 km southeast of Kyustendil. Built at the end of the 4th-beginning of the 5th century. Repaired in the 6th century, it survived the First and Second Bulgarian States and was demolished by the Ottoman conquerors in the 15th century. The fortress has the shape of an irregular polygon, with dimensions of 117/175 m and
area 2.12 ha.
Roman baths
They are located in the central part of the city of Kyustendil , next to the "Ahmed Bey" mosque. The thermal baths were built in the 2nd - 3rd centuries and are part of a large complex - the Asclepion.
On an area of about 1,000 m², parts of 6 rooms were uncovered. The estimated area of the building is about 3000 m². The large rectangular rooms are connected to each other by entrances formed by granite thresholds with traces of double doors.
The building technique is mixed masonry " opus mixtum " of alternating stone and brick belts of four rows of bricks with mortar mixed with crushed brick.
Medieval church
Saint George
The church "Saint George" is located in the southwestern quarter of the city of Kyustendil - Kolusha, which in the Middle Ages was a village called Kolasia and the seat of the Kyustendil metropolitan during the Ottoman Empire. It is the oldest preserved medieval church in Kyustendil. Built at the end of the 10th - the beginning of the 11th century. It is cross-domed, of the "inscribed cross" type, measuring 10 meters long without the porch and 8.70 meters wide. It was built on stone foundations of bricks, with so-called "hidden rows", a technique where the rows of bricks are plastered over one another on the facades. The dome and the walls end with an under-roof two-row cornice of the "wolf's tooth" type.
Pyrgo tower
The medieval defensive tower in the town of Kyustendil, known under the name "Pirkova", is located in the central part of the town next to the Roman baths. The name "Pirgova" originates from the Greek word - "pyrgos", which means tower. Exact dating of this tower has not been done. In scientific literature, it refers to the time between the end of the 14th century and the first quarter of the 15th century.
The tower has an almost square shape with dimensions: 8.25 x 8.35m and a height of 15m. It consists of a ground floor and 3 floors, of which the third is divided in one half into two half floors. The basement was used as a warehouse.
A monument of culture with the category "national importance".
