Our Time in Vidin, Bulgaria

Passage to Eastern Europe: Trip Introduction
Flight Review: LOT Polish Airlines 797-9 Business Class, ORD-WAW
Lodging Review: Hampton by Hilton Krakow
Our Time in Krakow, Poland
Flixbus from Krakow to Budapest
Lodging Review: Corinthia Budapest Hotel
Our Time in Budapest, Hungary
Our Time in Kalocsa, Hungary
Our Time in Osijek and Vukovar, Croatia
Our Time in Belgrade, Serbia
Our Time in Golubac, Serbia
Our Time in Vidin, Bulgaria
Our Time in Ruse, Bulgaria
Our Time in Bucharest, Romania
Lodging Review: JW Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel
Flight Review: SWISS Airlines 777-300 ZRH-ORD

We awoke to another beautiful day docked in the town of Vidin, Bulgaria. Our excursions on this day would lead us to a couple of fortresses, the Belogradchik Rocks & Fortress in the morning and the Baba Vida Fortress in the afternoon. The second half of the afternoon tour was a wine tasting that my friend enjoyed but, since I don’t drink alcohol, did nothing for me. I don’t have photos of that because we basically just sat in a large room where the other trip participants sampled the wine.

Belogradchik Rocks and Fortress

As you can see, this reconstructed fortress is truly imposing. The earliest version of a fort here was during the Roman empire when it was used primarily for surveillance. The designers incorporated much of the huge rocks into the design so that fortified walls only had to be constructed in a few places. There are three separate yards, each connected by gates, inside the walls.

In the 14th century the Bulgarian tsar of Vidin expanded the fortress to include fortified garrisons in front of the giant rocks. At that time this fortress was second only to the Baba Vida fortress in Vidin in terms of importance in the region.

The Ottomans captured the fortress in 1396 and had to further enlarge it due to insurrection in the region. In the early 19th century it was modernized and shows the impact of the French and Italian engineers that participated in the expansion.

As you can see, utilizing the steep rock faces makes for some very steep stairs but it also makes for spectacular views.

Many of the rock formations have a name and a back story. This is the Madonna, once a beautiful young nun who fell in love with a man and had his child. She was expelled from the nunnery and she, her child, her lover, as well as the monks and nuns who passed judgement on her were all turned to stone.

These are The Schoolgirls who were turned to stone for disobeying their teacher.

This is The Horseman, a brave warrior who rode out to defend Belogradchik but was turned to stone for his courage.

And these are The Monks because they resemble robed figures gazing over the valley.

And you have to admit, the view’s pretty amazing!

Baba Vida Fortress

The Baba Vida Fortress is within walking distance of the Danube. Had we realized that, we likely would have just done the fortress by ourselves and skipped the winery and saved some money. In front of the fortress is a sculpture called The Danube Guardian created by Captain Miša Jovanović whose sculptures we saw on his property near the Golubac Fortress.

The name of the castle actually translates to “Granny Vida” so you know there’s a story behind that name. Legend has it that the king who ruled Vidin had 3 daughters and upon his death he split his kingdom amongst them. His younger daughters were given other parts of the country but they married drunkards and war-like noble. The eldest daughter, Vida, remained unmarried and built the fortress in the 10th century. It’s the only entirely preserved medieval castle in the country.

As is common for the area, the fortress changed hands several times, coming under Hungarian rule for awhile before the Ottomans took over. During the Ottoman rule it was primarily a prison and a weapons warehouse and it hasn’t been used for defensive purposes since the end of the 18th century.

The museum had displays of various sorts which I assume speak for themselves, including a lovely view of the Danube.

View from the Watchtower

View of the Danube

Memorial to the Victims of Communism

Just before we got back on the ship I noticed this small building in a park along the river. It’s a chapel-like memorial to the victims of Communism. Its concept combines minimalism with Orthodox symbolism. Completed in 2017, it’s meant to be a quiet place of remembrance.

In the end

The visits to the two fortresses were definitely worth it. Had I realized how close the Baba Vida fortress was to the river I’d have skipped the paid tour and just walked there. However if wine is your thing you may find it’s worth it to combine the two activities.