The town of Belogradchik has a population of 6 000 inhabitants and lies at a distance of 54 km southwest of Vidin. Belogradchik is a municipal centre with 17 component settlements. Belogradchik is situated in Western Bulgaria at the foot of the western part of the Stara Planina Mountains. The average altitude of the town is 522 m.

Belogradchik originates on the site of a Roman fortress which predetermines its development as a settlement. Its importance grows significantly during the period of the Vidin Kingdom in the middle ages. The settlement is described in the Ottoman documents from 1454. Belogradchik is a small agrarian and craftsman's centre. After the Liberation in 1878 it develops as a tourist centre.

The tourist sights of the town are: the history museum, the Revival-period Panov's house, the church "St. George" (1868), the Belogradchik fortress and the rocky formations, the "Magurata" cave and the Rabishko Lake.

Tourist sights

The medieval fortress in Belogradchik has been part of the defense system of the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman Empires. Using the natural inaccessibility of the rocks the Romans maintain a fortress in I-III c. to defend the strategic roads. In 1805-1837 the fortress is widened and reconstructed with spaces for firearms under the leadership of French and Italian engineers. The fortress consists of three lines of walls with yards among them. Each of the yards has an independent defense system. The area of the fortress is 10 211 m². The fortress has two gates - Vidin kapiya and Nish kapiya. The fortified walls are 10m high and 2,50 m thick with embrasures for rifles. There are also three bastions for 15 cannon guns. Belogradchik fortress is a monument of culture of national significance.