Kaliakra cape

Kaliakra cape stretches 2km deep into the sea and consists of 60- 70m-high limestone rocks, the inaccessibility of which has been the main reason for the construction of an ancient fortress named Tirisis there. The fortress was successively used by Tracians, Romans, Byzantines and Bulgarians. According to legends, the fortress was guarding the treasuries of Lyzimah, successor of Alexander the Great. Today there are quite many remains of those ancient settlements, which can be seen exhibited in a small museum. One can also read there a legend telling the story of several Bulgarian girls who chose to jump from the high cape into the sea but not to be captured and converted to Islam by the Turks. The name Kaliakra means "beautiful cape," due to the abundant pink limestone. Legend has it that the color is from the blood of the defenders of the fortress. The Kaliakra cape was declared a protected area in 1941. The protected area has since been expanded already three times. At present it is a reserve spreading over 687.5 ha. It is one of the few places where the rare species of seal-monks, found only in the northern part of the Bulgarian coast, is to be seen.