NATIONAL HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY RESERVE

If the most brilliant capital of the first Bulgarian Empire, known as "Danube Bulgaria", was Preslav, its very first was Pliska, before a pagan and noble revolt prompted the khan to move his court to Preslav. Pliska is a national archaeological and cultural heritage site, and one of a hundred listed monuments in the country. The ruins of the ancient town are impressive, with some buildings - particularly the ramparts and the church - very well preserved, while the foundations of others hint at what the complex once looked like. Pliska was founded by the khan Asparouh in 681, and it was Simeon ^I the Great who made Preslav his capital. Its remains can be found 25 km to the east of Shumen and 2 km to the north of the modern city, famous for its cognac. The archaeological field can be visited like a museum. Ancient Pliska is encircled by three concentric fortifications. The outer city is bounded by a moat with earthworks, covering a rectangular area of 23 km². The inner fortress surrounding the "inner" town lies in the middle of the "outer" town. The massive stone-walled fortress featured a trapezoidal tower at each corner and two five-cornered towers and a gateway on each of the four sides. The main entrance was the eastern portal.

The Grand Palais is the best-preserved building in the inner city, with its foundations clearly visible. This seat of the thrones of the Bulgarian rulers was officially used for the khan's council, the reception of foreign missionaries and feasts. It was built by Khan Omourtag (814-831), who was instrumental in transforming Pliska into a major center of Eastern Europe in the High Middle Ages.

The 568 m²Little Palace of the citadel was the khan's residence. The citadel also housed sanctuaries, a water reservoir, swimming pools and economic buildings. With its gigantic buildings and high rate of urbanization, Pliska benefited from underground heating, a network of clay and lead water pipes and even glass windows.

The Great Basilica of the Outer City was built by Prince Boris and remains the best-preserved monument on the site. It was the largest basilica in the Balkans and one of the greatest masterpieces of Bulgarian architecture of the second half of the ^9th century.