Cherven was one of the largest military-administrative, economic and church-cultural centers of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom (12th-14th centuries) and an important road stop on the roads from the Danube River to the interior of the country, and from 1235 it became the seat of the Cherven Metropolitanate. Several rock monasteries were founded in its vicinity. At that time, the fortress was the ancestral domain of Georgi Terter and was considered the second most important settlement in the Bulgarian state after Tsarevets. The city grew as a large trading and craft settlement, and a castle was built - the property of the Cherven boyar. Coins were also minted in the city, which once again emphasizes its importance. The boyar's palace, representing a fortress within a fortress, is also quite impressive. It consists of a two-story residential building, a small church and a steep staircase cut into the bare rock, leading to an underground water source, vital in case of siege. The four preserved bastions are also noteworthy. Three of them are on perpetual duty near the eastern fortress wall - the most easily accessible, therefore the best fortified. The fourth bastion - originally a gate, later turned into a defensive tower, rises lonely but majestically above the western fortress wall. The locals believed that additional protection for the city was provided by the churches built into the fortress walls, a large part of the foundations of which are visible to visitors today. Also noteworthy is the lavish decoration of two of the sixteen churches discovered so far on the territory of the city - churches No. 1 and No. 2 - metropolitan, and the rest - parish. During this period, thanks to the natural fortification of the fortress, the fertile land and the key location associated with the passage of many important trade routes, the population of Cherven grew sharply. That is why the so-called "outer" city was established - for the common people and merchants, and the "inner" city - the citadel, for the high-ranking inhabitants of the city and administrative buildings. Although silent, the fortress has made us famous by taking part in the landscape of an episode of one of the most popular series - Game of Thrones. It appears in the distance in shots from episode 10 of season 5, when Varys meets Tyrion Lannister. You can combine your walk to the Medieval fortress city of Cherven with exploring the other sights in the Rusenski Lom Natural Park, you can also visit several other places located nearby. We advise you to visit: Lipnik Forest Park, Bessarabovski Monastery, Gramovets Rock Monastery Complex, Kale Adzhamka Fortress and many others.