Baldwin's Tower, Medieval tower at Tsarevets Fortress in Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria.
Baldwin's Tower is a stone tower house in the Tsarevets fortress, overlooking the Frankish Quarter and Frenkhisar Gate to the southeast. The present structure, restored in 1933 by architect Alexander Rashenov, follows the design of a preserved medieval tower from the Cherven fortress near Ruse. It stands on the site of an earlier tower destroyed by an earthquake in 1913.
The current structure was built in 1930 by architect Alexander Reshenov on the site where Baldwin I of Flanders was held prisoner after his capture by Tsar Kaloyan in 1205. The construction drew from architectural elements of medieval defense towers to maintain historical authenticity.
The tower's name comes from Baldwin IX of Flanders, captured by Tsar Kaloyan after the Battle of Adrianople in 1205. Bulgarian tradition holds that he was imprisoned and died in the tower, though other accounts say he vanished without trace. The name is tied to these legends, not to a queen.
The tower is reachable from the city center by a walking path and is attended by guides who explain the medieval defense system. Visitors should wear sturdy footwear since the route to the tower involves uneven ground and the fortress sits on a hill.
In 2013 Bulgarian National Television reported that the tower needed urgent repairs, partly because visitors were prising stones from its walls and floors and throwing them into the Yantra below. The estimated repair cost was 15,000 leva, to be covered by Tsarevets entrance fees.
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