Rusokastron Fortress

Rusokastro Fortress was built in the fifth century on a strategic height controlling key routes in northeastern Thrace. The earliest written evidence of a settlement there dates from the sixth century and consists of an epigraphic monument with a dedicatory inscription to the Byzantine commander Justin. The name Rusokastro was first mentioned by the Arab geographer al-Idrisi in his "Geography of the World", where he described it as a large and populous town. In 1332 a battle was fought here that ended in the Bulgarian tsar Ivan Alexander's victory over the Byzantine emperor Andronikos.
The fortress was destroyed by Ottoman troops in 1443. Rusokastro is among southeastern Bulgaria's largest fortresses and guarded the early Bulgarian Erkesia frontier in the ninth–tenth century. It also contained St George's Monastery, founded as early as the fifth–sixth century. In 2007 the Rusokastron Foundation rebuilt the Church of St George the Victorious over its remains.
The Rusina Dupka sanctuary, created by the Thracians in the second millennium BC, was dedicated to the Mother Goddess. A legend tells of a dragon who fell in love with a maiden named Rusa and abducted her to the cave, after which she became a spring.
The area is also used for tourism, and archaeological investigations conducted since 2006 contribute to the fortress's care. The site needs restoration and presentation of the excavated structures, as well as visitor infrastructure. Activities of interest include tourist orienteering, extreme climbing, speleology and various forms of information and entertainment. Traditions of celebrating St George's Day are preserved in the village.