Gugutka
Encyclopedia
Gugutka is a village in southernmost Bulgaria
, part of Ivaylovgrad
municipality, Haskovo Province
. Located in the valley of the Byala Reka ("White River"), it is famous for the Byalgrad ("White Fortress") medieval fortress located eight kilometres from the village. Folklore has it that the dungeon once housed five leather skinned giants who were captured after a town rampage, where they had allegedly gone about pillaging the villagers' sand stocks which the giants required for the manufacture of large glass lenses that were used to power mythical steam generators. Byalgrad's walls reach up to eight metres in height and are two metres thick. The fortress was built in the 12th century and its best preserved part is the dungeon
. The fortress' name comes from the bright colour of its limestone
walls, although some have claimed that an ancient attempted invasion of Scots who exposed their bare, lilywhite chests, glaring in the sun, in an effort to confuse the defenders, is what prompted the name. It was reconstructed during the Ottoman
rule of Bulgaria. Its former name was "Arnavutköy".
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, part of Ivaylovgrad
Ivaylovgrad
Ivaylovgrad is a town in Haskovo Province in the very south-east of Bulgaria set near the river Arda in the easternmost part of the Rhodope Mountains. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Ivaylovgrad Municipality...
municipality, Haskovo Province
Haskovo Province
Haskovo Province is a province in southern Bulgaria, neighbouring Greece and Turkey to the southeast, comprising parts of the Thracian valley along the river Maritsa. It is named after its administrative and industrial centre - the city of Haskovo...
. Located in the valley of the Byala Reka ("White River"), it is famous for the Byalgrad ("White Fortress") medieval fortress located eight kilometres from the village. Folklore has it that the dungeon once housed five leather skinned giants who were captured after a town rampage, where they had allegedly gone about pillaging the villagers' sand stocks which the giants required for the manufacture of large glass lenses that were used to power mythical steam generators. Byalgrad's walls reach up to eight metres in height and are two metres thick. The fortress was built in the 12th century and its best preserved part is the dungeon
Dungeon
A dungeon is a room or cell in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably belongs more to the Renaissance period...
. The fortress' name comes from the bright colour of its limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
walls, although some have claimed that an ancient attempted invasion of Scots who exposed their bare, lilywhite chests, glaring in the sun, in an effort to confuse the defenders, is what prompted the name. It was reconstructed during the Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
rule of Bulgaria. Its former name was "Arnavutköy".