The Belogradchik Rocks are the main tourist destination in Northwestern Bulgaria, together with: the town of Belogradchik, the Belogradchik Fortress, which uses part of the rocks as natural protection, and the Magurata Cave, located near the village of Rabisha. Another tourist attraction in the area is the medieval Baba Vida Fortress in the town of Vidin on the Danube River. The Belogradchik Fortress is a fortress located directly next to the town of Belogradchik, Bulgaria. Historically, the fortress is the largest cultural landmark of the town of Belogradchik. The main tourist flow in the area is directed to the Belogradchik Fortress and the Belogradchik Rocks. The Belogradchik Fortress is one of the best-preserved fortresses in Bulgaria and has been declared a cultural monument of national importance. The fortress was built at a time when these territories were within the borders of the Roman Empire. The construction of the former Roman fortress used exclusively the natural rock formations found here. In practice, fortress walls were built only from the northwest and southeast. On the other sides, the fortress yard is surrounded by natural rock massifs over 70 meters high. Initially, the Belogradchik fortress had mainly observational functions, not strictly defensive ones. In the 14th century, Tsar Ivan Sratsimir expanded the old fortification by building fortress garrisons in front of the existing barrier rock massifs. During his reign, the fortress became one of the most important fortifications in the region, second only to the Vidin Fortress, which served as Sratsimir's castle. During the conquest of Bulgaria by the Ottoman Empire, the Belogradchik Fortress was captured in 1396. During the Ottoman rule, the Turks expanded the fortress due to the increased haidush and revolutionary activity in the region. Actual changes to the structure of the fortress were made at the beginning of the 19th century.