The medieval Baba Vida for rises above the city of Vidin on the river Danube. Many legends are told about this majestic castle. One of them tells about a rich ruler who had three daughters. He divided his lands between them. The younger ones – Koula and Gumza – married hastily and quickly lost the inheritance of their father. The eldest – Vida – herself supervised the building of a large castle which protected the people from alien attacks. That was why, in their gratitude, the people gave her name to the castle. Since then we have called it Baba Vida.
Baba Vida fortress keeps the memory of different historical periods. The first stones in its foundations were laid on the remnants of an old Roman fort. This happened in the distant 10th century. In the 14th century additions to it were made by Tsar Ivan Stratsimir, and in the 18th century the walls were raised even higher with bricks. The high defence walls form a mysterious courtyard in the interior of the castle. To protect it even better, it was surrounded by a deep moat. This was filled with water from the Danube and the castle was reached across a wooden drawbridge.