“If the opposite hill, Tsarevets, has a pyramidal shape, then Trapezitsa resembles a ‘trapeza’ or a broad flat plateau. Some historians suggest that the name may be connected to the ‘trapezites’ – warriors who guarded the mountain passes in the Middle Ages,” says Svetlana Petkova, a tour guide at the Historical Museum in Veliko Tarnovo.

"Trapezitsa is the second most important hill. Tsarevets is the main one, where the royal palace was located and from where the state was governed. Later, in 1235 under Tsar Ivan Asen II, the patriarchal palace was built at its highest point. In 1195, Tsar Asen brought the relics of Saint Ivan Rilski (St. John of Rila) from Sredets (modern-day Sofia). Our rulers were deeply religious, and during the Second Bulgarian Kingdom, there was an extraordinary concentration of holy relics here. Relics of many saints were brought in. The church dedicated to St. John of Rila was initially a single-nave structure but was later expanded into an entire monastery complex. The saint's relics remained there until 1469, when they were returned to the Rila Monastery. Remains of churches from the Second Bulgarian Kingdom are preserved on Trapezitsa Hill. Excavations continue in the western part of the hill – in the past, residents used this route to reach the Yantra River and supply the fortress with water."

As an important spiritual center, "the glorious city of Trapezitsa with its churches and monasteries" is mentioned in medieval and Byzantine hagiographies of Saint Ivan Rilski. The first archaeological explorations of the city fortress are linked to the dawn of Bulgarian archaeology. They began in 1879 and were carried out by Bulgaria’s first archaeological society – the Tarnovo Archeological Society. As early as the beginning of the 20th century, initial excavations revealed key structures – the fortress walls, remains of churches, and six gates leading into the fortified hill.