Fortrtess Soko Grad

The fortress was founded in the 6th century during the reign of the Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I, in order to prevent the invasions of the Pannonian Avars and Slavs on the Balkan Peninsula. Research shows that Sokograd at that time was also a military checkpoint and accommodation for convoys moving from Europe to Asia. In the 11th century, Sokograd was first mentioned in a written document, then it was conquered by Stefan Nemanja in 1172, and since then Sokograd has been a part of the Serbian medieval state. Sokograd is also mentioned in the biographies of despots Stefan Lazarević and Konstantin Filozof. At the beginning of the 15th century, Sokograd was occupied by the Turks. Bayazit's son, Sultan Musa, better known as Musa Kesedzija, quelled the revolt of Hamuz Bey of Sokol and Svrljig, who then ruled Sokograd in 1413. Hamuz Bey was captured and executed and the local population displaced. After the Turks in 1689, Sokograd was conquered together by Serbs and Austrians, and then in the middle of the 18th century it was temporarily occupied by Austrians. Sokograd was briefly occupied by the hajduk Veljko Petrović in 1808. After that, Sokograd was neglected and only ruins remain as a memorial to some ancient times.