King Samoil Fortress, Ohrid (must see)

Ohrid Fortress, popularly known as Tsar Samuel’s Fortress, is a restored medieval stronghold occupying the top of Ohrid Hill. The hill rises about 328 feet above the waters of Lake Ohrid, giving the fortress commanding views over the lake, the city, and the surrounding countryside. The old defensive walls extended for roughly two miles, varying in height from about ten to 53 feet.

The fortress stands on a site that had been fortified since ancient times. Ancient sources associate King Philip II of Macedonia, father of Alexander the Great, with the construction or strengthening of fortifications on the hill in the 4th century BC. By 209 BC, the ancient city of Lychnidos was certainly fortified. Centuries later, Tsar Samuel greatly rebuilt and strengthened the defenses in the late 10th and early 11th centuries, when Ohrid served as his capital. Much of the surviving citadel and its towers is associated with Samuel and his immediate successors.

Ohrid, known in ancient times as Lychnidos, subsequently passed through Roman, Byzantine, Slavic, and Ottoman rule. The fortress was repeatedly damaged, rebuilt, and enlarged. After Samuel’s state fell to the Byzantines in 1018, the defenses were damaged and later restored again, probably under Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos. Further rebuilding took place in the 14th century.

The fortress served not only as a defensive stronghold but also as a residence. Its central section, or citadel, was divided by a wall into two areas, one associated with the ruler and the other with the soldiers. Towers strengthened the surrounding walls, while the main entrance to the citadel was protected by two semicircular defensive towers. Beyond the citadel, another fortified area enclosed the residences of courtiers and their families.

The fortified town had three principal entrances: the Upper Gate, near the Ancient Theatre; the Front Gate; and the Lower Gate, close to the lakeshore. Of these, only the Upper Gate has survived intact. Following the Ottoman conquest of Ohrid around the end of the 14th century, settlement increasingly expanded onto the lower ground outside the old walls. During the Ottoman period, the elevated walled quarter remained largely associated with Ohrid’s Christian population, while Muslim neighborhoods developed farther downhill.

Large-scale archaeological research, conservation, and restoration began in 2000. The citadel was systematically excavated, while its walls and towers were repaired and preserved. From the archaeological complex of Plaosnik, a wooded path leads uphill to the fortress, where visitors can walk along sections of the restored ramparts and enjoy broad views over Ohrid and the lake.