The outer wall in the northern part of the complex of Tsar Samuil's Stronghold, located above the town of Ohrid, has collapsed because of heavy rains.
Restoration work had never been done in the damaged part of the 10th/11th-century complex. The section of the wall, which collapsed, is 10-meter long and a little more than 1-meter wide, that is, half of the width of the wall.
“I think that the collapse is disastrous, although many people may say it’s of little importance” - Pasko Kuzman, archaeologist , and head of the project for preservation of the stronghold.
New collapses could be expected unless the site is subjected to restoration work. Currently the flood level of the Danube is expected to continue to rise.
Ohrid stands on or near the site of the Greek colony of Lychnidos, founded in the 3d cent. B.C. It was captured by the Romans in A.D. 168 and became a major trade centre and an early episcopal see. In the 9th cent. Ohrid was incorporated into the first Bulgarian empire, and in the 10th cent. it became the seat of the Bulgarian patriarchate and flourished as the political and cultural centre of Bulgaria.
In 1980, Ohrid and Lake Ohrid were accepted as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
