Samuels Fortress is the fortress in the old town of Ohrid. The fortress along with its ramparts and fortified towers occupies the entire Ohrid hill. The views in every direction are amazing! The fortress has 18 towers and four gates from the original structure. It was heavily restored in 2003.
Ohrid was the capital of the First Bulgarian Empire during the rule of Tsar Samuel of Bulgaria at the turn of the 11th Century. Ohrid’s ancient name was Lychnidos. The fortress of Lychnidos would have given a strategic viewpoint across the lake and in multiple directions.
According to recent excavations by Macedonian archaeologists it is thought that the fortress was built on the place of an earlier fortification that dates back to the 4th century BC. This was probably built by King Philp II of Macedon (father of Alexander the Great).
During the late 900s King Samuel then went on to restore the fortress by rebuilding it in the medieval style as it stands today.
We so enjoyed wandering along the fortress walls and enjoying views in all directions.
It is a well-known tourist attraction of Ohrid and really well worth visiting for panoramic views!
The apartment that we stayed at, is somewhere on the bottom left of the photo below. The fortress view gives a wider and different view of beautiful Lake Ohrid.
