Sluggish bureaucracy drove off a Dutch company that was prepared to invest EUR 150 million in the project.
Seuthopolis was an ancient city founded by the Thracian king Seuthes III, and the capital of the Odrysian kingdom since 320 BC. It was a small city, built on the site of an earlier settlement, and its ruins are now located at the bottom of the Koprinka Reservoir near Kazanlak, Stara Zagora Province, in central Bulgaria. Now the city may be reborn thanks to the Bulgarian Association for protection of monuments and architect Zheko Tilev, who developed the unique project. The city was built on the foundations of a fortified residence of the nobility.
After triumphing over the Macedonian hegemony in Thrace the city became capital of the Odrysian kingdom and existed until 270 BC, when it burned to the ground. During this time Seuthopolis was the most important center of Thracian economy and culture. However, its historical significance was underestimated by the communist government and the remains of the city were left on the bottom of Koprinka Reservoir 20 m underwater. In 2005 the city of Kazanlak decided to restore the glory of the ancient city. At the time architect Tilev developed the project for the Museum and Tourist Complex of Seuthopolis. His idea was to build a high concrete wall around the city, a kind of border between past and present. Four panoramic lifts will take visitors to the reborn city, which can be seen as it once was at the bottom of the reservoir on a site with an area of 6 hectares. The concrete wall can be reached by small vessels. The project also included an entertainment area. It drew the attention of a large Dutch company, which was ready to invest 150 million in its restoration and transformation in a tourist attraction. But their enthusiasm soon waned. For nine months the highly lucrative proposal was shifted back and forth between ministries and sluggish bureaucrats with no result.
Eventually the investors retracted their offer and left the country. “The city of Kazanlak and the Civic Association for protection of Bulgarian monuments will find a way to implement the project,” Kazanlak mayor Stefan Damianov assures. It wasn’t until February this year that experts with the culture ministry green-lighted the project. A geological study will be conducted within a month in cooperation with the Institute of Oceanology in Varna. A report on the current state of the ancient city will also be prepared.
By Maya Stoyanova
