Greek Theatre of Ohrid

Ohrid, North Macedonia

The Ancient theatre of Ohrid from the Hellenistic period was built in 200 BC and is the only Hellenistic-type theatre in the North Macedonia. It is unclear how many people the original theater used to seat, as only the lower section still exists. The open theater has a perfect location: the two hills that surround it keep it protected from winds that could interfere with acoustics during performances.

During Roman times, the theater was also used for gladiator fights. However, since the theater was also a site of executions of Christians by the Romans, it rapidly turned to a highly disliked site by the locals. In fact, as a result of this dislike, the theater was abandoned and buried by the locals after the demise of the Roman Empire. This allowed for most of the structure to be well preserved, only to be uncovered accidentally in the 1980s. Namely, during construction work around some of the houses in the area, large stone blocks with carvings of the Greek god Dyonisius and the muses were showing up, which led archaeologists to believe that a Greek theater (Dionysus and the muses were related to the performance arts) must have been located nearby.

Since the late 1980s, the theater is again a site of public performances, such as plays, concerts, operas, ballet performances. Recently, high-profile cultural performances such as those by the Bolshoi and José Carreras take place each summer as part of the Ohrid Summer Festival.

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Details

Founded: 200 BCE
Category: Prehistoric and archaeological sites in North Macedonia

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Dejan Braki (8 months ago)
This is a classic ancient Greek theater built into a hillside in 200 BC. It's just after the Upper gate to the old town, from where you can see it so no need to descend down, nor enter it. Don't expect something grandiose, it's pretty small, but still it has a nice setting overlooking the lake and is very well preserved
M Brogan (8 months ago)
What a beautiful area on the hike up to the citadel. Gorgeous town with gorgeous sites like thIs theater. Must see town!
TJ Playz (9 months ago)
Interesting attraction, great music events held here. We stayed in a house next to the amphitheatre here while Lenny Kravitz was in Ohrid performing at a venue not too far. We could here every word he sang. Wonderful location ?. Visit if you get a chance.
Samet İnal Artürk (9 months ago)
Great place for events, bad place for tourism. The stage and other event-related items decreased the beauty of this 2000 thousand-year-old place. I think it should be preserved more strictly.
Jamie Wojciechowski (11 months ago)
A short walk outside the Old Town of Ohrid, the ancient Theatre is exciting to see. The Theatre has not been well maintained, the seating area is intact, the stage area needs repair. The Ancient Theatre of Ohrid is an amazing Hellenistic-period structure, dating back to 200 BC. It holds the distinction of being the only theater of its type in the country. Originally designed to host a considerable audience, only the lower section of the theater survives today, making it difficult to ascertain its full capacity. Worth the short walk up the stairs to view.
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