The Ancient Theater is located at the foot of the eastern slope of the higher Ohrid hill, under Samuel’s Fortress.
It is near one of the main entrances to the fortified city – the Upper Gate, from where one may capture and enjoy in the unforgettable breath-taking view of the lake and the surrounding mountains. The constructors of this ancient theater built it between two hills which protected it from winds, and thus the ancient theater had incredible acoustics. Because of its acoustics, it is chosen as one of the main stages where the Ohrid Summer Festival takes place. World-famous singers and actors have performed in this ancient theatre, and one of the most famous is Jose Carreras, who performed here in 2005 in front of 3.500 people, which is actually the maximum capacity.
The Ancient Theater dates back to 200 B.C. during the time of late Hellenism.
It was used by the Romans for gladiator fights until the 4th century when Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire. After the 4th century, the Ancient Theater was destroyed since the gladiators who fought there were Christians and because of that, those buildings were considered pagan. Stones from the theater were placed everywhere throughout the city, and many of them were used for the construction of many objects, including churches. Until the 1930s, on the spot that the theater takes, were located a couple of houses with archaeological excavations done in the 1980s. The houses were moved and the archaeologists slowly started to reconstruct the theater. Other than the theater itself, medieval churches with archaeological excavations were found nearby.
