Strumica Fortress

The Strumica Fortress also known as the Czar’s Towers is a fortress located at the top of a steep hill overlooking Strumica from the south. The fortress lies on a plateau at 445 meters above sea level. The edges of the plateau are lined with remains from the protective walls. Today, a forty-meter section of the west wall stands partially preserved, including layers of ruins from the northern wall. Part of the tower on the southwest side, which has been preserved, together with the tower on the southeast side, which collapsed in the earthquake of 1931, used to form the southern gate. It is very likely that the gate functioned with a draw bridge. Within the fortress, there used to be a central tower or dungeon, used as a command centre and lodging place for the head of the fortress and the officers. About fifty meters north of the dungeon, there is a rectangular room a few meters deep, which was used for storing wheat, wine, water etc. Inside the fortress, there are remnants from structures that were used for residence or as shops. South of the gate, there used to be a necropolis that had been used from the 1st century BC, which is the time the fortress originates from, – to the Ottoman period. Up until the 15th century, the fortress was serviced by a crew, but, due to the stabilizing factors in the Ottoman Empire, the fortress had already been abandoned at the time of Evliya Çelebi (1670). This dominating hill boasts a continuity of life that dates back to the 4th millennium BC, when a rich eneolith and early bronze culture flourished in the region.