Ancient Thrace Capital to Be Drawn out of Water Reservoir for EUR 100 M

novinite.com

The project to draw Sevtopolis, the capital city of Ancient Thrace, out of the waters of the Koprinka Reservior in central Bulgaria, and turn it into a top tourist destination, has been estimated to cost EUR 100 M.

Sevtopolis is currently located at a depth of about 20 meters on the bottom of the reservoir but has been found to be in an excellent condition.

According to the project recently put forth by the Mayor of the nearby city of Kazanluk Stefan Damyanov and Bulgaria's Culture Ministry, a wall will be built around the ancient city so as to separate to keep away from it the water of the reservoir, and to create an artificial island there, which will be opened for tourists.

Bulgaria's Ministry of Culture has already set up an 18-member working group to set up the procedure for attracting foreign engineering companies to draw Sevtopolis out of the reservoir. Several investors from the Netherlands, Greece, and Kuwait have already expressed their interest in participating.

The working group must be ready with a plan for completing the project by September 30.

According to the project of architect Zheko Tilev, about 2% of the total area of the Koprinka Reservoir will be dried out in order to create the artificial island, which will be located below the water level. The circle wall around the ancient city will have a diameter of 420 meter and a perimeter of 1300 m.

The capital of the Thracian monarch Sevt III was first discovered in explored in 1948-54 before the Koprinka Reservoir was built on top of it. The construction proceeded despite the invaluable architectural monument.

According to the National Union "Preserve the Bulgarian", the ancient city will be visited by at least 500 000 tourists during the first year after its opening.

The Kazanluk region is already attracting thousands of tourists with its Valley of Thracian Kings and Valley of Roses. The local people are really hopeful about the drawing of Sevtopolis out of the water, and the turning it into a tourist destination.