Bulgaria’s ancient castles and fortresses have become a laughing stock after shoddy reconstruction work left the sites looking like they were made of “cheese and cardboard” and drove away tourists, it has been claimed.

Conservationists have poured scorn on efforts to rebuild the medieval fort of Krakra and the Roman fort of Trayanovi Vrata, among others, after they were rebuilt using polymer concrete.

The project was overseen by the Bulgarian government, drawing on its own funds and around €90 million (£80m) from the EU’s Regional Development Fund.

The Telegraph reported that both the EU and the government have privately admitted that lessons should be learnt from the debacle, according to a report.

“It’s weeping – a weeping fortress,” Stella Duleva, a conservation architect, said of the Trayanovi Vrata. “It had survived 16 centuries, and now it’s ruined.”

Restoration of the Krakra fort, now known locally as “cardboard castle,” was so poorly received that local authorities have already vowed to dismantle the additions in 2019.

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