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Lake Ohrid and Ohrid Town
奥赫里德湖与古城 · Ohrid, North Macedonia
One of the oldest lakes in the world, up to about 288 m deep; on its shore, the old town of Ohrid is dotted with churches and a fortress, and the lake and town are listed together as World Heritage.
Know before you go
- Entering and disturbing a service in progress
- throwing anything into the lake
- disturbing water birds
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Stories & people
Stories & people
History
A Million-Year Archive Beneath the Lake
Lake Ohrid is considered one of the oldest lakes in the world, and its oldest sediments may date from the Pliocene, some 3 to 5 million years ago. Deep sediment cores taken by scientists preserve a record of the region's environmental change over about the past 1.2 million years.
Source: Wikipedia: Lake Ohrid
History
Prehistoric Pile Dwellings on the Shore
People settled by the lake very early. The pile-dwelling settlement near Lin, by Pogradec on the Albanian side, is more than 8,500 years old and is considered the oldest of its kind in Europe. On the North Macedonian shore near Peštani, Bronze Age stilt houses have been reconstructed.
Source: Wikipedia: Lake Ohrid
Culture
Culture & customs
Background
Lake Ohrid lies on the border between southwestern North Macedonia and eastern Albania, straddling the frontier; the lakeside towns are Ohrid and Struga in North Macedonia and Pogradec in Albania. This entry focuses on the lake and the old town of Ohrid on the North Macedonian side. The lake sits in a north–south chain of tectonic basins, covering about 358 sq km, with a surface elevation of 693 m and a maximum depth of about 288 m. Its water comes mainly from Lake Prespa through underground karst channels, and its only outlet is the Black Drin, which flows north into Albania. The lake's ecology is distinctive, with more than 200 endemic species. The old town has the Church of St. John at Kaneo on the lakeshore, the Church of St. Sophia in town and Samuil's Fortress on the heights; the Monastery of St. Naum stands on the south shore of the lake. The North Macedonian part of the lake was inscribed as World Heritage in 1979, extended in 1980 to the cultural and historic area of Ohrid, and extended again in 2019 to the Albanian side. In 2014 the Ohrid-Prespa Transboundary Reserve joined UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere Reserves, and in 2021 the North Macedonian part of the lake was designated a Ramsar site.
Local customs
- Follow the lakeside path to the Church of St. John at Kaneo for the lake views
- climb to Samuil's Fortress for a view over the old town and the lake
- take a boat to the Monastery of St. Naum on the south shore
- swim at designated beaches in summer.
Etiquette & taboos
Etiquette & taboos
Don’t DON'T
- Entering and disturbing a service in progress
- throwing anything into the lake
- disturbing water birds
Locals appreciate DO
- Keep quiet in churches and monasteries
- follow the signs on site about photography inside churches
- follow the crew's safety instructions on boats
Plan your visit
Practical info
Travel tips
- The sights are spread out, so walk in the old town and take a boat or vehicle to more distant spots
- beaches are crowded in summer, so avoid the busiest hours
- the lake is very deep, so swim only in designated areas.
- Within North Macedonia you can reach the town of Ohrid by bus or car. For specific routes and services, check the latest local information. Late spring to early autumn is best for lakeside walks and boat trips, and you can swim in summer
- in autumn and winter the lake is quiet and good for photography and old-town walks, but watch for slippery roads in winter.