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Natural and Cultural Heritage of the Ohrid Region is recognised as a World Heritage Site for Macedonia. The listing extends to the city of Ohrid and Lake Ohrid, hence it is a mixed property that recognises both the natural and cultural heritage of the area.
Lake Ohrid, Macedonia
Author: Elen Schurova (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)
The city of Ohrid is noted for its long history, going back to the end of the 3rd and beginning of the 2nd century BC. Its earliest inhabitants were Bryges and Echelean tribes. The oldest archaeological remains are some 5,000 years old. They come from Neolithic sites in the area.
The city of Ohrid reached its pinnacle of growth between the 7th and 19th century. It is home to the St Pantelejmon Monastery, one of the oldest Slav monasteries in the world. The city itself is said to once have as many as 365 churches, hence one for every day of the year. It also has some eight hundred Byzantine-era icons from the 11th to the end of the 14th century.
View from the fort in Ohrid with Lake Ohrid in the background
Author: Biserka Mitrovic (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)
The Ohrid area is regarded as the cradle of Slavonic culture. It was from here, between the 7th and the 19th century, that the Slavic writing style was created, and it spread over time to the rest of the Balkan peninsula.
Lake Ohrid is one of the deepest and oldest lakes in Europe. It straddles the border between southwestern Macedonia and eastern Albania. The lake covers 358 sq km (138 sq mi) and reaches a maximum depth of 288 m (940 ft). The lake gets its water primarily from underground springs on the eastern shore. The catchment area for the lake covers 2,600 sq km.
Ruins of the Ohrid Amphitheatre
Author: Hans Poldoja (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)
Lake Ohrid is rich in fauna, and is particularly noted for the number of endemic species found there. The endemic species of Lake Ohrid cover the whole food chain, from the simple phytoplankton and sestile algae (20 species), to zooplanktons (5 endemic species), cyprinid fish (8 endemic species), predatory fish (two endemic trout species) and a diverse endemic bottom fauna, of which there are 176 endemic species, including crustaceans, molluscs, sponges and planarians. Due to the old age of Lake Ohrid, its wildlife is unique and different from those found elsewhere in Europe. Natural and Cultural Heritage of the Ohrid Region was inscribed as a World Heritage Site during the 3rd session of the World Heritage Committee in Luxor, Egypt, 22 - 26 October, 1979.
Church of St Clement and Panteleimon, Ohrid
Author: Jacobo Canady (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)
World Heritage Site Inscription Details
Location: N41 7 5.016 E20 48 47.988Inscription Year: 1979
Type of Site: Mixed
Inscription Criteria: I, III, IV, VII
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