Lake Ohrid in Macedonia

The climate of Lake Ohrid is almost Mediterranean, which is why the weather in Ohrid town can be sunny and warm whereas Skopje, on the other side of the mountains, is cloudy and cool.

The town of Ohrid is located on a lake which is clear to a depth of roughly 12 metres. The lake has a deepest point of 286 metres and is divided between Macedonia (2/3) and Albania (1/3). Evidence has been found of a people living over the lake – around 30 metres from the shore – approximately 7000 years ago. They carved animal bones for use as utensils and were able to drive wooden piles into the bed of the lake securely enough for their dwellings to be safe.

Ohrid town has many beautiful sights including the classical amphitheatre, Car Samoil’s Castle, Sveta Sofija Cathedral, and the most photographed building in Macedonia, the Church of Sveti Jovan at Kaneo, an absolute gem of a small church situated above the lake with great views in all directions.

Ohrid is building a university and during the construction many small churches have been found, which require careful research. The previous university, founded in 900 AD, was Europe’s, and possibly the world’s (depending on your definition of what constitutes a university), oldest.

In 1000 AD Ohrid was the episcopal base for an Orthodox church whose boundaries were the Danube River, Malta, Odesa, and Greece. This is a huge area even today and shows the importance of the town in those times.

In these times, make sure you visit and admire the climate, the sights, and the beautiful clear waters of the lake.