Natural and Cultural Heritage of the Ohrid region

奥赫里德地区自然与文化遗产

🇮🇹 Albania,North Macedonia📅 1979 Inscribed

Natural and Cultural Heritage of the Ohrid region

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A superlative natural phenomenon, Lake Ohrid provides a refuge for numerous endemic species of freshwater fauna and flora dating from the Tertiary period. Situated on the shores of the lake, the town of Ohrid is one of the oldest human settlements in Europe. Built mainly between the 7th and 19th centuries, it has the oldest Slav monastery (St Pantelejmon) and more than 800 Byzantine-style icons dating from the 11th to the end of the 14th century. In the shallow waters near the shores of the lake, three sites testify to the presence of prehistoric pile dwellings, and the small Lin Peninsula is the site of the remains of an Early Christian church founded in the middle of the 6th century.

Insight I

As a natural heritage site, Lake Ohrid is one of Europe's oldest and deepest lakes, featuring a unique aquatic ecosystem with endemic species spanning the entire food chain.

Insight II

As a cultural heritage site, it is one of the oldest continuously inhabited human settlements in Europe, containing monuments from the Neolithic period to the Middle Ages. The region is also home to the first Slavonic university, established in the First Bulgarian Empire (10th century) at Plaošnik, highlighting Slavonic cultural influence.

Insight III

Inscribed for its natural conservation value in 1979 and its cultural heritage in 1980, the site was further extended in 2019 to include the remaining part of Lake Ohrid in Albania.