Ohrid

Because of the religious importance and its numerous churches and monasteries, Ohrid is also famous under the name “Macedonian Jerusalem”. According the history facts, there used to be 365 churches - a church for each day! In 12th century, the city was also the seat of Archbishop of Ohrid. Since 1979 the city and the lake of Ohrid are under protection of UNESCO.

Lake Ohrid

Lake Ohrid is a lake which straddles the mountainous border between the southwestern part of Macedonia and eastern Albania. It is the Europe's deepest and oldest lakes, with a unique aquatic ecosystem of worldwide importance, with more than 200 endemic species Macedonia's side of Lake Ohrid was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979, with the site being extended to also include the cultural and historic area of Ohrid in 1980. In 2010, NASA named one of Titan's lakes after it. In 2014, the Ohrid-Prespa Transboundary Reserve between Albania and Macedonia was added to UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere Reserves. Albania’s side of Lake Ohrid was also designated UNESCO world heritage status in 2019. North Macedonia's portion was designated as a protected Ramsar site in 2021, passing all nine criteria for proclamation. In Albania, the coastal portion of the lake holds Managed Nature Reserve status. In Macedonia, a portion of the lakeside is part of the Galičica National Park.