Macedonian monasteries and mosques, 11th century Byzantine art , bargain shopping and Lake Ohrid, the oldest in Europe, are reasons to visit this world heritage site.
Not only is Ohrid one of the most pleasant places in the Republic of Macedonia. It’s also one of the most historically significant in Eastern Europe. The city (then called Lichnidos) dates back about 2,500 years, long before Alexander the Great set out from the Macedonian kingdom to conquer the world.
Sandstone and stucco houses tumble down the hills to the shores of Lake Ohrid, which forms part of boundary with Albania. It's a place of winding cobblestone streets with postcard views around every turn. Its lake -- oldest in Europe and one of the oldest on earth – in 1979 was declared a World Heritage Site.
Monasteries, Mosques and Icons
With some 40 religious buildings -- both monasteries and mosques -- as well as a wealth of icons, the little city is a veritable trove of ecclesiastical art. At the top of the hill, the remains of the fortress of Emperor Samuilo dates to the 10th Century. The 13th Century Church of St. Clement and its icon museum are major attractions midway down. And in the center of the old town, the cathedral of Sveti Sofija (Ste. Sophia) contains some of the world's finest examples of 11th Century Byzantine art.
Around the Town
Even without its art treasures, Ohrid is a place worth visiting. Drink a fruit punch at one of the sidewalk cafes and watch the fishermen on the lake. Or wander about the market, where small machine-loomed Turkish carpets sell for bargain prices, as do hand-embroidered tablecloths with matching napkins. Most unusual of the merchandise produced locally, jewelry of “ “Lake Ohrid mother-of-pearl”, is in reality made from the scales of the plasica fish by a secret process.
As for the lake itself, twenty years ago it was one of Europe's most translucent bodies of water and on a clear day, you could see some 72 feet (22 meters) beneath the surface. Now, due to discharge of effluent from several villages into the lake (Albania has no waste water treatment plants), construction of tourist facilities near the shore and tectonic activity south of the lake, its ecosystem has been put under stress. Fortunately, the countries involved and international organizations are working to eliminate the water pollution.
Short Excursions
Most popular Lake Ohrid excursion is to the 10th Century monastery of Sveti Baum on the lakeshore about 18 miles (29 km) from town. The monastery is right next to the white markers and guardhouses that designate the Albanian border.
Even if you're not flying anywhere, stop for a soft drink or other light refreshment at the Ohrid St. Paul the Apostle International Airport's Last Supper Cafe. That's not its real name, but the one most visitors think of when they see the larger-than-life fresco of Christ and the Apostles covering an entire wall of the restaurant.
Outside of town, you'll see whitewashed houses with strings of peppers drying on the walls of balconies where women sit knitting and working embroidery. Hives of bees, neatly-furrowed fields and rows of poplar trees give the area a pastoral charm.
Many of the houses are in various states of completion. Like most of the former Yugoslavia, the Republic of Macedonia is suffering from severely depressed economic conditions, so labor has become its biggest export. Workers go to various parts of Europe for a year or more, save their wages and come home to work on their houses until they run out of money and have to leave again.
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