Ohrid on beautiful lake promenade and St. Sophia church

Ohrid is a city in the Republic of Macedonia and the seat of Ohrid Municipality. It is the largest city on Lake Ohrid and the eighth-largest city in the country with over 42,000 inhabitants as of 2002. Ohrid is notable for once having had 365 churches, one for each day of the year, and has been referred to as a "Jerusalem (of the Balkans)".  In antiquity the city was known under the ancient Greek: Lychnidos and Latin: Lychnidus, probably meaning "city of light". By 879 AD, the town was no longer called Lychnidos but was referred to by the Slavs as Ohrid, possibly from the Slavic words "vo hrid", meaning "on the hill", as the ancient town of Lychnidos was at the top of the hill.

The citadel of Tsar Samuil, as the city castle is usually called today, stands on the highest point in the city, the city hill Gorni Saraj. It was part of the fortifications that surrounded the city. The first traces of a fortification, which was possibly further expanded by Philip II of Macedon, come from the Illyrians in the 4th century BC. BC

On the foundations of an early Christian church, a three-aisled cathedral with three apses, a mighty dome over the central part and a bell tower in front of the western facade was built in the 11th century under the Greek Archbishop Leo (1036–56).

 

Paragliding take-off in Galicica National Park

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To further explore possible outdoor activities (hiking, mountain biking and paragliding) in the Lake Ohrid area on the Macedonian side, we were on our way to Magaro, the highest peak in the Galicica National Park.

Shortly before the border to Albania - Sveti Naum

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Coming from Ohrid, we followed the shore road along Lake Ohrid, making a short stop here and there, which also took us to the "Museum on the Water", a prehistorically reconstructed pile-dwelling settlement.

Ohrid - lovely city hike with Marta and Luis

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What we really love within Camping, is meeting with people from different countries and learn about their ideas of traveling and outdoor. For sure, sometimes you have to be careful, not to disturb people, but mostly they like exchange too very much.

Samuel's fortress on the rocky outcrop of Ohrid

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When we arrived at the campsite in Struga, we admired the mighty walls of the fortress high above the old town centre of Ohrid. Now we were on our way to take a closer look at the fortress complex of Byzantine origin.

Lake Ohrid on the high plateau of Macedonia

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We had just received an email from Hans-Jürgen, who informed us that he would be taking a motorcycle tour to Turkey again this year. Just a few days later, a second email from him, this time with a photo, arrived in his inbox, announcing his arrival at Lake Ohrid in Macedonia.

Day trip to Lychnidos - today called Ohrid

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Early in the morning of the following day we had arranged to meet with Perparims father for a trip to the nearby town of Ohrid on the same named lake. We took the advantage of a narrow, winding road along the lakeshore, which led us directly into the city center.

The Ohrid Lake and its bubbling underground springs

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Lake Ohrid is one of the oldest lakes in the world, often referred to be the second oldest lake on the planet. Several times we have already reported about the lake whose water still has the quality of drinkable water and its environment in the Galicica National Park.

Autumnal city tour in Ohrid with Camper friends

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It is quite chilly in the morning and the sky is overcastted with clouds. We want to begin our way to Ohrid, because our friends Julia and Davide, on our advice, only have a few days time for the Campsite Rino next to the lake before following their own schedule and time table to Albania.