Protecting Lake Ohrid, Albania and Macedonia

Shen Marena Monastery is situated near the village Llëngë, in Lake Ohrid Region. It belongs to 18th century and was built for the saint ‘Marina the Monk’, and now is a Cultural Monument protected by the state. The view from outside is amazing, with mountains, fields and meadow. Close to this Monastery the flow a large torrent to Shkumbin river. Inside the Church there are mural painting from the painter Konstandin Shpataraku. These paintings are finalized 10 years after he painted the icons of the famous Monastery of Ardenica. He painted all the walls of this monastery in 1754 upon the request of the local community of Llenga. But what is the story after the Saint Marena? Marena was a beautiful girl born in the village Qesan, in Asia in 270 year after  the Christ. She was one of the youngest saints and well known for doing miracles. The legend says that her father was pagan, and he didn’t want that his daughter be dedicated to spread the Christianity. The girl comes to Mokra

Lake Ohrid Photo Album The beauty of the Lake Ohrid Region is now featured in a Photo Album, produced by UNESCO and presenting the best photographs of the social media contest #OurLakeOhrid. The contest was organized during Summer-Autumn 2017 on the several social media channels (Instagram, Facebook and Twitter) of the project: “Towards strengthened governance of the shared trans boundary natural and cultural heritage of the Lake Ohrid region”, funded by the EU and co-financed by the Albanian Ministry of Tourism and Environment. Participants were challenged to share their experiences of the stunning region, using the hashtag #OurLakeOhrid. From over 400 photographs submitted, 50 winning entries were chosen to feature in this album to celebrate the rich natural and cultural heritage of the Lake Ohrid region. We wish to congratulate all those who took these beautiful photos and have helped share the beauty and unique values of this remarkable region with the world. The quotes o

The Telegraph Travel is listing 20 greatest cities to visit during Spring 2018. Ohrid city is ranked in 12th place. In the first place is Paris, followed by Amsterdam.... while ranked the last in the list is New York. Here is what article is saying about Spring and Ohrid city: "The coming of spring is a reason to be cheerful – to shrug off winter’s drab touch, with all its insistence on Dry January and self-denial; to embrace the northern hemisphere’s return from hibernation with its flowers, its balmy bouquets, its perfumed petals, its hint of something better around the corner. It is also, most certainly, a time for travel. The following 20 escapes limit the rapture to a weekend (or a long weekend, anyway) – and, with a handful of exceptions, to the European land mass and some of its most intriguing major cities. You don’t need to go far to collide with spring’s flirtatiousness. But they should all deliver, to some extent, a dose of renewal, a surge in spirit – and, on a

The reconstruction of “Ali Paska” mosque in Ohrid has sparked debates, because a local association has discovered the foundations of a church and the construction works belonging to the Roman age underneath it. The reconstruction of this mosque in the center of Ohrid is being done by the ministry of Culture, but “Sovest” association and political parties have demanded for these works to be suspended in order to evaluate the age of the walls of the mosque and the foundations around it. “We demand for the works to be suspended and for a commission to be appointed in order to investigate it. We also demand the involvement of UNESCO in this process”, Mihail Trendafilov of “Sovest” association said. Trendafilov says that there are documents and testimonies testifying that before the construction of the mosque, there has been an ancient cemetery, constructions of the Roman period and then Saint Nicolas church. VMRO-DPMNE in opposition has also held a protest against the works, saying that