Mixed
Patrimoine naturel et culturel de la région d’Ohrid
Photo : Muneeb h.hashmi (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Located in North Macedonia, this mixed heritage site encompasses the natural and cultural patrimony surrounding Lake Ohrid, one of Europe's oldest and deepest lakes. The region represents a significant area of biodiversity, hosting numerous endemic species of flora and fauna that have adapted to the lake's unique ecosystem over millennia. The cultural landscape includes ancient settlements, Byzantine churches, and Ottoman-period architecture that reflect the territory's complex historical development and the successive civilizations that inhabited the region. The site's inscription as a mixed property recognizes both the geological and ecological value of the lake system and the outstanding cultural monuments distributed across its shores. The visual character of the region is defined by the interplay between the water body and surrounding mountains, combined with the presence of historic towns such as Ohrid, which retains medieval and early modern urban patterns. This combination of natural significance and cultural heritage makes the area an important testimony to the interaction between human societies and their environment across different historical periods.
