Regione Sudoccidentale

Southwestern Statistical Region's Unmissable Treasures

The Southwestern Statistical Region centers on Lake Ohrid, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the world's oldest lakes. This cultural corridor features the 10th-century Samuil's Fortress and the 2nd-century BC Ancient Theatre. Religious heritage is defined by Byzantine landmarks like the Monastery of Saint Naum and the Church of Saint Sophia, while the Bay of Bones offers a reconstructed prehistoric pile-dwelling settlement. These sites document the region's evolution from antiquity through the medieval era of Slavic enlightenment.

Southwestern Statistical Region's Unmissable Treasures — Mappa

Rašo / CC BY-SA 3.0

A

Monument St. Clement Ohridski

Saint Clement of Ohrid was one of the first medieval Bulgarian saints, scholar, writer, and apostle to the Slavs.

idobi / CC BY-SA 3.0

B

Lake Ohrid

Lake Ohrid is a lake which straddles the mountainous border between the southwestern part of North Macedonia and eastern Albania.

Rašo / CC BY-SA 3.0

C

Samuil's Fortress

Samuel's Fortress is a fortress in the old town of Ohrid, North Macedonia.

D

Monastery of Saint Naum

The Monastery of Saint Naum is a Macedonian Orthodox monastery. It is named after the medieval Bulgarian writer and enlightener Saint Naum…

Karel Smolka / CC BY-SA 4.0

E

St. Clement and Panteleimon

The Church of Saints Clement and Panteleimon is a Byzantine church situated on Plaošnik in Ohrid, North Macedonia.

Sygic Travel User / CC-BY-SA

F

St. John Kaneo

13th-century Byzantine church situated on a cliff overlooking Kaneo Beach and Lake Ohrid. It features a cruciform plan with an octagonal dome and architectural influences from both Byzantine and Armenian styles.

Bilgen / CC-BY-SA

G

Ancient Theatre

The Ancient theatre of Ohrid is located in Ohrid, North Macedonia. It was built in 200 BC and is the only Hellenistic-type theatre in the…

Rašo / CC BY-SA 3.0

H

Plaoshnik

Plaošnik or simply Plaoš is an archaeological site and holy place in Ohrid, North Macedonia, located 250 meters below Samuil's Fortress.

Petar Milošević / CC BY 3.0 rs

I

Monument to St. Naum of Ohrid

Naum, also known as Naum of Ohrid or Naum of Preslav, was a medieval Bulgarian writer and missionary among the Slavs, considered one of the…

Thomas Hönicke / CC-BY-SA

J

Church of St. Sophia

Originally built in the 11th century as the cathedral for the Archbishopric of Ohrid, this church contains significant medieval frescoes and served as a mosque during the Ottoman period before its restoration.

K

Basilica

Remains of an Early Christian tetranched church dating from the 4th to 6th centuries. The site is notable for its preserved floor mosaics featuring geometric patterns and symbolic iconography.

Sygic Travel User / CC-BY-SA

L

Bay of Bones

An archaeological complex and museum on Lake Ohrid featuring a reconstruction of a prehistoric pile-dwelling settlement. It displays artifacts recovered from the lake bed dating back to the Bronze and Iron Ages.

M

Robev Family House

A 19th-century landmark of traditional Ottoman-Macedonian urban architecture. The three-story residence now serves as a museum housing archaeological finds and historical items related to the prominent Robev family.