UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Albania

UNESCO's Description

A superlative natural phenomenon, Lake Ohrid provides a refuge for numerous endemic species of freshwater fauna and flora dating from the Tertiary period. Situated on the shores of the lake, the town of Ohrid is one of the oldest human settlements in Europe. Built mainly between the 7th and 19th centuries, it has the oldest Slav monastery (St Pantelejmon) and more than 800 Byzantine-style icons dating from the 11th to the end of the 14th century. In the shallow waters near the shores of the lake, three sites testify to the presence of prehistoric pile dwellings, and the small Lin Peninsula is the site of the remains of an Early Christian church founded in the middle of the 6th century.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

Geography

Lake Ohrid is one of the oldest lakes in the world, and with a maximum depth of 288 metres (945 ft) and mean depth of 155 m (509 ft), it is the deepest lake in the Balkans. It covers an area of 358 square kilometres (138 sq mi) and contains an estimated 55.49 cubic kilometres (45 million acre-feet) of water. The lake is 30.4 km (18.9 mi) long and 14.8 km (9.2 mi) wide at its maximum extent, with a shoreline of 87.53 km (54.39 mi).

64% of Lake Ohrid's shoreline and 69% of its surface area are within North Macedonia, whereas 36% of the shoreline and 31% of the surface area fall within Albania.

Hydrology

The lake drains an area of around 2,600 km² and is fed primarily by underground springs on the eastern shore (about 50% of total inflow), with roughly 25% shares from rivers and direct precipitation. Over 20% of the lake's water comes from nearby Lake Prespa, about 10 km (6.2 mi) to the southeast and at 150 m higher altitude than Lake Ohrid. The water leaves Lake Prespa trickling through underground watercourses in the karstic landscape, where it is joined by mountain range precipitation and eventually emerges in numerous springs along the eastern shore and below the water surface of Lake Ohrid. The water leaves Lake Ohrid by evaporation (~40%) and through its only outlet, the Black Drin River, which flows in a northerly direction into Albania and thus to the Adriatic Sea.

Socio-economy

The prehistoric pile-dwelling near Lin in Pogradec, Albania, is Europe's oldest of its kind, as confirmed by University of Bern specialists. Archaeologists from Albania and Switzerland have been excavating remains on the Ohrid Lake shore and underwater. This settlement, over 8,500 years old, developed agriculture 8,000–9,000 years ago, playing a key role in spreading farming practices across Europe. The Lin site predates similar Swiss sites by over 2,000 years.

There are three cities on the lake's shores: Ohrid and Struga on the Macedonian side; and Pogradec in Albania. There are also several fishing villages, although tourism is now a more significant part of their income.

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q156258 (CC0).

UNESCO's Description

Inhabited since prehistoric times, Butrint has been the site of a Greek colony, a Roman city and a bishopric. Following a period of prosperity under Byzantine administration, then a brief occupation by the Venetians, the city was abandoned in the late Middle Ages after marshes formed in the area. The present archaeological site is a repository of ruins representing each period in the city’s development.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

History

The earliest archaeological evidence of settled occupation dates to between 10th and 8th centuries BC, although some claim that there is earlier evidence of habitation dating from the 12th century BC.

Excavation at Bouthroton has yielded Proto-Corinthian pottery of the 7th century and then Corinthian and Attic pottery of the 6th century, however there are no indications of a prehistoric settlement. Bouthroton was in a strategically important position due its access to the Straits of Corfu, and its location at the crossroads of mainland Greece and Magna Graecia, the Greek and the "barbarian" worlds. Thus, it became one of the two ancient ports in lower Chaonia, the other being Onchesmos (modern Sarandë).

Ecclesiastical history

In the early 6th century, Buthrotum became the seat of a bishopric and new construction included the Buthrotum baptistery, one of the largest such paleochristian buildings of its type, and a basilica. The diocese of Buthrotum was initially a suffragan of the Metropolis of Nicopolis, the metropolitan capital of Epirus Vetus and in the papal sway, but in the 9th and 10th centuries it is listed with the suffragans of Naupaktos, which succeeded ruined Nicopolis as provincial capital and metropolis of the new Byzantine theme of Nicopolis, bringing it in the sway of the Byzantine Patriarchate of Constantinople. After the 14th century, it was under the jurisdiction of the Metropolis of Ioannina.

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q188694 (CC0).

Visiting Butrint

Sarandë, the gateway to southern Coastal Albania, is a small town of about 33,000 inhabitants, situated on a beautiful horseshoe bay between the mountains and the Ionian Sea. The name Sarandë is derived from an early Christian monastery dedicated to Agioi Saranta (Forty Saints). In antiquity, Sarandë was known as Onchesmus.

Opposite the Greek island of Corfu, Sarandë is characterized by a Mediterranean climate and warm sea waters. Sarandë typically has over 300 sunny days a year. Due to its location and warm weather, Sarandë is one of the most attractive tourist towns on the Albanian Riviera, where honeymooners traditionally spend their holidays. Fronting the sea and along the main promenade, there are some hotels and restaurants.

Nearby Butrint is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Sarandë (CC BY-SA 4.0).

UNESCO's Description

Berat and Gjirokastra are inscribed as rare examples of an architectural character typical of the Ottoman period. Located in central Albania, Berat bears witness to the coexistence of various religious and cultural communities down the centuries. It features a castle, locally known as the Kala, most of which was built in the 13th century, although its origins date back to the 4th century BC. The citadel area numbers many Byzantine churches, mainly from the 13th century, as well as several mosques built under the Ottoman era which began in 1417. Gjirokastra, in the Drinos river valley in southern Albania, features a series of outstanding two-story houses which were developed in the 17th century. The town also retains a bazaar, an 18th-century mosque and two churches of the same period.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

UNESCO's Description

This transnational property includes 93 component parts in 18 countries. Since the end of the last Ice Age, European Beech spread from a few isolated refuge areas in the Alps, Carpathians, Dinarides, Mediterranean and Pyrenees over a short period of a few thousand years in a process that is still ongoing. The successful expansion across a whole continent is related to the tree’s adaptability and tolerance of different climatic, geographical and physical conditions.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q156011 (CC0).

Visiting Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe

The Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe is a world heritage site. First listed in 2007 and only including forests in Slovakia and Ukraine, it has been expanded in 2011 and 2017 and on both occasions its name was changed to reflect the extent of the site. As of 2017 it's made up of 78 forests in 12 countries around Central, Southern and Eastern Europe.

Trees can live to a hundred years old in these forests, providing an important habitat for organisms such as mushrooms, moss, lichen, insects, rare birds (e.g., capercaillie and black grouse) and mammals (e.g., bats, brown bear, wolf and lynx).

Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Beech forests of Europe (CC BY-SA 4.0).