Ohrid

According to the legend an enamored girl, called Biljana, was washing her dowry (hand-made embroidered linens, table cloths, clothes, and others) at a spring of water and when she finished she forgot to close the tap. The water kept pouring all night long and out of it the lake emerged in the middle of the field. This was Ohrid lake. This legend is preserved in the famous song "Biljana washes the cloths". Nowadays there is the water-distribution station at Biljana's springs. From this station the water goes into three different places: Ohrid water pipes, the Hydrobiological institute and Ohrid lake. Ohrid town lies on the coast of the lake. There are 365 churches in Ohrid and the town is also under the protection of UNESCO. The town is also famous for its unique pearls from Ohrid lake and numerous monuments from the ancient, Byzantine and Ottoman period. When you are in Ohrid you can stay in one of the fifteen hotels (Gorica, Metropol, Belvi, Garden, Drim and others), hostels, or camps. Food is delicious, local, made in a traditional way. You will be able to try the best trout in the world. Ohrid trout is an endemic species in the Balakns and in Europe. It is the closest ancestor to the species that lived in this region since the tertiary period. It permanently inhabits Ohrid lake. It spends the day in the deep waters of the lake and places that are far away from the coast, and it raises to the water surface only in the evening when it catches the flies. Sometimes it approaches the coast, the shallow waters, looking for the food among the underwater plants. There are two types of Ohrid trout: letnica and belvica. Belvica lives only in the deepest waters of the lake, up to 200 meters deep, and it reproduces in winter like brown trout. It is not being caught as much anymore and due to this it is assumed that this species is on the verge of extinction. Among the fishes that live in the lake there are also: eel, chub, carp, barbel and small fish plaščica whose flakes are used to make famous Ohrid pearls.