Old town of Ohrid seen from Lake Ohrid through time

Ohrid 1913–2015 16 photos of this spot

16 photographs taken at the same spot in Ohrid, spanning 1913–2015 — 7 of them from before 1980. Line them up and watch the place change.

Another 1913 view of the Ohrid lakeshore, taken as the Balkan Wars redrew the borders of the region. The town, known in antiquity as Lychnidos and later called Achris, sits on the eastern bank of Lake Ohrid in present-day North Macedonia.

EU: Balkan Wars - Achris/Ohrid lakeshore view (1913) 1913 Another 1913 view of the Ohrid lakeshore, taken as the Balkan Wars redrew the borders of the region. The town, known in antiquity as Lychnidos and later called Achris, sits on the eastern bank of Lake Ohrid in present-day North Macedonia.

EU: Balkan Wars - Ohrid lakeside houses (AMAK.178) (1913) 1913 Houses built directly above the water line the shore of Lake Ohrid in this 1913 photograph, taken during the Balkan Wars period when the town changed hands from Ottoman to Serbian rule. Ohrid's old quarter is known for such closely packed lakeside dwellings.

EU: Balkan Wars - Ohrid lakeside cliff view (AMAK.181) (1913) 1913 Houses perched on the cliffs above Lake Ohrid appear in this 1913 photograph from the Balkan Wars era. The steep lakeside terrain shaped the layout of Ohrid's old town, which overlooks the lake from North Macedonia's western edge.

EU: Balkan Wars, Ohrid lakeside view (1913) 1913 Lake Ohrid stretches beneath the old town in this 1913 photograph taken amid the Balkan Wars. The lake, one of Europe's oldest and deepest, has bordered Ohrid since antiquity and remains the town's defining feature.

EU: Balkan Wars, Ohrid old town from the lake (1913) 1913 Ohrid's old town rises from the water in this 1913 image, seen from out on the lake during the Balkan Wars. Densely built houses climb the hillside toward the town's Ottoman-era quarter overlooking Lake Ohrid.

EU: Balkan Wars - Ohrid lakeside houses and boat (1913) 1913 A small boat sits near the lakeside houses of Ohrid in this 1913 photograph from the Balkan Wars period. Fishing and small-boat traffic were part of everyday life along Lake Ohrid's shore for the town's residents.

EU: Balkan Wars - Ohrid cliffside houses over the lake (1913) 1913 Cliffside houses overlook Lake Ohrid in this 1913 photograph, taken as the Balkan Wars brought the town under Serbian control after centuries of Ottoman rule. The dramatic drop from town to shoreline is characteristic of Ohrid's old quarter.

Стариот дел од градот Охрид ,The old town of Ohrid 1 2015 A bronze statue stands in the foreground of this 2015 photograph, with the old town of Ohrid rising behind it in tiers of red-tiled roofs along a wooded hillside. Telecommunication masts are visible on the ridge above the houses, which follow the traditional style of stone lower floors and overhanging wooden upper stories.

Old town of Ohrid seen from Lake Ohrid 2015 Seen from the water in 2015, the old town of Ohrid occupies a rocky headland above Lake Ohrid, its red-tiled roofs stacked along the slope beneath a wooded summit. Small boats are moored near the base of the cliff, close to a lakeside cafe marked by red umbrellas.

Стариот дел од градот Охрид ,The old town of Ohrid 2 2015 Sunlight scatters across the surface of Lake Ohrid in this 2015 photograph, taken looking toward the old town perched on a rocky cliff. Terracotta-roofed houses climb the wooded hillside above a waterfront lined with red cafe umbrellas and small docked boats.

Стариот дел од градот Охрид ,The old town of Ohrid 4 2015 This 2015 view across Lake Ohrid shows the old town's houses clustered along a steep, rocky promontory, their red-tiled roofs and wooden balconies rising above the shoreline. A passenger boat and several small craft are visible on the water near the base of the cliff.

Старiот дел од градот Охрид, The old town of Ohrid 1 2015 A statue overlooks the old town of Ohrid in this 2015 photograph, with rows of red-roofed houses climbing the hillside behind it among trees and antenna masts. The layered rooftops reflect the traditional architecture of the North Macedonian lakeside town.

Starioт del od gradot Ohrid, The old town of Ohrid 2 2015 Taken in 2015, this photograph looks across sunlit, glare-streaked water toward Ohrid's old town, built on a rocky cliff above Lake Ohrid. Red umbrellas mark a waterfront cafe at the base of the promontory, below houses with red-tiled roofs set among trees.

Old town of Ohrid, waterfront panorama 2015 The old town of Ohrid rises on a rocky headland above Lake Ohrid, its traditional houses with red-tiled roofs stacked along the hillside. Sunlight glints across the water in the foreground, while a lakeside terrace with red umbrellas sits at the base of the cliff. Taken in 2015, the photograph captures the town's compact waterfront.

Old town of Ohrid 4 2015 Small fishing and pleasure boats are moored near the shoreline beneath Ohrid's old town, where whitewashed houses with terracotta roofs climb a limestone cliff above Lake Ohrid. A passenger boat waits at a nearby jetty in this 2015 photograph of the North Macedonian lakeside town.

Old town of Ohrid, rooftops (2015) 2015 A statue stands in the foreground before the hillside old town of Ohrid, its densely packed houses and red-tiled roofs rising toward wooded hills marked by radio masts. Photographed in 2015, the image offers a townscape view of Ohrid, North Macedonia, looking up from near the lakeshore.