A romantic lake promenade and swans swimming in their tranquility.
Sounds like poetry, and such is the old town of Pogradec, which in addition to the elegant touch, it has a history over its shoulders and it starts with the castle on the hill.
Pogradec and the area near it, were important settlements in antiquity. This area was inhabited by Illyrian tribes 500 years before the birth of Christ. According to antiquity sources, this area was inhabited by the Illyrian tribes of Enkelej and Desaret. In this region at the end of the V century (BC), a powerful Illyrian state was formed, with settlements and castles around Lake Ohrid such as: Enkelana, Lyhnidos, Pelion, Sation, Baos, etc.
These tribes played an important role in the Illyrian-Macedonian and Illyrian-Roman wars. The ancient Egnatia road, which connected Rome with Constantinople, passed through this area in antiquity. On the hill, above the city is the place called Pogradec Castle.
The castle has been inhabited since the 5th century BC (BC). It was inhabited until the 10th century, after which the inhabitants descended closer to the Lake, which the Romans called Lyhnidos, which means Lake of Light. The castle is located in the western part of the city of Pogradec, at an altitude of 205 m above the level of Lake Ohrid. It has been inhabited since the century V BC, while in the century IV BC was equipped with defensive walls. It had a residential age of 1400 years, being an early Illyrian-Albanian castle.
In the second half of the century. II p.l.K, during the Illyrian-Roman-Macedonian wars, the settlement is destroyed by a powerful fire, which may have been caused during a battle between opposing forces. This is also confirmed by archeological excavations, which have identified traces of a layer of ash belonging to the cultural layer of the century. II p.l.K. Today, the castle is accessible to all visitors staying in the lake and poetry town.
It is unfortunate that today there are only ruins left in this ancient place, but if you decide to climb up the hill to touch this historical place, the fatigue will not go in vain, because you will enjoy a beautiful panorama of the city bathing on the shores of Lake Ohrid.