Lake Prespa

Lore & Background

In Classical times, the Prespa region was part of ancient Lynkestis, and the lakes were called Little and Great Brygeis. During the 10th century, Tsar Samuel built a fortress and church on an island in Little Prespa Lake. The largest island in Great Prespa Lake, Golem Grad, is now uninhabited, as is Mal Grad in Albania, which holds a ruined 14th-century monastery. The lakes are connected by a canal on the western side of the isthmus, and Great Prespa Lake drains through underground karst channels into Lake Ohrid.

In the 1970s, Albania diverted the Devoll River for irrigation, but contrary to some claims, the Devoll does not feed Little Prespa Lake; its main water sources are the Agios Germanos stream and other local inflows. The Greek part of Little Prespa Lake covers around 4,680 hectares, not the much smaller figure sometimes cited. Great Prespa Lake lost seven percent of its surface area and half its volume from 1984 to 2020. The Greek part of the region was militarily sensitive and underpopulated for many years, seeing fierce fighting during the Greek Civil War, and only began developing tourism in the 1970s.

In 2018, Great Prespa Lake was the setting for the signing of the Prespa Agreement, which resolved the Macedonia naming dispute by renaming the Republic of Macedonia to North Macedonia. The ceremony took place at the Greek border village of Psarades, and afterward the Greek and Macedonian prime ministers crossed the border for a symbolic lunch at Oteševo.

Reader's Guide

Lake Prespa holds significance as a unique transboundary ecosystem and a site of geopolitical importance. Its designation as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2014 highlights its ecological value, while the 2018 Prespa Agreement signed on its shores resolved a long-standing naming dispute between Greece and North Macedonia. The lake system supports endemic fish species and is recognized as an Important Bird Area for species such as Dalmatian pelicans and pygmy cormorants. Conservation efforts, including the work of the Society for the Protection of Prespa, earned a Ramsar Wetland Conservation Award in 1999. However, the lakes face environmental challenges from water diversion and reduced water levels, as seen in the drastic shrinkage of Little Prespa Lake since the 1970s. The region's history, from ancient Lynkestis to the 10th-century fortress of Tsar Samuel, adds cultural depth. The uninhabited islands of Golem Grad and Mal Grad preserve medieval ruins. Overall, Lake Prespa serves as a case study in transboundary cooperation, ecological fragility, and the interplay of nature and politics.

Did You Know?

• Lake Prespa is the highest tectonic lake system in the Balkans, at 853 meters elevation.
• The 2018 Prespa Agreement, which renamed the Republic of Macedonia to North Macedonia, was signed on the shore of Great Prespa Lake.
• The Greek part of Little Prespa Lake covers about 4,680 hectares, and its main water source is the Agios Germanos stream, not the Devoll River.
• Only 11 native fish species are known from the lake, 9 of which are endemic.