Pogradec

Pogradec is a lakeside city on Albania’s shore of Lake Ohrid, in Korçë County in the southeast of the country, around 139km from Tirana and 40km from Korçë, and just 5km from the North Macedonia border.

Pogradec is the largest city on the Albanian side of Lake Ohrid, known for its waterfront promenades and easy lakeside access, making it a favoured quiet destination for lakeside walks, nature, and local cultural experiences.

The area’s settlement history dates back to the Neolithic period, with archaeological evidence of human habitation from around 6000 BCE, later inhabited by Illyrian tribes such as the Encheleans from around the 8th-7th centuries BCE. A notable 2023 archaeological discovery at the nearby Lin site revealed Europe’s oldest known prehistoric lake-shore settlement, dating to approximately 8,500 years ago.

This information was verified on 6 August 2026.