Golem Grad

40.868555620.9890556Koordinaten: 40 ° 52 'N, 20 ° 59 ' E

Golem Grad ( Macedonian Голем Град to German Big City ), also known as Snake Island, is a 0.18 km ² large island in the Macedonian part of the Great Prespa near the tri-border region of Macedonia, Albania, Greece. The island is located in the administrative district of Resen, the nearest place Konjsko is about four kilometers away.

Nature reserve

The 18 -acre Golem Grad is about 600 m long and 350 m wide. The rocky on the coast and in the interior covered by countless small stones island is uninhabited and is a nature reserve. In addition to some craggy caves in the rocks of the cliff you can find on the coast numerous colonies of pelicans and other water birds. The interior of the densely forested island is now again the refuge of many snake species. For reptiles, this uninhabited island an ideal habitat, small mammals and rodents are therefore rarely found. Another special feature is the large number of feral old crops, trees and shrubs. The island was in 1958 recognized by the Macedonian state nature reserve. This was what we today Galičica National Park, which includes the entire Galičica Mountains and the Lake Prespa belong. Since August 2008, the island is open to tourism, there were three piers created.

History

The island was inhabited more than 2500 years ago by people who first settlers used this place probably preferred to fish. In Roman times, the island was about ten kilometers south of the Via Egnatia and was used as a farm. The island has since the fifth century to retreat from early Christian monks. They used the place as an island monastery and built seven churches and chapels. Of these, there are the ruins of St. Peter, St. Dimitrija St. Atanas, St. George and St. Ilya visit. The island served as a hideout by smugglers always and retreat of resistance fighters, for example, in the battles with the Ottomans, in the wars of independence and during the Second World War as a hideout by partisans.

As a result of the boundary layer to Greece and Albania recolonization of the island was omitted. Since the 1960s, scientific research and archaeological excavations have been carried out, they later formed the basis of the designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Archaeological monuments

In Roman times, was a Roman villa in the center of the island and in the southern part, at some distance to the foundation walls of storage and farm buildings and a cistern could be exposed. During the excavations the remains of the monastery churches were investigated and documented.