Golem Grad ( mk, Голем Град), meaning ''Big City/Town'', also known as Snake Island, is an island in
North Macedonia
North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...
. The island covers an area of more than 20
hectares
The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is ab ...
.
It is located in
Lake Prespa
The Lake Prespa is located on the tripoint of North Macedonia, Albania, and Greece. It is a system of two lakes separated by an isthmus: the Great Prespa Lake, divided between the three countries, and the Little Prespa Lake, mostly within Greece ...
, a few kilometers from the
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
and
Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
n border. Golem Grad is home to several ancient ruins and churches. It is also home to several different communities of animals, especially snakes. In August 2008, the island opened to tourists.
Description
Golem Grad has an area of 20 hectares and is 600 meters long and 350 meters wide.
The island is currently uninhabited and has been so since the mid-20th century, when the small monastic community left the island.
The island can only be reached by boat. The village of
Konjsko is closest to the island with about two kilometers of water between the two.
See also
*
Lake Prespa
The Lake Prespa is located on the tripoint of North Macedonia, Albania, and Greece. It is a system of two lakes separated by an isthmus: the Great Prespa Lake, divided between the three countries, and the Little Prespa Lake, mostly within Greece ...
*
List of islands of North Macedonia
This is a list of islands of the Republic of Macedonia. Since the country is landlocked, all its islands are situated in lakes or rivers. The largest island in Macedonia is Golem Grad in Prespa Lake with an area of , and also the only one fou ...
*
Maligrad
Maligrad ( sq, Maligrad, also ''Qytet i Vogël'' "small city"; mk, Мал Град, ''Mal Grad'' "small city/town") is an island situated deep within the Albanian part of Lake Prespa, with many caves suitable for wildlife and a circular
cliff. ...
References
External links
*
Website about Golem Grad island
{{Authority control
Islands of North Macedonia
Archaeological sites in North Macedonia
Resen Municipality
Lake islands of Europe