Lake Orestiada or Lake of Kastoria ( el, Λίμνη Ορεστιάδα) is a

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

in the Kastoria regional unit of Macedonia, northwestern

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

. Sitting at an altitude of 630 metres, the lake covers an area of 28 square kilometres. Nine rivulets flow into the lake, and it drains into the

Haliacmon The Haliacmon ( el, Αλιάκμονας, ''Aliákmonas''; formerly: , ''Aliákmon'' or ''Haliákmōn'') is the longest river flowing entirely in Greece, with a total length of . In Greece there are three rivers longer than Haliakmon, Maritsa ( el ...

river. Its depth varies from nine to ten metres. The Orestida was formed about 10

million years ago The abbreviation Myr, "million years", is a unit of a quantity of (i.e. ) years, or 31.556926 teraseconds. Usage Myr (million years) is in common use in fields such as Earth science and cosmology. Myr is also used with Mya (million years ago). ...

.{{Citation needed, date=April 2019 The Kastoria Peninsula (with the town of

Kastoria Kastoria ( el, Καστοριά, ''Kastoriá'' ) is a city in northern Greece in the modern regions of Greece, region of Western Macedonia. It is the capital of Kastoria (regional unit), Kastoria regional unit, in the Geographic regions of Gree ...

) divides the lake into two parts, the larger to the north and the smaller to the south. The lake takes its name from the Oreiades. Lakeside attractions include, apart from the Byzantine architectural heritage of the town, an 11th-century Byzantine

monastery of Panagia Mavriotissa The Monastery of Panagia Mavriotissa ( el, Παναγία Μαυριώτισσα) is a monastery that is built on the spot where troops of Byzantine military commander George Palaiologos encircled the attacking Normans in 1083. It is believed that ...

and the reconstructed prehistoric settlement of

Dispilio Dispilio ( el, Δισπηλιό) is a village near Lake Orestiada, in the Kastoria regional unit of Western Macedonia, Greece. Near the village is an archaeological site containing remains of a Neolithic lakeshore settlement that occupied an art ...

, where the Dispilio Tablet was retrieved from the lake in 1992. The lake is known to freeze in winters.

Pictures

File:Road next to Orestias Lake in Kastoria Prefecture.jpg, Road close to the lake File:Kastoria by the Lake gnkeris.jpg, View to the town File:Wonterful pround pelekan.jpg,

Dalmatian pelican The Dalmatian pelican (''Pelecanus crispus'') is the largest member of the pelican family, and perhaps the world's largest freshwater bird, although rivaled in weight and length by the largest swans. They are elegant soaring birds, with wingspan ...

at lake Orestiada File:Kastoria-nikon-4829-ok.jpg,

Eurasian coot The Eurasian coot (''Fulica atra''), also known as the common coot, or Australian coot, is a member of the rail and crake bird family, the Rallidae. It is found in Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and parts of North Africa. It has a slaty-bla ...

s at lake Orestiada File:Kastoria-nikon-4804-ok.jpg,

Black headed gull The black-headed gull (''Chroicocephalus ridibundus'') is a small gull that breeds in much of the Palearctic including Europe and also in coastal eastern Canada. Most of the population is migratory and winters further south, but some birds re ...

s at lake Orestiada File:Kastoria-nikon-4813-ok.jpg,

Mute swan The mute swan (''Cygnus olor'') is a species of swan and a member of the waterfowl family Anatidae. It is native to much of Eurosiberia, and (as a rare winter visitor) the far north of Africa. It is an introduced species in North America, home ...

swimming at lake Orestiada File:P1670128b.jpg, View to the lake

Bibliography

1830 Map

Orestiada Orestiada ( el, Ορεστιάδα, formerly , ''Nea Orestiás''), is the northeasternmost, northernmost and newest city of Greece and the second largest town of the Evros regional unit of Thrace. Founded by Greek refugees from Edirne after the ...

Landforms of Kastoria (regional unit) Kastoria Landforms of Western Macedonia

Pictures

See also

Bibliography