Modern buildings in Ohrid

Ohrid is an ancient city and if you are into history, this is the reason for visiting . From every period possible, you can find accessible history in shape of a museum or building. If you are an architect or architect lover, follow this text and I will reveal to you two beautiful modern public buildings in Ohrid.

Dom na Kultura in Ohrid

This building is a cultural center in Ohrid designed by the famous Macedonian architect Zivko Poposki (He is the author of the GTC building in Skopje). It is built in 1959. The building is located near to the main square and with the main facade that is made of an orange brick facing the lake. The side facade, that is serving as an entrance to the City library and to the Ohrid Summer festival manifestation offices, is white and clean of elements. This facade is open toward a green yard that is a common park at the same time.

The East facade, sometimes during summers is used as an open summer cinema since it’s plane with no openings and the big wall is transforming into a screen. This cultural center is a place where two scenes are taking place- one big- the main one, and a smaller one- the service one. The Ohrid theatre group, that is successfully active the last decades is situated here and it’s a real treat to visit this place from time to time. Exhibitions of local artists, workshops for arts are held in this object. The value of the building is not just on an architectural monument level. It also gives the opportunity for the art life to stay alive in Ohrid.

Hotel Palas

Hotel "Palace" in Ohrid was built in 1958 and designed by the Edo Mihjevac, one of the most prominent Slovenian architects from the middle of the 20th century.

Over the years, "Palace" has become one of the hotspots of social life in the city, making this building an inseparable part of the memory of the citizens of Ohrid. Unfortunately, the hotel has been closed for many years. Lately, there are rumors of its restarting. Located on a plot of land with an impressive surface of almost 15000 m2, the complex is composed of the main hotel block parallel to the lake shore, whose southern facade is a grid formed by the deep lodges of the hotel rooms, and a separate building for a cafe and nightclub. The structure is built around a spacious courtyard with a luxurious horticultural arrangement. It is obvious that the opening of the views towards the lake is an imperative in the overall shaping of the object.

Through the renovation of the hotel in the seventies, some of the elements that were characteristic for this object, like open roof terrace, got lost, and the rooftop transformed into rooms.

What we can witness today is an empty, and still, the astonishing yard where you can spend one afternoon gazing in the lake and absorbing the peace from the surrounding.