Lake Orestiada
Encyclopedia
Lake Orestiada or Lake Kastoria is a lake
in the Kastoria Prefecture
of Macedonia
, northwestern Greece
. Sitting at an altitude of 630 meters, the lake covers an area of 28 square kilometers.
Nine rivulets flow into the lake. Its depth varies from nine to ten meters. The Orestida was formed ca. 10 mya ago. The Kastoria Peninsula (with the town of Kastoria
) 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 and the reconstructed prehistoric settlement of Dispilio
, where the Dispilio Tablet
was retrieved from the lake in 1992.
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
in the Kastoria Prefecture
Kastoria Prefecture
Kastoria is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of West Macedonia. Its capital is the town of Kastoria.-Geography:...
of Macedonia
Macedonia (Greece)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of Greece in Southern Europe. Macedonia is the largest and second most populous Greek region...
, northwestern Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. Sitting at an altitude of 630 meters, the lake covers an area of 28 square kilometers.
Nine rivulets flow into the lake. Its depth varies from nine to ten meters. The Orestida was formed ca. 10 mya ago. The Kastoria Peninsula (with the town of Kastoria
Kastoria
Kastoria is a city in northern Greece in the periphery of West Macedonia. It is the capital of Kastoria peripheral unit. It is situated on a promontory on the western shore of Lake Orestiada, in a valley surrounded by limestone mountains...
) 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 and the reconstructed prehistoric settlement of Dispilio
Dispilio
Dispilio is an archaeological site containing remains of a Neolithic lakeshore settlement that occupied an artificial island near the modern village of Dispilio on Lake Orestiada in Kastoria Prefecture, Macedonia, Greece....
, where the Dispilio Tablet
Dispilio Tablet
The Dispilio Tablet is a wooden tablet bearing inscribed markings , unearthed during George Hourmouziadis's excavations of Dispilio in Greece and carbon 14-dated to about 7300 BP...
was retrieved from the lake in 1992.