Residents block Lake Ohrid at Lagadin with SUP boards, protest contested hotel

On August 23, 2026 residents of Lagadin staged a blockade on Lake Ohrid using stand-up paddleboards (SUPs), temporarily diverting boats, speedboats and jet skis near the shore. The action aimed to press authorities to enforce navigation rules and improve safety along the lakeside.

The initiative was organized by the local group Star Lagadin with backing from the environmental group ZELENA NARODNA STRAŽA (Green People's Guard). Organizers say they resorted to the protest after what they describe as insufficient response from responsible institutions.

Demands and warnings

Protesters urged stronger measures to protect Lake Ohrid and its coastline, and questioned institutional inaction: "Does a tragedy have to happen before institutions start enforcing the laws?"

They warned about the risks of uncontrolled urban development in Lagadin and criticized delays in implementing UNESCO's recommendations, saying the long postponement of protective measures has worsened the situation in the Ohrid region.

The demonstrators listed concrete demands: respect for the Law on Internal Navigation, penalties for violators, clear marking of the limits of navigation channels, marked pedestrian crossings and traffic signs to regulate speed in populated lakeside settlements, immediate adoption of a coastal spatial plan and an investigation into the reasons for its delay. They also called for an anti-corruption probe into the issuance of the building permit for the contested hotel in Lagadin and the removal of all illegal structures inside the UNESCO-protected area.

Residents additionally warned that the disputed hotel is being expanded and that the owner is attempting to appropriate the beach, a development that, they say, underlines the urgency of institutional action and oversight.

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