By Nicolas Bard

Lake Doirani is a cross -border, lake fish farmer and a great wetland of Southeast Europe on the border of Greece with Northern Macedonia. Its name comes from the ancient Divares, a Paionic sex that was settled in the area. It is a remnant of ancient Lake Paionia that occupied much larger. Herodotus mentions it under the name “Grassia” and as residents around it with the doors, the Agrians and the Odomas.

The Lake of Doirani is located on the northeast end of Kilkis and while not particularly well known, it stands out both for its great natural beauty and its special history. The Battle of Doirani between the Greek and the Bulgarian troops in 1913 was held in this area. The lake was still the southernmost line of the Macedonian Front of World War I and its southern coast was the theater of yet another battle, this time between the Greek and the Bishop between They were to the east of the lake. Today, on a hill a few hundred meters south of the lake, there is a monument to the battle and two cemeteries for Greek and British soldiers.

1/3 of the Doirani surface belongs to Greece, and the rest to neighboring Skopje, and has been integrated into the Natura 2000 network and is a refuge for many bird species. A total of about 36 species of birds have been recorded, most notably the langon and the silver pelican, which are threatened worldwide. The scene with the silver pelicans flying into groups over the lake, at the same time that the flamingos stand on the banks on the banks is extremely cinematic and magnificent. There are also 10 species of fish in the lake, such as grooves, tsironia, platinums, gobs, butterflies, eels, peaks and carps, and crayfish has also appeared in recent years.

On the other hand, the lake flora includes myriad, river, wild boar and ps, while on the banks we find dense vegetation of brush and dinings. The lake is surrounded by riparian forests, consisting of white willows and plane trees. Characteristics are the climbing plants growing in the trees. In the northeast of the lake, in the Municipal Unit of Mourias, lies the Murias Forest, also known as “a thousand trees”, a remnant of an ancient alluvian forest, which today occupies 590 acres and is an important station for migratory birds. The forest has been described as a monument of nature and consists of oaks, curly, faction and undercover plane trees. In an effort to protect it from excessive tourism development, the place has now been enclosed and is not accessible.

However, a paradoxical phenomenon is observed in this remote region of Greece. At the moment, then, in most lakes in the country, water levels fall, due to drought, temperature rise and intensive irrigation, in Doirani in recent years the lake level has risen! In fact, the banks now reach 200 meters further on land, with the waters covering trees, they rot and create an eerie setting. As a local fisherman explains on his camera where there is Greece, this situation often makes fishing difficult, as they cannot throw nets in these areas because they are tear, the fish are hiding in the trunks, and the boats find obstacles or scratched.