Urban Economy of the City of Ohrid (19th C - 20th C)

Ohrid took a special place among the Bulgarian cities in the past and even now it still has been keeping a part of its Bulgarian character. Ohrid's history has been studied from different perspectives. The city's economic history however is less known. The paper presented here makes a brief overview of the Ohrid's socio-economic development during the National Revival Age (notably its proper and late phases (1830-1912)) and the following decades of shifting political regimes in the first half of 20th century. The main reviewed topics are: the economic structure of Ohrid in the Revival Age, the exclusively important role of the furriery and the furriers' community in the 19th century urban life, the crisis of trades in the end of that century, the use of the Ohrid lake's water resources (fishing, transport, production of Ohrid pearl) in the first half of the 20th c., the rise of the tourist branch in the local economy, and, in conclusion, the economical perspectives in front of the Ohrid's citizens.