Macedonia: a country of natural beauty, rich culture, long history, and great tradition

Source: AuthenticTraveling

Macedonia is often in the focus of interest lately because of its name, although this neighboring country, I think, deserves to be recognized and valued as a land of exceptional tourism potentials, natural beauty, rich tradition, excellent culture and interesting history. Somehow it seems to be shifted to the maps of (cultural) tourism from some other "more popular" (or marketing-exposed) states in the Balkans, although it has many good sides with which it can be quite equal.

A few years ago I had the opportunity to spend two extraordinary weeks at the International Summer School of the Ohrid University. Its subject was dealing with Byzantium in the Balkans as a point and a place where the East and the West meet and split. I learned many important things, heard eminent experts from this field, met wonderful hosts and colleagues from different countries with whom I am still in contact.

About the Ohrid itself, which recently has become an interesting tourist destination for our tourists, I will write on some other occasion. It is enough to say that the city and the lake itself have been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1980 to realize that this area deserves a visit not only for the purpose of day and night lying on the beach and swimming in the lake but also for other reasons such as rich history and tradition, cultural goods, exceptional manifestations, pearls of nature, religious buildings ...

One day we had been given the free activity time. The local operator offered us an all-day tour along the Ohrid Lake through the National Park Galichica to the Prespa Lake and the village of Kurbinovo, through the National Park Pelister to Malovishte, the site of Heraclea Lyncestis and Bitola. If I didn’t personally cross this path, I wouldn’t believe that a person in just one (short) day can experience things like swimming in the lake, driving about two thousand meters above sea level, visiting one of the most important sacral objects in Macedonia, getting to know the village of the ethnic minority, meeting with ancient heritage and staying in the so-called "City of Consuls".

Prespa Lake

Prespa Lake (altitude of about 850m) consists of a number of lakes belonging to Macedonia, Greece, and Albania. Since it is only 10 km away from the Ohrid Lake and is located 150 meters above sea level, the water flows from the tectonic Prespa Lake through the underground limestone canals into the Ohrid Lake (the famous Biljana's springs at the Saint Naum Monastery are just one of these basins). Its greatest depth is 54 meters. Due to a large number of endemic species of flora and fauna, the area around the lake, surrounded by three national parks, has been proclaimed a transboundary nature park. Prespa Lake is one of the three largest lakes in the Balkans (and the only one with islands and peninsulas), with an area of nearly 300 km2.

                                                                Source: ViaBalkans

Unlike the Ohrid Lake, whose beaches are full of cafes, restaurants, discotheques and hotels, here you will find a completely different picture: small fishing villages, wide sandy beaches, fisherman’s boats, numerous hiking trails, macadam roads, rich cultural heritage, authentic food, almost untouched nature, and the freshest air in the nearby mountain meadows ... If you are looking for good and rich content, simply a more urban space for your vacation, you should decide for the Ohrid Lake. But if you want to escape from a bustle of modern life, return completely to nature and have a more relaxed and comfortable holiday, then your choice must definitely be the Prespa Lake.

Monastery of St. George (Kurbinovo)

Source: PanaCom

When you are already in the neighborhood of Prespa Lake, don’t accidentally bypass the picturesque village of Kurbinovo with about 140 inhabitants in the National Park Pelister, which is best known for the Monastery of St. George from 1191. His frescoes are the highlight of painting art from the Age of Byzantine art of the Komnenos dynasty in Macedonia. The picture of Saint Archangel Gabriel is particularly important (it can be found even on the back of a Macedonian banknote), as well as the depiction of St. Methodius, which is believed to be the oldest in the entire Slovene-Byzantine world. It is interesting that the church was built of broken stones and bricks, and that there is no dome. It is a single-nave building with gable roof.

Malovishte

Our neighbors Macedonians would surely have to protect this village, in which it looks like time is frozen! It is located in the area of the National Park Pelister and 1130 meters above sea level. Malovishte has been existing since the 16th century. According to the last census, the village consists of 98 inhabitants, most of them are the Orthodox believers. It has a huge church of St. Petka (since it was once inhabited by Greek Cincari (or Aromanians), the inscriptions in the church are in the alphabet). Above the village is also the monastery of St. Anne. Although there have been attempts to adapt the space for massive tourist visits, such as the revitalization of several houses, as well as on manifestation of(ethnic) tourism, the arrival of foreigners still attracts the attention of the local population (even their animals :-)). The architecture of the village is exceptional, houses, roofs, and roads between them are made exclusively of stone.

Source: PinkBike

Heraclea Lyncestis

We come to the inevitable Philip of Macedonia because during his rule this ancient city was built (half of the 4th century BC), only 2 kilometers from the modern Bitola. It was named after the ancient hero Heracles. It is interesting that Heraclea was at one time on the border that separated the Greeks from the so-called barbarians, that is, the Non-Greek population. It has several archaeological layers (bronze, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine). Later, it was on the important Roman road named Via Ignatia. A very well preserved and explored locality, within which there is a museum with excavated artifacts, preserved amphitheater, bathrooms, unique floor mosaics, early Christian basilicas, Episcopal palace and the Jewish temple.

Source: TravelToMacedonia

Bitola

The inhabitants of the former Yugoslavia are very familiar with this city. It is the second largest city in Macedonia both by the number of inhabitants and area, with a rich history, culture, and tradition, a strong trade industrial center. Throughout the time (late Bronze Age, Hellenistic and Roman period, up to the early-Byzantine domination) it was known as a city with a high level of civilization. The story says that after the death of Murat, his son Bajazit placed Marko Kraljevich as a Turkish vassal here, but also executed him when he didn’t want to go on fighting against Christians. There was a military school completed by the famous Turkish reformer Kemal Ataturk.  The Manaki Brothers, pioneers of photography in the Balkans, lived and worked here. There used to be a famous Singer machine factory in the city.

Source: ObidjiMakedoniju

The first foreign consulates were opened at the end of the 19th century, and once there were even twenty (today thirteen) of them. It is interesting that for a while Branislav Nushich was the secretary of the Serbian consul in Bitola. It had a large Jewish community, whose members, almost all of them, were taken to the Treblinka Camp during the Second World War and killed. It has very old and famous theater (Bitola National Theater). This city, its rich history, the sites and events that can be visited, definitely deserve to have one entire and separate blog post.

And this is just Macedonia scratched on its surface J.