Mavrovo

Less than 100 km from Skopje one can find a natural oasis virtually untouched by man. Spreading over an area of about 300 square miles, the Mavrovo National Park offers the visitor sublime scenery of great environmental value - deep canyons, snowy peaks and blue lakes combine with dense forests that abound with diverse wildlife. Stogovo The park is situated in the westernmost part of Macedonia, between the Korab, Shar, and Bistra mountain ranges. Mavrovo is one of the leading tourist areas in the country along with Ohrid, Prespa, Dojran, Popova Shapka (Shar Planina), Pelister, and Krushevo. It was established in 1949 by a special law passed by the National Assembly of Macedonia. Later the legislation was changed considerably, enforcing a much stricter protection system. According to the new law, the park is divided into three zones: strict nature reserves, managed reserves, and a tourist zone. Perhaps one of the features that make the Mavrovo National Park so attractive to visitors is its vivid topography. The relief of the park contains three Alpine mountain systems: the Shar, Korab and Bistra mountains. They are exceptionally high, the Shar and Korab, reaching heights of more than 9000 feet (the Golem Korab peak is the highest in Macedonia with its 9100 feet). These tremendous mountains are distinguished by chains of snowy, jagged peaks and broad grassy plateaus below them.

Between the three mountains extends what some call the most beautiful canyon in Europe: the Radika gorge. More than 15 miles long, it displays spectacular landscapes. Vertical cliffs higher than 1000 feet rise above the fast, crystal-clear waters of the Radika river. In addition, the park area contains many other interesting natural phenomena--the highest waterfall in the Balkans (with a vertical fall of approximately 400 feet), alpine bogs in the Shar mountains as remnants of the Ice age, rare karst relief (including beautiful caves) in the Bistra mountains, as well as numerous glacial lakes throughout the Alpine zone. The ecology of the national park is particularly interesting. Namely, dense forest vegetation covers mountain slopes in the park, while Alpine pastures grow in the higher areas. The various climatic influences, as well as the large differences in altitude are the main contributing factors for the diversity of flora and fauna. The fact that this region is a kind of "geographical crossroads" where major changes of climate have occurred through history is a direct reason for the existence of an enormous number of relict and endemic species. Remnants of the life that existed in the Ice age or in the Tertiary coexist in one diverse environment, concealed between the jagged cliffs and peaks. In fact, the six life zones of the park (a rare phenomenon for such a small area) support 22 forest and 16 grass ecosystems. There are more than 1300 species of herbaceous plants and 145 species of trees living in them. About 40 percent of them are relict or endemic. Moreover, the park is the habitat of many rare plants (like the Crimean wild juniper) which are extinct in their natural habitat. Nearby stands the monastery of St. John Bigorski with its famous carved wooden iconostasis retained colorful folklore traditions. This iconostasis is one of the finest samples of traditional woodcarving which can be found on the territory of the Republic of Macedonia along with the 19th-century iconostasis of the church of the Holi Saviour (Sveti Spas) in Skopje. In the village of Galichnik which is one of the largest villages in Mavrovo, the Macedonian folklore traditions are still cherished as they were centuries ago. As a result of its long geological history, the park abounds with relicts from the tertiary and glacial epochs (even two plant species from the early tropical vegetation). The most interesting tertiary relicts are the Macedonian pine and the Whitebark pine, rare endemic conifers of the Central Balkans. This group includes the endemic Greek maple and the yew (extremely uncommon in the Mediterranean). One of the few natural habitats of the common chestnuts (an endemic Balkan tertiary relict) exists on the southern slopes of Mt. Bistra. A large area of the park is overgrown with astonishingly old and beautiful forests of the Macedonian fir (a riddling hybrid fir species) which is to be found only in these areas of the Balkans and is also a remnant of the late Tertiary age. Courtesy of Forest Reserve Jasen The park abounds with numerous glacial relict species from the Ice age, mostly in the form of awkward herbaceous plants scattered throughout the Alpine zone. Certainly one of the most dazzling forests is the community of Norway spruce hidden deep in an inaccessible canyon of the Western Shar mountains. This forest is far beyond the southernmost point of the range of Norway spruce, indicating that a long time ago it had invaded the Mediterranean regions. The diverse forest vegetation supports an abundance of wildlife. More than 140 species of birds (some of them very rare, like hawks, eagles and vultures) thrive in the forested areas of the park. With more than 45 species, the park is among the richest reserves of rare animals. There are bears, several types of deer, wild goats, otters, wolves, etc. Most importantly, the Mavrovo National Park is one of the three remaining importantly, the Mavrovo National Park is one of the three remaining habitats of the European lynx. A population of 60 specimens of this near-extinct species lives predominantly in the western and central areas of the park.

Berovo - Monastery of the Holy Archangel Michael

The ones who have never been in Berovo will find it difficult to picture the beauty of this place from the photos, especially the riches of nature in its surroundings. A hundred years old pine trees, meadows and pastures, plenty of medical plants and wild berries, springs and rivers... Mountain sun. Fresh air. Organic food. Excellent forest honey. Abundant traditional medicine of natural ingredients, which successfully cures problems with the respiratory organs, anaemia, vitamin deficiencies. The town itself is almost at 1,000 m above sea level.
Settled as in a nest, amid softwood forest, together with its inhabitants for centuries has been firmly resisting the impact of "progress" and "achievements" of civilisation. From outside many view this as a deficiency, yet the irreplaceable peace and the tranquillity of life here, man and nature closely knit together – are a real rarity in the present world of pollution and crises. For some time at least... When here, you have the feeling as if you were in a quiet harbour somewhere "at the end of the earth", faced only with yourself, the sky above you and the earth you stand upon... in the presence of the living God. Female cenobitic monasticism in the Berovo monastery has almost a two centuries old continuous tradition.

From History The first monastery church in Berovo was built in the period between 1815 and 1818. It was consecrated in 1818 and among those present at its consecration was the Macedonian Christian enlightener Joachim Krčovski. There are no reliable historical data about the construction of the church and the monastery; still, one thing is certain: the church construction was carried out under very difficult circumstances. Here is what one of the legends says: In the beginning of the 19th century, Berovo was a rural settlement with around two hundred houses and one small and fallen into disrepair church alone. Therefore the more distinguished inhabitants of Berovo at that time decided to have a new church built at the site called Mogila (tomb). The parish priest, Fr Peco, was assigned the task of obtaining a building permit from the Turkish authorities in Radoviš. The Turkish governor (Vali) did give a building permit, however, under exceptionally difficult, almost impossible to be fulfilled conditions. Namely, the church was to be built low, below the road level and not to be seen, construction was to end in forty days, and Fr Peco was to give his youngest daughter, Sultana, to the harem. Those conditions did not discourage Berovo inhabitants from their intention. With great effort and dedication on the part of the believers, the church was built up and covered with stone blocks in 40 days. In order not to be noticed, its outside wall was covered with soot and lime. Seeing that the church had been built above ground after the deadline, the governor got infuriated and ordered the three church elders immediately to be murdered in front of the church, and since Sultana had fled to Kyustendil, Fr Peco was imprisoned. He was released from prison three years later, and his daughter came back to Berovo upon finding out that the komitas (fighters against the Turkish rule) had killed the governor. The foundations of the first female monastery in Berovo were lain twenty years after the construction of the monastery church (around in 1840). The first nuns in the monastery were the daughter-in-law and the daughter of Fr Risto, a son-in-law of Fr Peco. They had their monastic tonsure with a blessing from the abbot of the Rila Monastery. The first abbess of the monastery was Eugenia I, the second – Eugenia II, the third – Eugenia III, and the fourth was Eulampia, who was made abbess in 1958 by the first Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia, His Beatitude Dositheus. At its flowering, and that was in the first half of the twentieth century, the monastery numbered up to sixty nuns, with a developed rich economy, a theological seminary, a weaving mill. The first single-phase hydro-power plant in this area was the monastery one. From Monastery Life Once outside the town, in the present the female monastery dedicated to the Holy Archangel Michael is located at the exit from Berovo, on the road leading to the dam and the lake. The main gate faces the town, and the remaining two – the river and the pine forest. At the very entry through the large wooden gate the visitor finds himself in a different world: the world of prayer. The church, built in a 19th century architectural opus, with a large porch, dominates the monastery yard. In the dimness of its interior the oil lamps lighten the saints' images, painted in a characteristic style that is not in conformity with the Byzantine canons. From the original iconostasis only one icon has been preserved – the one representing the Holy Prophet Noah, a work by the icon painter Georgi Veljanov from Strumica, painted in 1818. From 1899 until 1920 the painter Gavril Atanasov-Berovec, too, worked in the monastery. The portable icon of the Dormition of the Theotokos is a work by the painter Grigorie Pecanov from Strumica, painted in 1878. The residential quarters are of a free-style construction. They attract with the warmth of the wood used, shaped in a 19th century old-urban style. Together with the last nun of the previous lineage, in the monastery also live two sisters, who came from the Veljusa monastery with the blessing by metropolitan Nahum of Strumica. This monastery's sisterhood paints icons in the Byzantine style – for iconostases, or to order. The beginnings of the renewal of fresco painting in the Macedonian monasteries have been made exactly in this sisterhood. A true rarity, the monastery is open to the spiritual needs of all well-intentioned visitors. In a conversation with the superior of the monastery, sister Macrina, in the warm wise-hearted atmosphere around the fireplace in the library, many will find the answer to various spiritual questions and also support, understanding, inspiration... The monastery typikon, regardless of the location of the monastery (in the town) and its frequent visitors is a hesychastic one. The monastery functions as a place of prayerful stillness, a holy hesychasterion . A little nook on the upper floor in the church interior in the present has been turned into a small chapel dedicated to St. Gregory Palamas. Liturgy is celebrated four times a week.

Stobi

The ancient city of Stobi, lying in a fertile valley just a few minutes off the central north-south highway that connects Macedonia with Greece, was a vital trade route in its day. This crossroad of ancient civilizations has left a rich legacy of antique theaters, palace ruins, brightly-colored mosaics and religious relics for visitors today to enjoy.
As a city, Stobi is first mentioned in documents from the 2nd century B.C.E. However, archaeologists believe that the town had been inhabited from at least 400 years earlier. Stobi became a rich and prosperous city due to its location on the crossroads of important trade routes. It experienced its biggest period of growth from the 3rd-4th centuries C.E.
The archaeological site (located just 3 km or 1.8 miles from the Gradsko exit on Highway E-75) offers sweeping views of the central Macedonian plain and contains buildings such as the 2nd century amphitheatre, the Theodosia palace, and early Christian ruins with extensive and ornate mosaic floors.

The Ilinden Uprising and the Krushevo Republic

The dissatisfaction of the Macedonian people was expressed through the revolts and rebellions of the first half of the 19th century; but by mid-century, it found its release through the organization of a movement for national liberation. This movement culminated in the formation of the Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (VMRO) at the end of the century.

VMRO was preceded by a wide national unification movement led by a group of young Macedonian intellectuals writing for the periodical Loza (Vine) in 1892, later called Lozari. Distinguished members of this group included Petar Pop Arsov, Dame Gruev, Krste P. Misirkov and Grigor Hadzhitashkovich; Goce Delchev and Gjorche Petrov likely belonged to this movement as well. Misirkov writes that the members of the movement "...recognized the danger of Macedonia's partitioning between those two states [between Serbia and Bulgaria] if the Macedonians did not arm and gain freedom by themselves, with their own strength and means, counteracting thereby the division of Macedonia..."
On October 23, 1893, in Thessaloniki, Ivan Hadzhi Nikolov, Dame Gruev, Petar Pop Arsov, Hristo Tatarchev, Anton Dimitrov and Hristo Batandzhiev founded the Secret Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (TMORO, later renamed the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization, or VMRO), to effect the liberation of Macedonia within its geographic and historic borders. The movement was to work within these borders, open to all faiths and nationalities, in the quest for national autonomy. Following the decisions of the 1896 Thessaloniki Congress, the Smilevo Congress of the Bitola Revolutionary District held on May 2 to May 7, 1903, resulted in the decision to launch an uprising.
In response to the Smilevo Congress, a meeting of VMRO's General Staff held on July 13, 1903 O.S. (July 26, N.S.) planned a general uprising to begin on July 20, 1903 O.S. (August 2, N.S.). The proclamation issued on July 15 O.S. (July 28, N.S.) reads that "the people of all Macedonia must come out with gun in hand to meet the enemy... On that day, hasten, brothers-follow your leaders and flock beneath the flag of freedom! Have courage, brothers, in the fight! Only by persistent and lengthy struggle can we be saved!"
The Central Committee's representative office in Sofia informed the Great Powers that an uprising had begun, explaining that the plight of the Christian population in Macedonia had worsened and forced the population to rise up. A request was made for the "appointment, with the consent of the Great Powers, of a chief administrator for the Christians who was never a member of the Ottoman administration and who would be independent from the Sublime Porte in fulfilling his duties", as well as the "establishment of continuous, collective international control with broad powers to sanction".
The uprising began on August 2, 1903, the Feast of St. Elias. The fiercest fighting centered around the Bitola Revolutionary District, where the rebels severed telegraph and telephone lines, blocked roads and attacked Turkish garrisons and estates of the beys. But the Krushevo Revolutionary District possessed the best strategy, laying out exactly-defined objectives and an elaborate plan to capture Krushevo by eight rebel detachments. Communications between the general headquarters of Nikola Karev and the individual detachments and guerrilla bands were maintained despite the rigors of war.
On August 2, the Krushevo staff announced that "We are burning with impatience, waiting for night to fall so that we may come and take Krushevo and then, together with all the people of Macedonia, let out a thunderous victory cheer! God and justice are on our side! Long live Macedonia!" That night, the cutting of telephone wires signaled the attack. Rebels struck strategic sites such as military barracks, the post office and the town council building; by August 3, the town had been wrested from the Turks. That afternoon an assembly was convened, attended by "about 60 representatives of all nationalities, in order to elect an executive body for the liberated territory. After short consultation, it was decided to establish a temporary government consisting of 6 members-representatives of the three most numerous nationalities in the town." These distinguished citizens constituted the council of the Krushevo Republic, while the Krushevo General Staff of TMORO represented the military authority of the new republic.
The temporary government was "to impose taxes on citizens by temporary order, to requisition food for insurgents and the population of the town and surrounding villages, requisition clothing and footwear for insurgents and militarized citizens, and materials for their armament; to take care of wounded and sick insurgents, citizens and peasants; to maintain order and peace in the town and alike."
Concurrently to the establishment of the temporary government, several commissions were formed to carry out the tasks assigned by the government. These included an Internal Commission, to maintain public order; a Food Commission; a Civil Commission responsible for construction and hygiene; a Clothing Commission; a Financial Reform Commission; and a Financial Commission. In the establishment of both the temporary government and the commissions, the principle of proportional representation of all nationalities was applied. As Aleksandar Hristov notes, "the temporary government in liberated Krushevo, although not provided for in the insurgents' constitution, was a legitimate representative of the insurgents. Its electio n and the revolutionary acts passed by it legitimized it as a fully legitimate, supreme authority on the territory of the [Krushevo] Republic."
The Krushevo Republic created by the insurgents represented a potential projection of "the future autonomous state of Macedonia. It is characteristic that all [governmental] bodies were constituted by the people of Krushevo, from among all three nationalities in the town..."
One of the most important acts of the Krushevo Republic was the manifesto issued by the Krushevo General Staff, "representing a declaration of the aims and goals of the insurgents, outlining a basis for brotherly coexistence among the nationalities during the struggle for freedom." The Krushevo Manifesto was part of the civil orientation of the Krushevo General Staff; addressing the Moslem population it states: "We have raised no gun against you. That would be to our shame. We do not raise our guns against the peaceful, hard-working and honest Turkish man who feeds himself, as we do, by blood and sweat-he is our brother. We have together lived with him, and want to so live again..." Continuing, the staff summoned all citizens of Macedonia to a struggle against tyranny: "Come brothers, Moslems, come and fight against your and our enemies! Come, under the flag of autonomous Macedonia! Macedonia is our mother and she calls for our help. Come and help break the chains of slavery and free ourselves from misery and suffering so that streams of blood and tears are dried up!" The Krushevo Manifesto "represents the most mature political document of the either the Krushevo revolutionary authorities or the Ilinden Uprising in general." In this respect, Dimitar Mitrev argues that "The Krushevo republicans declared, in their own vernacular, in the Manifesto and in their political accomplishments, that there could be only one Macedonia for them-a free, democratic one, with full equality of all nationalities. A heavier blow could not have been delivered to Vrhovism [Supremacism]: the Republic was built in order that they could fully be masters of their own fate, not merely to be annexed to Bulgaria."
The Ottomans dispatched a sizable army to suppress the uprising. By the middle of August, Ottoman military power in Macedonia had reached a total of 239 battalions of infantry, 39 squadrons of cavalry and 74 batteries of artillery-a grand total of some 167,300 infantry, 3,700 cavalry and 444 cannons. Capturing Krushevo was the greatest problem facing the Ottoman commanders. Any counteroffensive against this center of this Macedonian rebellion would not be easy: the revolutionaries were solidly organized and the 1,200 insurgents fortified the town, preparing to repulse any Ottoman attack.
Not until August 9 and 10 did Turkish troops begin to move against the town; the main body of the Ottoman army, consisting of 10,000 troops with supporting artillery under the command of Bahtiar Pasha, advanced over the Prilep plain towards Krushevo. There, it emplaced around the village of Krivogashtani and placed 7 or 8 cannons at Topolishte. The second part of the Ottoman army, advancing from the north, was stationed by the villages of Vrbovec and Trstenik. The third column was to occupy the Monastery of the Holy Salvation, as a base for further operations. In addition, an Ottoman detachment of 4,000 soldiers arrived from Bitola and divided into two columns near the village of Pribilci. One advanced along the road from the village of Ostrilci to Krushevo, the other along the Zhaba River towards Koyov Trn. A final detachment of 5,000 soldiers approached from Kichevo, including several pieces of mountain artillery. The overall strategy of this army, which may have numbered nearly 20,000 troops, was to encircle Krushevo and capture it through a series of coordinated attacks. On August 12 the encirclement of the town was complete and Bahtiar Pasha called on the rebels to surrender. The Krushevo General Staff debated the merits of surrender, but settled on defending the town. Bahtiar Pasha then unleashed an artillery bombardment of Krushevo, followed by simultaneous infantry assaults.
The Ottoman troops encountered violent and heroic resistance. Although the General Staff ordered a retreat west to Osoy, individual fighters remained in the town to resist the Ottoman attack. The most notable was Pitu Guli who, together with his detachment, fought to the last. He and his fighters repulsed continual attacks; particularly fierce were the battles at Sliva and Mechkin Kamen, where most of the rebels died defending the town. The fighting for Krushevo itself lasted the entire day of August 12, with Ottoman victory coming that evening. Staff members led by Nikola Karev managed to break through the Turkish cordon and escape. On August 12 and 13, the Ottoman army entered the town and began reprisals, massacring and plundering the people of Krushevo.
While the Krushevo Republic was quickly brought to an end, "in spite of its short existence, it represents one of the most significant phenomena in [the Macedonian] national-liberation movement. Created in the flames of the struggle against the feudal system of the Ottoman state, it was at the same time an expression of the desire of [the Macedonians] for the creation of a national state. Hence, the proclamation of the Krushevo Republic represents the highest accomplishment and one of the most important state-legal acts of the Macedonian insurgents."

OHRID

The town of Ohrid ( known as Lichnidos ) has been in existence for about 2500 years. Since the ancient times, here in the area of the town of Ohrid civilization achievements have been changing, with its ups and downs. The successor of Lichnidos, the town of Ohrid, has survived all this and has been preserved with this name until today. The legend says that the founder of the ancient town in this area was the Phoenician Cadmo, who founded the dynasty together with the ancient Enchelians. If the existence of Lichnidos had become settled in the myth, then undoubtedly one can say that during the whole ancient period, this town had been a strong source of this civilization. The testimony of that time is: The Classical Theatre, which is considered to be built in the 4 th century B.C. and after more than two millenniums has been uncovered, reconstructed and used; The Fortress which was named after Samuel – the very first Macedonian-Slav emperor from the 10 th century proves that the town of Ohrid even in the ancient time was a fortified one. Some Roman historians wrote about this as well. The Prince’s tombs from the 7 th to the 3 rd century B.C. from the Trebenishte region where the burial masks were discovered. They also tell us that a lot of people “ chosen by birth “ considered the town as theirs eternal place. Within this context the last discovery has been the golden mask, the bracelet and the golden ring, discovered by Mr. Pasko Kuzman in 2002 during the excavation done within the old part of the town; finally about a dozen early Christian basilicas, prove the thesis that the town of Ohrid was a spiritual and bishopric center even during the late ancient time. For the first time the Lichnidos bishopric was mentioned in the acts of the church synod in Serdica in 343, where among the other signatures the Dionysius de Macedonia de Lyhnido signature was found. The town was built on the main Roman road Via Egnatia that used to connect the western and the eastern Empire. Two mile-stone signs were found near the town of Ohrid to witness this. During the Roman Republic the old town was a free one whose citizens were “libera gens”. Lichnidos for the last time was mentioned during the Justinianius reign. Than the earthquake struck Lichnidos in 526 and ruined the town completely. Where Lichnidos used to stand the medieval town of Ohrid reached its glory. The first Slav University was founded by Clement and Naum and opened in the area called Plaosnik , where 3500 well chosen pupils were educated. The Ohrid literary school reached all Slav countries including Russia. Clement became the patron saint and protector of Ohrid. In the 10 th century the town of Ohrid became the capital of the very first Macedonian-Slav Empire ruled by Czar Samuel. With the Pope’s permission the church at that time, was given a status of a Patriarchate, so until 1767 the town of Ohrid was the seat of the Ohrid Archbishopric. The spiritual center used to have more than 300 churches where a lot of work was done, leaving many traces within the Byzantine art and the Renaissance in many domains like: the literature, the icon painting, the fresco painting, the architecture, the music etc. The fresco painting dominates in many churches being a priceless treasure. The fresco painting by Michael and Eutyches who used to work in the church of St. Mary Perivleptos ( Sveta Bogorodica Perivlepta ) in 1295 has been exceptionally wonderful. Undoubtedly they had been the leaders in the Renaissance in Macedonia. The testimony from that time is the richest and the most valuable collection of about 30 icons, which are kept in the town of Ohrid. The work, which had been done within the interval of 9 th centuries, followed the painting continuity from the 11 th to the 20 th century. The modern town of Ohrid, is nowadays a spiritual, cultural and tourist center in Macedonia. Reading about this town one feels like going through the whole history of this biblical country of Macedonia. In 1980 the town of Ohrid entered the UNESCO list of heritage due to its priceless riches.