Veles

Veles (Велес in Macedonian, Köprülü in Turkish) is a 43,716 inhabitants city (5th largest in North Macedonia) by river Vardar in the central part of North Macedonia. It is one of the industrial centers of the country and an important trade, transport and economic center and it's one of the cradles of Macedonian culture. Veles is also characterized by its typical and old town architecture. 

How do I arrive to Veles?

  Veles is a large transportation hub within North Macedonia and its easy to reach. 

• Train: there are railways to Veles from Skopje (aprox. 50 minutes) Štip (aprox. 1 hour 10 minutes) or even Bitola too. 
• Bus: there are buses that frequent buses to most of the main cities in North Macedonia. 
• Car: if you rented a car, from Veles you can reach Stobi (aprox. 25 minutes); Kavardarci, Negotino and Štip (aprox. 40 minutes), Skopje (aprox. 45 minutes), Kumanovo (aprox. 50 minutes), Tetovo (aprox. 1 hour 15 minutes) or Prilep and Strumica.

History

The first settlement in the area was the city of Paionien, going under Roman rule in 168 BC (and overshadowed by Stobi). In the 6th century the Slavic settlement of the area began and in the 9th and 10th centuries the place belonged to the Bulgarian Empire. Since 1018 again to the Byzantine Empire and when the Bulgarian Empire was restored, part of it. Serbs conquered the area in the 14th century and soon afterwards Veles was placed under Ottoman rule, being first mentioned in the 16th century. In the beginning of the 20th was connected to the railway network by Skopje-Thessaloniki line and in the First and Second Balkan Wars volunteers from Veles fought in the Bulgarian Army. Despite this Veles (and all current North Macedonia) was granted to the Kingdom of Serbia, being taken over by Bulgaria during WW1 and WW2, managed by IMRO. Tito's partisans took over Veles in 1944 and collaborators of the Bulgarian regime were mistreated and even murdered. As part of Yugoslavia the city was industrialized (leading to a social and economic change) and its name was changed to Titov Veles (in Josip Broz's honour). After the independence of North Macedonia in 1991, large companies were closed and the standard of living fell sharply. Veles became popular because of fake news speading on social networks dring 2016 US presidential campaign with residents creating websites with fake news and receiving money with website operators received money from the advertising.

 

What can I visit in Veles?

 Veles has a rich and varied cultural tradition, home to the country's first theatre, its first library, first music school and first museum. It also has a large collection of traditional architecture of North Macedonia and such buildings can be seen all over town.

These are Veles' main attractions:

• Veles Clock Tower: 18th century clock tower considered one of the finiest of its kind in North Macedonia. It was originally built as a watchtower but then turnt into a clock tower in the end of the 18th century.
• National Museum of Veles (8-16 Mon-Sat): museum located in a Neoclassical building that shows Veles' culture and history with exhibitions of  pieces related to archaeology, ethnology, art and history.
• St. Kiril i Metodij Macedonian Orthodox Church: Byzantine style church built in the beginning of the 21st century with a bell tower, placed on the Park of the Youth.
• Kosturnica-Ossuary Monument: memorial with flower's shape built in 1979 by the architect Sava Subotin, symbolizing a German WW2 helmet broken in four pieces as a symbol of the defeat of fascism. It keeps the remains of many fallen soldiers from the Veles area and large mosaics can be found painted on the walls of the memorial. There is also a museum about the history of Veles during this period.
• Kosta Solev-Racin Memorial House (8-16 Mon-Sat): memorial house that shows the life and work Ročo Racin, author and partisan considered the founder of modern Macedonian literature. The building itself was constructed in the traditional style even though Veles is home to one of the largest collections of traditional architecture in the country.
• Fazil Ahmed Pasha Mosque: mosque built in 1659 by Fazil Ahmed Pasha after the death of his daughter, the only standing mosque in Veles. 
• Uspenie na Presveta Bogorodica Macedonian Orthodox Church-Vlach Church: 19th century church with interesting details in and outside it. It's placed on a district that was once considered Vlach.
• St. Pantelejmon Macedonian Orthodox Church: 19th century church built by Andrej Damjanov and his brothers in 1840, seat of the Diocese of Povardarie. Inside the church the decoration is rich (with arches, columns and frescoes) and from here there are good views of Veles.
• St. Jovan Krstitel Macedonian Orthodox Church: 13th century small church built of stone with a portico on one side. Unfortunately its original frescoes and part of the iconostasis aren't preserved.
• St. Dimitrija Macedonian Orthodox Monastery: 14th century Byzantine style monastery church built by the Serbian king Stefan Dušan. It's believed that here stood another church since the 6th century.
• St. Nikola Macedonian Orthodox Church: small 14th century church with very little traces of the pre-Ottoman interior. It became abandoned during Ottoman times and was renovated in 1939. 

Kosturnica-Ossuary Monument

St. Pantelejmon Macedonian Orthodox Church

Mosaics at Stobi archaeological site

 Driving south 30 km from Veles, in the 2,219 people town of Gradsko (Градско in Macedonian), it can be found Stobi archaeological site (8:30-19 from Apr to Sep; 8:30-16:30 from Oct to Mar; 120 MKD/ 50 MKD/ free  adults/ retiree and students/ kids under 6), a Paeonian settlement that was later part of Macedon and it fell under the Romans (2nd century BC), being the capital of the Macedonia Salutaris province and enjoying significant growth till it was abandoned by the 6th century. Some of the most important religious buildings, dating back to the 5th century, are the northern basilica (with Slavic graves), the central basilica (built on a synagogue) and the Episcopal Basilica (Hellenistic building whose baptistery has magnificent mosaic compositions). The main streets of the town are via Axia, via Principalis Inferior and via Theodosia  As for houses  the main ones are the House of the Psalms, House of Partenius, House of Peristerius (large living complex for several families and also had rooms for shops) and the Palace of Theodosius (building where the emperor Theodosius first stayed while being in Stobi, whose floor is covered with marble blocks and the peristyle with mosaics). Other nice remains are the main town public fountian and Magnae Therma.

Popova Kula winery at Demir Kapija

Continuing south from Stobi there's the area known as Tikveš, a plain known for its wineries that, activity that was abandoned during 500 years of Ottoman control (because of them being Muslims and not drinking alcohol) and recovered after it. The main towns located in this wine-growing region are Kavadarci (Кавадарци in Macedonian), Negotino (Неготино in Macedonian) and Demir Kapija (Демир Капија in Macedonian), all of them with large Macedonian ethnic majorities. The main grape variety used in Tikveš is vranac (and in Popova Kula it's used the local Macedonian variety of stanušina crna). Some of the most popular wineries are Tikveš Winery (10-18 Mon-Sat; booking on advance) and Popova Kula (winery-hotel). In Kavadarci (38,741 inhabitants), the wine capital of North Macedonia, there are other things to do such as visiting Marko's Tower (18th century defensive tower), enjoying the architecture and the views of Tikveš from Kosturnica Memorial or going to Lake Tikveš, the largest man-made lake of the country. As for Negotino (13,284 people) here it can be visited Negotino Town Museum (8-16), museum that shows the history and culture of the region with archaeological, ethnological, fine arts and historical pieces, maintaining a wine gallery at the St. Ǵorǵi Monastery; St. Ǵorǵi Monastery, monastery built in 1860 with three cupolas that during WW2 was home of Baba Mitra, a local grandmother that freed 20 partisan detained by Nazi Germans and who died when the Germans set fire to the monastery with Baba Mitra inside it or St. Atanasij Veliki Macedonian Orthodox Church, the main church in the town that dates back to 1837.

Where can I eat in Veles?

Veles culinary scene is quite average and there are some nice restaurants such as the winery Chateau Sopot, the Irish pub Da Vinci's Pub (Blagoj Gjorev 99) or the restaurant of Hotel Romantik [Хотел Романтик].
A part from the wineries previous recommended, other choices within Tikveš are Stobi Winery (Gradsko) or Bovin (Negotino).

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Posted in: Europe,North Macedonia

Galičica National Park

Galičica National Park (also know as Национален парк Галичица in Macedonian and Parku kombëtar Galicica in Albanian) is a 227 km² park located in the southwestern part of North Macedonia, close to the borders with Albania and between lakes Ohrid and Prespa. It has nice views of the lakes, a lot of nature, interesting beaches, churches and second-highest peak in the country, Magaro (2,255 m). Despite being so close to the border with Albania, most of the villages and towns in the part are inhabited mostly by ethnic Macedonians.       

How do I arrive to Galičica National Park?

 This National Park is easy to be reached, being able to arrive mainly from Ohrid or from Albania too.

• Boat: there is a daily boat from Ohrid to St. Naum (aprox. 1.5 hours).
• Bus: there are 6-7 daily buses from Ohrid to St. Naum, stopping at other sightseeing points like Bay of Bones Museum.
• Car: from Ohrid it can be reached many places like Elšani and Peštani (aprox. 20 minutes), Trpejca (aprox. 30 minutes), Ljubaništa (aprox. 35 minutes), St. Naum (aprox. 40 minutes) and Stenje (aprox. 1 hour). It can also be reached from the Albanian side of the border like, for example, Pogradec or Korçë.

 Once in the Park the best ways to move around the park are the car, taxis or simply hiking.  

History

Lake Ohrid is the oldest lake in Europe and it has been inhabited since Prehistory (as it can be seen in Bay of Bones Museum).  
Galičica National Park was established in 1958 and later the legislation was changed to enforce a much stricter protection system. The park is the refuge of a large number of animal and plant species, sometimes very rare, such as the lynx, brown bear, wolf, etc. About 2/3 of the park is included in the boundaries of the World Natural and Cultural Heritage of the Ohrid region, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage and Natural Heritage List.

What can I visit in Galičica National Park?

Galičica National Park (80 MKD) is quite developed, mainly because of being so close to Ohrid. Many outdoors activities can be done here as well as discover its local nature (with 13 endems exclusively found here). Now it will be explained what to do in the park according to the town or village where they are or the nearest one:    

• Outside Ohrid it can be done Velgoshti-Ohrid Visitor Center trail (12.5 km), a medium difficulty trail that runs through low vegetation while in the upper parts through woodland.

  

  Gorica beach
• Very close to Ohrid it can be found Šipokno (Елшаниin Macedonian, Zhuzhnjë in Albanian), a 590 people village with relaxing vibes and great views of the lake. From here there are several routes to discover Galičica National Park by its trails. The visitor can enjoy a very beautiful beach, Gorica beach, and visit St. Stefan Pancir Macedonian Orthodox Church. It's a 14th century church built in a natural cave and with frescoes from those times (although in poor conditions). From here there are nice views too. Not far from here it can be enjoyed Dva Javora- Mountain House Sharbojca-Veslestovo trail (14.2 km), route that passes through the central part of the mountain and it can be stopped at Samotska Cave, the largest cave in the park.
• In the eastern part of the National Park, by lake Ohrid, it can be found Elšani (Елшаниin Macedonian, Zhuzhnjë in Albanian), a 590 people village with relaxing vibes and great views of the lake. From here there are several routes to discover Galičica National Park by its trails such as Elšani-Veslestovo trail (16.8 km), a beautifully trail that combines almost all types of habitats represented in Galičica National Park, or Elšani-Galičica Pass trail (13.3 km).

  

  Bay of the Bones

• Peštani (Пештани in Macedonian): 1,326 inhabitants town that has been transformed recently from a quiet fishing village to a tourist village.
  
  • Peštani-Galičica Pass trail (8.2 km): interesting trail available to discover the heart of the National Park.
  • In the way from Peštani to Trpejca there's Bay of Bones Museum (9-19 from Jul to Aug, 9-16 Tue-Sun from Sep to Jun; 100 MKD/ 30 MKD  adults/ students and kids), reconstruction of a Neolithic settlement (1,200-600 AC) that consisted in buildings and fortifications atop the water, with reconstructed pile-dwelling settlements with various objects inside to help illustrate what life was like at this spot many years ago (and probably all over lake Ohrid). There's also a museum and the site also features a scuba diving center.

    

    Route to Magaro Peak

  • Outside the museum it can be enjoyed a nice beach, Gradishte beach.
• The highest peak of the National Park, Magaro Peak, can be reached in the medium difficulty trail Galičica Pass-Magaro Peak (7.6 km). The route runs along the cliffs, making a loop around the cirques and along it can be seen some remnants of WW1.
• Trpejca (Трпејца in Macedonian): 303 inhabitants village by lake Ohrid, the only remaining traditional fishing village in the area. It's sometimes refered as the Macedonian version of Saint-Tropez.
  

  

  Trpejca

  • St. Zaum Monastery (only accesible by boat): 13th century monastery placed in a stunning location, considered to be among Ohrid area's most significant churches. Its frescoes were completed in 1361 and they are impressing, just like its architecture.
  • Trpejca beach: narrow beach with one of the cleanest waters on the lake.
• Ljubaništa (Љубаништа in Macedonian, Lubanisht in Albanian): 171 people village in the southwestern part of Galičica National Park, known for being home of St. Naum Monastery.
  • Ljubaništa beach: long, sandy with usually clean water beach. It's considered the best beach by lake Ohrid and its sunsets are unforgetable.

  • 

    St. Naum Monastery

    Just in the border with Albania it can be found St. Naum Monastery (7-20 from Jun to Aug; 7-sunset from Sep to May; 100 MKD), monastery founded in 910 (current outlooks dates back to the 16th century) that is an important pilgrimage place and is considered one of the most beautiful in North Macedonia. It was founded by St. Naum (medieval writer and enlightener, one of the seven Apostles of the First Bulgarian Empire and missionary among the Slavs, one of the disciples of Sts. Cyril and Methodius) and his grave is still here, being popular getting on your knees and try to listen the heart of St. Naum. Its frecoes were painted in 1806 and the icon screen was made in 1711 (oldest completely preserved wooden high icon screen in the country). It has breathtaking views over Ohrid Lake and Galičica mountains Around the monastery there is a pleasant sandy beach.

    

    Black Drim Springs

  • Next to St. Naum Monastery it can be found some nice beaches like St. Naum beach. Here it's also located Black Drim Springs, place where the river begins, flowing through the entire lake to Struga, reaching Albania from Debar.
• On the other side of the park, by lake Prespa, it can be found Oteševo (Отешево in Macedonian), an uninhabited village by the lake. It's the starting point for Oteševo-Peek Goga-Mountain House Sharbojca trail (23.3 km), one of the most difficult trails in the National Park that passes through the east and central parts of the mountain, and it can also be seen the Monument to the Prespa Meeting of the Central Committee of the Communist Part of Macedonia, and interesting communist memorial that consists of several detached white arched walls pointing upwards.

  

  Monument to the Prespa Meeting of СКМ

• Not far from Oteševo you can go to the village of Stenje (Стење in Macedonian), with 438 inhabitants and close to the border with Albania. Here it can be climbed Stjensko Blato, a birdwatching tower, or enjoy Stenje beach.
• Golem Grad: 750m long and 450 m wide island located in the middle of lake Prespa that is home of important animals, especially snakes, turtles, birds like pelicans or cormorants as well as several ancient ruins and churches. It is also home to several different communities of animals, especially snakes. It was the summer resort of tsar Samuel of Bulgaria.
  • St. Petar Macedonian Orthodox Church: 14th century church, in not very good conditions, with some remains of frescoes.

    

    Golem Grad

  • Roman ruins: all over the island there are ruins of buildings from Roman times such as the remains of a Roman house or of an impressing tanker.
  • There are other ruins of churches all over the island from early Christian periods (5th-6th centuries).
  • The cruise to the island on its own is worthy because it can be seen how beautiful Golem Grad is and birdwatch pelicans.
  • Visitors should be careful because there are many snakes in the island (some of them poisonous. 

Where can I eat in Galičica National Park?

Galičica National Park is quite touristic and that means that there are a large variety of options to eat. These are some choices available are the fish restaurant Ribar [Рибар] (Trpejca) or the Macedonian restaurants Ostrovo [Острово] (St. Naum) or Orevche [Оревче] (Peštani).

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Posted in: Europe,National Park,North Macedonia