The spirit of Struga is tender.
Located on the shores of Lake Ohrid, the city is laced with bridges, dotted
with delightful architecture, and linked by lanes. Everywhere its romantic soul
is apparent. The Black Drim River flows through the heart of the city after it
journeys from the springs near St. Naum through Lake Ohrid. From Struga it
continues across Albania to the Adriatic Sea. Once known as
"Enchalon" – “Eel”, Struga welcomes eels all the way from the
Sargasso Sea. Nowadays, Struga is better known for its annual international
poetry festival, "The Struga Poetry Evenings". Poems are read from
the bridges to add to their romance. Struga is the birthplace of the most
eminent representatives of the Macedonian culture and national revival in 19th
century, the brothers Constantine and Dimitar Miladinov. Since 1962
Constantine's famous poem "Longing for the South", traditionally
opens this major world poetry festival.
And, in the mountains to the north is the wildest festival of them all, the Vevcani Carnival, where anything goes! Many other villages in the mountains and along the lake offer memorable experiences for visitors wishing to get off the beaten track and discover the rural charm of an ancient land.
And, in the mountains to the north is the wildest festival of them all, the Vevcani Carnival, where anything goes! Many other villages in the mountains and along the lake offer memorable experiences for visitors wishing to get off the beaten track and discover the rural charm of an ancient land.
Struga is a small town with 20
000 habitants located on the coast of the magnificent and eternal Lake Ohrid
and along the banks of the Black Drim river, which flows right out of the lake
splitting the city in two halves, makes Struga a truly unique city in the whole
of Balkans. A real pearl of the Balkan peninsula.
Struga is multi – ethnic town
where together lives Macedonias, Albanians, Turks, Romas, Vlachos, Macedonian
muslim etc and also is multi religious town, a town of 3 religions. Official
languages are Macedonian and Albanian (according to the Macedonian constitution
every ethnic group that has more than 20% of the population can use as official
their mother tongue).
This town is of great cultural
richness with many ancient monuments such as churches 10th – 16th
century, mousques from 15th centry, Old Macedonian architecture,
antique Christian basilica and so on.
There are many Macedonian
villages as: Jablanica, Lukovo, Nerezi, Draslajca, Moroishta, Vevchani,
Vranishta, etc. Albanian villages as: Veleshta, Dolna Belica, Lidhija,
Frengovo, Ladorishta, Kalishta, Zagracan, Dollogozhda etc there are Macedonian
muslim (Torbesh) villages as: Podgorci, Oktisi, Labunishta etc. and also there
are many other villages where together are living people from different
religious, ethnical, cultural, national backgraunds.
All of the Struga villages are
culturally rich but economically poor.
