Michael Powell's Blog, page 77

Sveti Spas – The Church of the Holy Savior

Found on a hill in Skopje’s Old Bazaar near the Kale Fortress, is the Sveti Spas, or Church of the Holy Savior. Built around 1800 on the remains of an older church, this is a small structure whose modest exterior belies the incredible artwork hiding within.

We hadn’t yet read about the Sveti Spas and only visited because it was immediately adjacent to the Old Town Brewery, where we had just enjoyed lunch. The church is inconspicuous; a tiny construction of stone and mud-colored plaster in the...

Vrelo Cave at Matka Canyon

We had already hiked to Matka from Mount Vodno, but made a return trip to check out Vrelo: Macedonia’s most famous cave. Most of Vrelo lies underwater and athough nobody has managed to fully explore its depths, it’s presumed by many to be the deepest in the world.

In 2010, an international team led by Italian diver Luigi Casati organized an expedition to Vrelo. Casati reached the incredible depth of 212 meters and reported that the bottom was still nowhere in sight. It’s not been verified, but...

King Marko’s Monastery

South of Skopje on the outskirts of an unassuming village called Markova Sušica, is the Markov Monastir. Built in 1346 by Marko, King of Serbia, this medieval monastery has remained remarkably unaffected by the passage of time.

Although Marko Mrnjavčević was technically king of all Serbia, most of the country was controlled by powerful noblemen who refused to recognize his sovereignty. In reality, King Marko ruled over only a small section of present-day Macedonia, with his capital at Prilep....

Skopje’s Ancient Aqueduct

Just outside the city center, north of the Vardar in a field bordering the Ilinden army barracks, is an ancient aqueduct that has somehow survived the centuries intact. Its state of preservation is made even more impressive by the fact that the poor thing is completely neglected, unprotected by any organization or agency.

This is the only aqueduct remaining in Macedonia, and one of only three in the former Yugoslavian states. It stretches across a wide, shallow valley for nearly half a kilomet...

Skopje’s Turkish Trading Inns and the Bezisten

Among the Ottoman-era buildings still standing in Skopje’s Old Bazaar are three Turkish trading inns and the old covered market, called the Bezisten. We visited them all, to see how these ancient buildings have been incorporated into the modern city.

At its height, the Ottomans controlled a truly vast empire which stretched from Budapest to Baghdad, and Turkish traders travelling from the Balkans to Istanbul needed places to sleep and conduct business. Skopje, then known as Üsküb, was an impor...

The Museum of the Macedonian Struggle

Part of the Skopje 2014 project, the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle opened its doors in 2011 on September 8th, Macedonia’s Independence Day. Located in a grand neoclassical building along the Vardar River, this museum provides an introduction to the country’s fight for independence.

The Macedonian Struggle, as we learned on our guided tour through the museum, has been as much about establishing an identity as independence. This is a region which has been conquered, traded, divided and warre...

Marko’s Towers & a Hike to the Treskavec Monastery

High on a ridge overlooking the town of Prilep are a set of medieval fortifications known as Marko’s Towers (Markovi Kuli). After exploring these expansive ruins, we set off on a hike through the hills to the monastery of Treskavec, seven kilometers to the north.

You can take a taxi halfway up the slope, but you’ll have to walk the rest of the way up to Marko’s Towers. Though the path is steep, it’s completely worth the effort. This fortress was built in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries...

Prilep and its Beer Festival

For four days in July, the central Macedonian town of Prilep is taken over by PivoFest: an annual celebration of beer which has become the nation’s biggest festival. It’s not exactly the most traditional event, but that wasn’t going to deter us. We hopped on the train from Skopje and arrived in Prilep with high expectations and apprehensive livers.

Prilep is Macedonia’s fourth-biggest city, with a population of around 70,000. A valley town nestled in the heart of the country, with an economic...

The Tobacco Museum of Prilep

Ever since it was imported from the New World in the sixteenth century, tobacco has played a starring role in the economy of Prilep. This humid, low-lying valley town enjoys perfect cultivating conditions, and the high-quality tobacco produced here has long been used in cigarettes sold around the world. We took a taxi out to the outskirts of town to visit the museum found within Prilep’s Tobacco Institute.

Aleksandar Cvetkoski, the museum’s custodian, greeted us at the entrance to the Tobacco...

The Hike from Mount Vodno to Matka

Found just minutes outside the city, Matka Canyon is a favorite summer getaway for the heat-exhausted residents of Skopje. Though you can take a bus, there’s also a moderately easy hike of ten kilometers which leads to Matka from the top of Mount Vodno. So one warm Friday morning, we laced up our boots and set off.

The hike was as easy as we’d heard; exactly what we wanted. We won’t shy away from more difficult trails, but following an easy, decently marked, short and entirely downhill path is...