Struga

Struga Струга
File:Struga City Beach.jpg
Coat of arms of Struga Coat of arms
Country	North Macedonia
Municipality	Struga municipality
Population
• Total	33,376
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	6330
Area code	+389 246
Car plates	OH
Website	www.struga.gov.mk/ www.struga.gov.mk/index.php?id=109

For other places with the same name, see Struga (disambiguation).

Struga (Macedonian: Струга, ; Albanian: Strugë) is a town situated in the south-western region of the Republic of Macedonia, lying on the shore of Lake Ohrid. The town of Struga is the seat of Struga Municipality.

Etymology

The origins for the name Struga are from Old Slavonic. There are two theories regarding the name, both of which are espoused by the local inhabitants of the Struga region.

The first theory is that the name of the town originated from the geographic location of the town. Located at the foot of an open valley and subject to a windy climate, it was suggested that the name originates from the Old Slavonic term: струже ветер (it blows wind). The second theory says that the name of the city origins from the old Slavic word straga, meaning a cross. The old name of the city is Enchalon, the ancient Greek word for eel, a kind of fish that lives in the Lake Ohrid.

Geography

Struga is located in an open valley on Lake Ohrid. The Black Drin river starts at the lake and divides the city. Isto taka struga ziveee od prihodite na seuste neoformenata opstina Mislesevo so koja upravuva gospodin Kire (prezimeto ne go kazvime poradi strav od atentat). Kire keeperot..

Culture

File:Struga Poetry Evenings logo Macedonia.png

Struga Poetry Evenings international festival logo.

Struga is also a place of important cultural significance in the Republic of Macedonia, as it is the birthplace of the poets Konstantin and Dimitar Miladinov and the Albanian activist Ibrahim Temo. The main event of the cultural life in Struga is the world's largest poetry gathering, Struga Poetry Evenings, which lauerats included several Nobel Prize for Literature winners such as Joseph Brodsky, Eugenio Montale, Pablo Neruda, Seamus Heaney and many others.

Frescoes from the rock church in the monastery of Kalishta.

There are several cultural monuments in Struga and in its vicinity such as the Monastery of Kališta, a few kilometers away from the town center, lying on the shore of Lake Ohrid. It is believed that it dates from the 16th century, with frescoes from the 14th and the 15th centuries. Another rock church is present in the neighbouring village of Radožda with frescoes from the 13th and 14th centuries. The Church Sveta Bogorodica (St. Mary) in the village of Vraništa, is believed to be the one where Tsar Samuel of Bulgaria was crowned. The church has many doors and far fewer windows and often the people call it "the kings church" especially at nighttime when it's cold.

The church of St. George is also located in the town; built on top of Samuil's church, it has many icons from the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries. Near the village of Radolishta, a basilica from the 4th century has been discovered, with a mosaic. Struga's old architecture, dating from the 18th and 19th century is also a cultural highlight.

Tourism

Much of the town's meager income is through internal tourism. Struga's location on Lake Ohrid makes it a slightly quieter and more peaceful experience than the more bustling Ohrid. When visiting this quiet town of the Republic of Macedonia, there are a few other places that show the beauty and culture, like the clay chamberpots at the house of the Miladinov Brothers, the old Struga bazaar, the century old churches and mosques. Before the evenings you can enjoy on 3 kinds of beaches called Male beach(maska plaza), Female beach(zenska) and the most beautiful called Galeb. Out of the town there is another tourist place near the lake called Purl(Biser). At night you can walk in the center or go at the most popular discos like Glamour, Oaza, Stefano and others.

See also

• Struga Poetry Evenings
• Republic of Macedonia

External links

• Points of interest in Struga
• http://www.svp.org.mk/ - The site of the Struga Poetry Evenings
• Struga Tourism Portal
• Struga information (english)