Strumica

Understand

To the east the city is connected to the Novo Selo-Petrich border crossing between Bulgaria and North Macedonia. Driving north on the A4 highway you can reach Štip and Skopje. By following the regional road R1401 westbound you will reach the European route E75 which starts from Greece and connects North Macedonia, Serbia, Hungary with other European countries. The Strumica valley is surrounded with the Belasica, Elenica and Ograzhden mountains. The mountain tourism is well developed in the Strumica region. The old neighborhoods of the city lay on the lower parts of the Elenica mountain, offering multiple easily accessible viewpoints of the city and its villages that are scattered throughout the rich agricultural fields; hence Strumica is called the agricultural capital of the country. Apart from its traditional association to the agriculture, in the 21st century, the city has developed new features that call on visitors. The city has a good infrastructure. In 2010 the city square was reconstructed and expanded, offering a wide area for pedestrians, today used for many events such as Strumica Open Festival and Strumica Carnival. Strumica also has a lively nightlife scene, so the weekends are marked with loud music and performances by famous domestic and foreign artists, especially in the summer.

History Strumica and the surrounding villages are filled with archeological sites that testify about the long history of settlements in the area. A site called Stranata, near the village of Angelci, reveals evidence of a Neolithic settlement dating back to the 6th millennium BC. In 1014, Strumica was the site of an important battle between Tsar Samuel's Bulgarian Empire and the Byzantine Empire. The Bulgarians achieved victory; in order to break their spirit, Byzantine Emperor Basil II blinded thousands of Bulgarian soldiers captured at the previous Battle of Kleidion and sent them to Samuel. The Strumica-area village of Kosturino was the site of an important battle of Wor

Getting there

By bus 1 Intercity Bus Station (Меѓуградска автобуска станица), Bratstvo Edinstvo St (East of M4 Hwy).

See

1 Goce Delčev Square (Плоштад Гоце Делчев). Strumica's central square lies above Maršal Tito Boulevard, just west of Leninova Boulevard. It was built in 1970, and was completely redesigned in 2010. The mostly concrete square now contains fountains, a modern clock tower, and shrubbery. Its centrepiece remains a large statue of revolutionary Goce Delčev, erected in 1973. Among the other monuments is the statue Strumica Under the Mask, commemorating the historic Strumica Carnival. The Anton Panov National Theatre fronts the square. (updated Sep 2017) 2 Strumica City Park (Градски парк Струмица). If you decide to take a casual walk through the city, then first rule is never miss the park. Strumica offers locals and tourists a common place, a greatly managed urban park that will let you enjoy the nature away from the traffic, but more importantly, walking through the park you will get to know the spirit of the locals. The park has a large area and is accessible from anywhere. If you are on the city square, just head down towards the café street (Blagoj Jankov Mučeto St). The park in Strumica has a good number of features: A few restaurants, playgrounds, but also the Amphitheatre and the football stadium are here. However, the number one place where everyone go to while at the park is the small artificial lake (ezero), in front of the stadium. (updated Jul 2020) 3 Tsar's Towers (Strumica Fortress; Цареви кули; Струмичко Кале). Strumica's fortress dates from the 11th century. It sits just west of town, overlooking the city from its elevated position. It was used under the Byzantine, Bulgarian, and Serbian empires. It then fell under Ottoman rule and by the 17th century it was completely abandoned. The site, however, was used again during the Balkan Wars and the World Wars. A restoration effort of the fortress began in 2014. 4 Strumica City Hall (Собрание на Општина Струмица). This building and several of the ones surrounding it were built in the late 1920s in the neoclass

Do

Aside from hiking the nearby Mt. Belasica. Here are the waterfalls of Smolare (Смоларски водопад), 650 m a.s.l., 35 m high; and Kolesino (Колешински водопад), 630 m a.s.l, 20 m high, at the river Baba 1 Culture House (Дом на Културата), Mosa Pijade (Моша Пијаде) St. Events, exhibits. 2 Strumica Park, 11th October (11-ти Октомври) St. Strolling, relaxing 3 Cinema Balkan. 4 Vodoča Lake (Водочко езеро). This artificial lake lies at the confluence of the Vodoča and Trkajana rivers. It covers an area of nearly 2 km2 (1.2 mi2) with a maximum depth of 42 m (137 ft). The lake is a recreational place for the Strumica area. (updated Sep 2017)

Sport 5 Mladost Stadium (Стадион Младост; Blagoj Isatov Stadium). The city's main stadium has a capacity of about 8,000. It is the home ground of FK Belasica and FK Tiverija, but it sometimes hosts matches of the Macedonia National Football Team. (updated Sep 2017) 6 Park Sports Hall (Спортска сала Парк). Opened in 1981, the sports hall seats 2,300. It is home to three basketball clubs, one handball club, and one ping-pong club. (updated Sep 2017) Pandev Sports Center (Спортски центар „Пандев“). One of Macedonia's greatest soccer stars, Goran Pandev, opened this sports center in 2014 in his hometown of Strumica. (updated Jan 2020)

Events There is a centuries-old tradition and takes place every year in the period of the Christian festival Trimeri, during Lent. The word “carnival” originates from the Latin words: carne – meat and vale – farewell. The carnival represents a vestige of an ancient cult from the pagan time and indicates the glorification of fertility and purification from the spectral energies of the daily routine. In 1670 the Turkish travel-author Evlija Chelebija, while staying in Strumica, wrote: “I came into a town located in the foothills of a high hillock and what I saw that night was masked people running house–to–house, with laughter, scream and song“.

Buy

1 Global Shopping Center (Трговски центар „Глобал“), at the intersection of Leninova and Marshal Tito Blvd. The largest shopping center in the city, opened in 2008. The building sticks out easily with its almost entirely reflective glass facade and is opposite the city square. The shopping center has a multi-storey parking garage, its entrance is on the north side of the building. On the ground floor you will mostly find fresh food from the locals. There are boutiques, cafés and other shops on the upper floors. (updated Jul 2020) 2 Jugopromet Shopping Center (Трговски Центар Југопромет), Blagoj Jankov Mucheto St (Center).

Eat

1 Shalom Restaurant, ☏ +389 34 340 340. (updated Jul 2020) 2 La Vita Pizza Restaurant, ☏ +389 34 349 800. (updated Jul 2020)

Sleep

1 Hotel Gligorov, Kliment Ohridski St, ☏ +389 34 344600. Hotel Car Samuil, village of Bansko, ☏ +389 34 777193. Relax at the natural healing waters of Bansko. Hotel Sirius (1.5 km from the cit