Macedonia

Macedonia - Land of Culture

Most people think of Macedonia as the land of Alexander the Great, who extended his empire to India. Although this dates back 2300 years, in July 2008 a delegation from Hunza, a remote province in northeastern Pakistan, where descendants of Macedonians from that time still live, visited the land of their ancestors. The delegation, led by Mir Gansafer Ali Khan, was fascinated by the ancient sites such as those in Heraklea near Bitola and in Ohrid, where their ancestors lived, by the similarities in their customs and last but not least by the hospitality they experienced everywhere in Macedonia.

There are still numerous outstanding testimonies of Macedonia's importance thorough many historical periods, such as: Neolithic period (10,000 - 3,200 b.C.), Bronze Age (3,200 - 1,200 b.C.), Macedonian dynasty with Philip II and his son Alexander the Great (800 - 168 b.C.), Roman period (150 b.C. - 400 a.d.), Byzantine period (400 - 1,400 a.d.) and Ottoman period (1,400 - 1,900).

But Macedonia is also, as the Hunza delegation shows, very present and modern country. Ohrid, Macedonia's cultural and tourist centre was host of three outstanding events of global importance. NATO Forum in June 2007, a meeting of world religious leaders in October 2007 and a meeting of 18 European presidents in May 2008, including the German President - Horst Köhler.

Proof of the cultural importance of Ohrid is the annual Ohrid Summer Festival. Each year the festival is officially opened on July 12, by the President of the Republic of Macedonia in the ancient theatre in the old town of Ohrid. The Ohrid Summer Festival lasts until 20 August. The numerous events take place with more than 3,000 visitors in the ancient theatre and on numerous stages in front of historical backdrops in the old town of Ohrid.

Macedonia - Land of nature

The landscapes and nature of Macedonia are fascinating. There are unique sceneries surrounding the ancient sites such as the fortress in the Pesna Cave or the numerous monasteries in the nearby area. Archaeologists assume that there are still undreamt-of treasures to be discovered and uncovered. It is therefore not surprising that large-scale archaeological excavations take place every summer, such as in 2007 at the Kale Fortress in Skopje or in 2008 the project "Renewal of St. Clement University - the first Slavic university in Europe - 10th century in Ohrid".

However, a picture of Macedonia is incomplete without a reference to the country's typical cuisine, local wines, rakias and, finally, the hospitality is to be found throughout the country.
Tour suggestions Macedonia

ORF TV-Show "Besser Reisen - Mazedonien" (German)

Tour suggestions Macedonia