Resen (town)

Resen (Macedonian: Ресен [ˈrɛːsɛn] ( listen)) is a town in southwestern Macedonia, with just under 9,000 inhabitants.^[1] Resen is approximately equidistant between Bitola and Ohrid. The town rises 880 meters above sea level and is situated near Lake Prespa. Resen is also the only town in the Prespa Lake area and is the seat of Resen Municipality.

Name

The name of the city in Macedonian, Bulgarian and Serbo-Croatian is Resen (Ресен). In Turkish it is known as Resne, while in Greek it is Resna (Ρέσνα). In Albanian the town is known as Resnjë or Resnja.

History

The ancient Illyrian city of Damastion^[2] may be near Resen. Resen's history dates back to Roman times when the famous road Via Ignacia was built, passing through the city.

During the Middle Ages, the Prespa area was part of the Bulgarian empire under Samuil. After the Battle of Klyuch, some of Samuil's soldiers, who were each blinded in one eye, settled in a village on the shore of Lake Prespa. The Byzantines called the village Asamati. The Byzantine meaning of this word is "settlement of one-eyed people". From then on, Resen was under Byzantine rule.

Later, Resen became part of the Ottoman Empire, and it was the birth place of Ahmed Niyazi Bey, an Albanian officer from a noble family of the town, who was one of the initiators and leaders of the Young Turk Revolution in the region in 1908.^[3] Ahmed Niyazi Bey's most famous monument in Resen is the Saraj, a French-style estate he built.^[4]

Demographics

Most of the people in the municipality are Macedonians. There is also a sizeable minority of Turks.^[5]

Climate

Resen has a mild continental climate with cold winters and warm summers, which makes it a tourist attaction, especially in summer. The climate and the quality of soil are key factors for Prespa's region to have a long tradition of agriculture. One of most important landmarks of Resen's today are the apple orchards, well known for the quality and specific taste of apples.

Culture

Resen is home to Prespa's Ceramic Colony, established in the 1970s, which attracts renowned artists from all over the world. The organization is included in the UNESCO International Academy of Ceramics. It is housed in the Saraj, which also houses the Dragi Tozija House of Culture, the Keraca Visulčeva Gallery, and a library.

Notable citizens

References

1. ^ Municipality of Resen
2. ^ Barrington atlas of the Greek and Roman world: map-by-map directory, Tome 1,by Richard J. A. Talbert,page 758,near Resen?
3. ^ Kedourie, Sylvia (2000). Seventy-five years of the Turkish Republic. Psychology Press. p. 32. ISBN 9780714650425. http://books.google.com/books?id=42jWqHghlQ4C&pg=PA32. Retrieved 18 February 2011. 
4. ^ Macedonia National Tourism Portal
5. ^ 2002 census results in English and Macedonian (PDF)

External links

Resen (town) travel guide from Wikitravel