| Strumica Струмица |
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| Goce Delčev Square | |||
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Strumica
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Macedonia | ||
| Municipality | Strumica municipality | ||
| Founded | 1920 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Zoran Zaev (SDSM) |
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| Population | |||
| • Total | 35 311UNIQ1a46,822,656c0,160b-ref-01A1AD34-QINU | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | 2400 | ||
| Area code(s) | +389 34 | ||
| Car plates | SR | ||
| Patron saints | Holy Fifteen Hieromartyrs of Tiberiopolis | ||
| Website | www.strumica.gov.mk | ||
Strumica (Macedonian: Струмица [ˈstrumitsa] ( listen)) is the largest city[2] in eastern Macedonia, near the Novo Selo-Petrich border crossing with Bulgaria. About 100,000 people live in the region surrounding the city. The city is named after the Strumica River which runs through it. The city of Strumica is the seat of Strumica Municipality.
The town is first mentioned in 2nd century BC with the Hellenic name Αστραίον (Astraîon - Hellenic for "starry") by[3] Ptolemy and Pliny. It was later known by the Latin name Tiveriopolis, it received its present name from the Slavic settlers of the Middle Ages. In modern Greek the town is known as Στρώμνιτσα (Strómnitsa), and its name in Turkish is Ustrumca.
In the 9th century AD the town became part of the Empire of Samuil and it remained under Samuil until 1014. After the Battle of Kleidon Strumica was seized by the Byzantine empire.
In 1395 after another two centuries of Bulgarian control it fell under Ottoman rule. During the National awakening in the second half of the 19th century a Bulgarian school and church opened in the town. According to the 1873 Ottoman statistics the Strumica had 2,400 households with 3,300 Muslim and 3,120 Bulgarian citizens.[4] In 1895 an Internal Macedonian-Odrin Revolutionary Organization (IMARO) committee was founded in the town by revolutionary leader d-r Hristo Tatarchev. In 1897 Strumica became part of the Bulgarian Exarchate. The census three years later showed that the population consisted of 6,100 Macedonian-Bulgarians, 3,100 Turks, and 700 Jews.[5]
During the First Balkan War the city was liberated from the Turks and for some six years became part of Bulgaria. Following Bulgaria's defeat in World War I, under the 1919 Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine Bulgaria was forced to cede Strumica to the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, later to be called Yugoslavia. Strumica was occupied by Bulgarians in World War II. Following the conflict's end, Strumica remained in Yugoslavia and in 1945 became a part of the newly established Federative People's Republic of Macedonia. This federal republic remained in Yugoslavia until 1991, when it declared its independence as the Republic of Macedonia.
Strumica's population is 54,676.[6]
Built on a rocky plateau, the monastery of the Holy Mother of God Eleusa is located in the village of Veljusa, about seven kilometers west of Strumica. The monastery was founded in 1080 with the personal means of the monk Manuel, who later became Episcope of Strumica. He arrived in Veljusa from the Chalkedon monastery of St. Auxentius in the Asia Minor region of Vitinia, where he spent most of his ascetic life. There are numerous written sources about this monastery, most of which are kept in the archives of the Iviron monastery on Mount Athos. Out of the many written documents, the two most prevalent are the marble plaques on the lintel of the entrance door of the monastery. The first one says, in Greek: “This church of the Holy Mother of God the Merciful (Eleusa) is built from the foundations by the monk Manuel, who became episcope of Tiberiopolis in the year 6588 (1080 AD) indiction 3”; the second one reads: “Since I have placed my entire hope in You, oh immaculate Mother and fountain of mercy, I, shepherd and monk Manuel, Your servant, offer to You, Sovereign Lady, this temple”. These marble plaques are of recent date because during World War I the original ones were taken to the Archeological Museum in Sofia. The second important document is the Gramota of the Byzantine emperor Alexius I Comnenus of July 1085, by which the monastery was granted autonomy and the status of a royal monastery. The Rule (typikon) of Manuel in 22 points has also been preserved. It talks about the founding of the monastery, about Manuel himself, about the codes of dress, the codes of taking meals, and other duties of the monks. The Rule (typikon) of Manuel I Comnenus of 1152 has also survived. It documents the land property granted to the monastery, and contains an inventory of monastery possessions dating from 1164, where all valuables of the monastery were listed. However, in the 13th century the monastery lost its autonomy and until 1913 was under the authority of the Iviron monastery on Mount Athos.
In 1913, having decided to abandon the monastery, the monks set it on fire. This event damaged the fresco painting to a great extent. Today, the monastery’s original architecture has been preserved and it represents a rare structure of the 11th century in Macedonia. The monastery is a four-apse building and has three domes embellished with ceramic and polychrome decorations. The exonarthex of the southern porch of the monastery shows the Cross of Veljusa as well as the figure of St. Onuphrius in the desert when visited by the monk St. Panfnutius. The esonarthex displays the figure of Manuel holding the Veljusa monastery in his hand. The fresco painting had been done in three phases: the first one in 1081, the second one in 1164, and the third one, considered non canonical, in the 19th century. The fresco in the dome represents Christ the Pantocrator (“Almighty" or "All-powerful”) and the fresco in the nave portrays the Holy Mother of God – “Theotokos oranta”- flanked by St. John the Baptist, two archangels and four prophets. The altar space shows a fresco of the Holy Mother of God – Theotokos nikopoia and Christ enthroned, and a liturgical service of the holy hierarchs with the Hetimazia (the Sacrifice of Jesus). The north apse shows the Descent of Christ into Hell, the east one the Holy Mother of God with Christ, the south one the Annunciation, and the west one The Meeting of our Lord. The southern chapel, which is dedicated to St. Spas, shows Jesus Christ Emanuel as a twelve-year-old child. The eastern wall shows Jesus in Glory together with a portrait of St. Nyphon; the western shows St. Panteleimon. The church’s naos contains a reconstructed altar partition from marble, and the floor is decorated with mosaics that form geometrical shapes.
Today, the monastery is the home of the monastic sisterhood of Strumica. There are auxiliary buildings on the premises including a clock tower, a bakery, an inn, and a small chapel dedicated to the Apostle and Saint Paul and to Saint Gregory Palamas.
The cathedral church entitled to Sts. Cyril and Methodius is a double apse church. The lower altar is in the basement and is dedicated to the Fifteen Holy Hieromartyrs of Tiberiopolis. Construction on the lower church began in 1750 under the Strumica bishop Paisius, and was finished in 1760. The iconostasis, which is completely made of oak, safeguards the relics of St. Basil the Great and St. Theophanus Nachertani. The tomb of the exarchate metropolitan Gerasim, who initiated the building of the new church dedicated to the Saints Cyril and Methodius, is located in the lower church. He procured funds for the church from the Russian monastery of St. Pantelejmon on Mounth Athos, which may explain the Russian look of the church. The iconostasis was made of linden wood by the master of the Debar carving school, Nestor Aleksiev, in 1935. The icons were done by the painters Grigorij Pecanov from Strumica, Gavril Atanasov from Berovo, D.A. Papradiski and other anonymous artists. The church has had the same appearance since 1905.
The St. Ilija monastery is located on the Elenica mountain, about four kilometers away from Strumica. The monastery was probably built at the end of 16th century, based on the icons there which originate from that period. A stone plaque with inscription in old Slavic was once found in the monastery, but at some point it was lost. If the plaque had not been brought from somewhere else, one could conclude that the monastery originates from much older times. The monastery was destroyed once in 1923, but it was built again and extended in the period between 1975 and 1984. The monastery represents a single-domed structure with a painting of Christ the Pantocrator in the dome, while the apses contain the paintings of the four evangelists Mark, Matthew, Luke and John. The iconostasis of the monastery is made of wood. Lodging quarters have recently been built on the premises of the monastery.
The Ascension of the Holy Mother of God is a Catholic church. Atanasie Ivanov had this parish church built in 1925. The first service took place on Holy Thursday in 1925, the church being consecrated in 1931. From 1971 to 1975, the parish church underwent thorough reconstruction, and in 1988 it was benedicted by the Bishop Joakim Herbut. On September 21, 1991, building of the new pastoral center began, and was completed two years later. On May 1, 2001, this parish church was declared Cathedral Church of the Apostolic Exarchate in Macedonia by Pope John Paul II. Joakim Herbut was appointed its first Exarch. Since May 2002, the church has been undergoing another reconstruction. A new iconostasis was made and frescoes and icons were painted in the apse.
The church complex of Saint Leontius is about four kilometers west of Strumica, in the village of Vodocha. The oldest building in the complex is the early Christian basilica dating from the 5th and 6th century. The complex consists of three churches, the oldest of which is the eastern one. Its triple apse domed church, built in the 6th and 7th centuries, was destroyed after the fall of Czar Samuel’s state. Parts of its altar apse, proskomide (or prothesis) and diakonikon still remain. Its oldest fresco shows an unidentified saint from the late 10th century. The western church, a small cross-shaped domed structure, was built in the period between 1018 and 1037, and was dedicated to the Presentation of the Holy Mother of God–Eleusa.
The fresco painting of this church showcases the deacons Isavrios and Euplos, saintly figures, the cycle of the main church holidays and scenes from the Childhood and Life of the Holy Mother of God. The third and biggest church, placed in between the first two, is a domed structure that represents an Episcopal Church, a fact suggested by the synthronos in the altar apse. Built in the late 11th and early 12th century, it was dedicated to Saint Leontius, a Christian martyr killed at the time of the Roman emperor Vespasian. Presentations of the six Hierarchs and the Forty Holy Martyrs of Sebastea are the only frescoes that remain preserved until this day. Within the church complex, research was also done in the two monastery baths, the guest-house with other auxiliary structures, and the necropolis with over one thousand graves from the period between 18th and 20th century. This church was destroyed in the 13th century. Following the destruction, it was completely abandoned, and a necropolis was built there in the Middle Ages. The remains of this church underwent reconstruction in 1979, and by looking at the lead divide today, one could easily tell how much of the remains had actually survived. In 1996, monastic life was revived, and the place has since become the home of the monastic sisterhood of the Strumica diocese.
The first members of this congregation were registered in 1882. In 1894, the first church school opened, but it was not recognized until 1906. That same year, the first church was built with a classroom attached to it. In 1987, a permit was issued for building a new church. The old church was torn down, and construction of the new began in the same location. The new church was consecrated on October 15, 1989. In 2000, in honor of the famous missionary Helen Stone, a social center named “The Miss Stone Center” was completed.
Located 1.5 kilometers north of the village of Bansko, the remains of the church of the Forty Holy Martyrs of Sebastea measure 1.5 meters high. Dedicated to the cult of the Forty Holy Martyrs of Sebastea who suffered in 320 AD, it is the only church in Macedonia originating from that period.
The only other frescos of the forty martyrs are located in the churches St. Leontius in Vodocha, in St. Sophia in Ohrid, and in Morozvizd. Judging by the synthronos, a place in the church reserved for the Episcope, it was originally built as an Episcopal church. The architectural style and what remains from the fresco painting suggest that the church dates back to 12th or 13th century, though work had been done on it during the Ottoman period as well. The foundation of the church has the shape of a cross. The iconostasis is made of marble, and most of the interior space is reserved for the proscomedia and the diakonicon. A necropolis was discovered near the church originating from the 13th century.
The archeological site known as Roman Bath represents a late Roman thermo-mineral spa (Balneum) built in the 3rd and 4th century AD. It is located about 12 kilometers east of Strumica, at the foot of the Belasica mountain. The spa was discovered in 1978 while doing excavation work for the foundation of the Czar Samuil Hotel. The bath used the healing properties of the water from the spring Parilo, located about fifty meters south-west of the object, with a capacity of 42 liters per second and temperature of 72 °C (162 °F). Eleven rooms with a total area of 623 square meters have so far been discovered in the bath. Walls are preserved from a height of 2 meters to up to 6.70 meters. The best preserved rooms are the ones that were used as sauna and the cold water pool called frigidarium. Preserved also are the floors of all rooms that are made of ceramic tiles and mortar, as well as the base sections of the domed construction. The complete system of floor and wall heating remains intact including the water piping system and the drainage. The most recent excavations uncovered new buildings with multi colored floor mosaics dating from the 4th century AD.
Czar’s Towers is a fortress located at the top of a steep hill overlooking Strumica from the south. The fortress lies on a plateau at 445 meters above sea level. The edges of the plateau are lined with remains from the protective walls. Today, a forty-meter section of the west wall stands partially preserved, including layers of ruins from the northern wall. Part of the tower on the southwest side, which has been preserved, together with the tower on the southeast side, which collapsed in the earthquake of 1931, used to form the southern gate. It is very likely that the gate functioned with a draw bridge. Within the fortress, there used to be a central tower or dungeon, used as a command centre and lodging place for the head of the fortress and the officers. About fifty meters north of the dungeon, there is a rectangular room a few meters deep, which was used for storing wheat, wine, water etc. Inside the fortress, there are remnants from structures that were used for residence or as shops. South of the gate, there used to be a necropolis that had been used from the 1st century BC, which is the time the fortress originates from, – to the Ottoman period. Up until the 15th century, the fortress was serviced by a crew, but, due to the stabilizing factors in the Ottoman Empire, the fortress had already been abandoned at the time of Evliya Çelebi (1670). This dominating hill boasts a continuity of life that dates back to the 4th millennium BC, when a rich eneolith and early bronze culture flourished in the region.
This historical site represents a complex set of structures that used to be part of the old city center. Findings originating from various periods have been collected here including the Hellenistic, the Roman, the Late Ancient, and the Middle Ages. The Hellenistic period is represented by the following findings: Megara cups with motifs from Homer’s Iliad (3rd-2nd century BC), a plate featuring Artemis, the goddess of hunting, worshipped greatly in this region in the 3rd and 2nd Centuries BC, and a plate holder featuring Silen, a wilderness deity. The Roman period is represented by an eagle and many other findings from the 2nd century AD. There are also many plates, cups, jars, earrings, and coins from the 3rd and 2nd century BC until 17th century. A marble statue base was also found here dating from the late 2nd and early 3rd century AD, stating: “It is in good time that the city places this statue of its patron, the great Tiberius Claudius Menon, for his benevolence and qualities.” The site also contains remnants from a structure that is very likely to have been an early Christian basilica.
In the late 11th and early 12th century, a triple-apse church was raised, most likely dedicated to the Holy Mother of God, of which mention is made in the charters of the Serbian ruler Stefan Dushan (1331–1355), and the Byzantine emperor John VI Cantacuzenus (1347–1354). A synthronos found in the church suggests the Episcopal rank it had. The fresco paintings date back to the time when the church was built. One of the most remarkable frescoes are The Apostle Paul from the composition of the Apostles taking Holy Communion, the Apostle Luke, the Apostle Simon, female hieromartyrs of noble descent, the cycle of the big holidays and the Passion of Christ. The church burnt down in the 13th century, and a necropolis was built on the same place which was used from the Middle Ages up until 17th century. In 1613/14, or 1022 according to the Islamic calendar, a mosque was built on the same place. It was called Orta, or Middle Mosque. The site of the Orta Mosque is still under archeological scrutiny. A conservation project intended to reinforce the structure by steel frames and concrete blocks is under way, which will also result in opening up more space in the mosque’s yard.
It is a medieval tomb located 3 kilometers to the west of Strumica, near the village of Banica. The tomb looks like a mausoleum and is composed of 9 layers of carved freestone. It is 230 cm high, 240 cm wide and 400 cm long. There are three legends among people that refer to the origin of the tomb: they assign it, respectively, to Struma, sister of the King Marko; to Perseus, a prince relative of Alexander the Great; and to Struma, daughter of a commander of the Slavs in the area of Strumica. This legend says that the town was surrounded by strong Byzantine armed forces but they did not succeed in conquering the town. Then the treason of Struma happened because she was in love with the Byzantine military commander and thus revealed the secret of the unconquerable Czar’s Towers to him. The secret was that the horse’s shoes should be nailed reversely, and by that, the horse climbed the steep rocks around the fortress easily. The Byzantines conquered the fortress and the father cursed his daughter: when she dies, the earth will pitch her out nine times. The nine layers of carved freestone, according to the legend, are related to the nine times of pitching out and burying of Struma. However, whether one of these legends is true or the tomb has a history of its own, is not yet known.
The Machuk historical site is within close proximity of the Orta Mosque. It is an urban mansion erected somewhere between the 4th and 6th century AD, and it represents a small part of the once existent ancient town in these parts. Today, the only thing remaining from the structure is foundations, and, to some degree, the mosaics and the fresco painting that determine the time it originates from.
The feudal tower is located on Ohridska Street. It was probably built in the Ottoman period for both defensive purposes and to provide lodging. The tower was built out of chipped freestone and has a rectangular foundation with dimensions of 6.9 x 9 meters. The tower consists of a cellar, a basement and three levels. Hanging wooden balconies are attached to the structure on the second and third level.
Located on the east side of the city and with a depth of eleven meters, Maiden’s Well served the function of a rest area on the road to Salonica. It was built by a Turk in memory of his ill daughter whose last wish on the deathbed was for her father to sell her clothes and to dig a well with the money. The well was reconstructed in 2004.
It is dedicated to the late Macedonian president Boris Trajkovski (died in 2004). The monument is 5.6 meters high and consists of a marble base two meters high and a 3.6-meter high V-shaped section cast in bronze. The background of the bronze section represents the figure of a woman holding a cross and an aureole in her hand, and the foreground the bust of Boris Trajkovski. The monument was unveiled on December 11, 2005 and is the work of the Russian fine artist Grigori Pototski.
The monument of Goce Delchev is located in the central town square. It was erected to commemorate one hundred years from the birth of Goce Delchev, as well as the frequent visits he made to Strumica. The statue of Goce Delchev is made of cast bronze, 5,20 meters high and symbolizes the struggle for liberation. To the left and right of the statue are two side marble canvases in relief with 16 figures of revolutionaries measuring over 2 metres high. On the background of the marble canvases there are texts with revolutionary ideas. The monument was initiated in 1973 and finished on 11 December 1976. The statue is the work of Branko Koneski, while the parterre design is the work of the architect Mirjana Volinec.
It is located at the entrance of the town park and is dedicated to the fallen fighters in NOB (National Liberation Struggle) from Strumica. The monument, uncovered in 1963, is composed of two elements. One of the elements is a vertically placed marble column and canvas with a relief composition of male, female and infantile figures. The second element is composed of two human figures in full – length, made of aluminum. The monument is the work of the Academy artist Ilija Adzievski from Struga.
It is located in the upper part of the small town park. The monument was uncovered on 11 October 1949. It is composed of a figure, vertical stone canvas (obelisk) and two marble plaques on each side, with text dedicated to the fallen fighters in NOB.
It is located in the street “Svetozar Markovik” No. 1, near the small town park. It is a single-storey, ground-floor house with 4 rooms. Two of the rooms still contain authentic furniture from the time when Blagoj was alive, while the other two rooms have been converted into a memorial museum. Personal items, photographs and documents connected with the life and deeds of Blagoj Jankov-Mucheto are exhibited in this memorial museum. The house was built in 1924 and converted into a memorial museum on 14 July 1965, twenty-one years after the death of Jankov–Mucheto.
It is located in the small town park. It is dedicated to five students from Strumica (Boris Belev, Gjorgi Jarmov, Gjorgi Kosturanov, Mirko Pecev and Stevo Topchev) who were killed on August 13, 1951, near the village of Dorlombos.
The monument “Abduction of the Young Bey of Vasilevo” is located in the City Park. It consists of three marble sculptures representing Goce Delcev, one of his komita soldiers, and the abducted young boy of Vasilevo. The monument is the work of Boris Krstevski.
It has 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“. Since 1991 organized form of the carnival has been established. In 1994 Strumica became a member of FECC (Federation of European Carnival Cities) and in 1998 played host to XVIII International Congress of Carnival Cities. The opening of the carnival takes place on Saturday night at a masked ball where the Prince and Princess are chosen. The children’s carnival is on Sunday and the day after is known as Pure Monday. The main carnival night is on Tuesday when not only masked participants from the country, but carnival groups from abroad take part, as well. The participants present various, diverse subjects and are rewarded with individual and group prizes. As of 2000, the Festival of Caricatures and Aphorisms has started under the auspices of the carnival. The festival has international character and takes place during the Trimeri festivities. The theme of the festival is the carnival combined with light eroticism.
Strumica is the main agricultural center in the Republic of Macedonia. It has many textile factories and a developed trade network.
The city of Strumica has 4 primary schools: Vidoe Podgorec, Sando Masev, Marshal Tito and Nikola Vapcarov; 3 high schools: Jane Sandanski, Nikola Karev and Dimitar Vlahov; 1 dispersed university Goce Delcev, which has 3 faculties, including Teacher Training, Economic and Agricultural faculty; and a music school Boro Dzoni.
The new local council and mayor was elected in 2009. The current and re-elected mayor of Strumica is Zoran Zaev of the SDSM party.
There are three main football clubs. FK Horizont Turnovo plays in the Macedonian first division, while FK Belasica play in the second and FK Tiverija in the third.
Two basketball clubs train and play in Strumica after reorganization of KK Strumica 2005: KK Aba and KK Milenium. Volleyball clubs in Strumica are OK Makedonija-Gio, OK Strumica, and women's team OK Makedonija-Maks. Handball team RK Zomimak-M is also present.
There are two private local TV stations operating in Strumica: TV kanal VIS and INTEL Televizija and also two cable TV providers: NetCable and Telekabel.
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