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Project description
A fair, developing a culture guide and a map of Varos, a Website, and a culture agenda (a sculptor colony, a camp-week for art and culture nongovernmental organizations, a film show, concerts, debates, an excursion including a visit to middle-age sacral sites in Varos, an excursion to Markovi Kuli, shows of art&culture groups) - these are the activities taken within the project called “The old town; pride, tradition, fair” in Varos. Local people have set up a board for affirmation and development of culture tourism in Varos.
Contact
Goce Bojkoski, Forum for Avant-Garde Creativity, 1st of May Quay No 64, 7500 Prilep; 070/604-646, fak2@list.ru
Location
Varos, Prilep, southern Macedonia
About Varos
Varos and the Markovi Kuli represent an indivisible totality. Varos is the site where middle-age Prilep was located (developed in the 10th and the 11th century), witnessed many monuments and abundant archeological materials. It used to be a rich capital and the bishop seat of the kingdom of Volkasin and of his son Marko. There were 77 churches in Varos and some of them have been preserved or discovered at archeological sites. Out of churches and monasteries preserved, you may today visit the ones of St. Dimitrija, St. Peter, St. Bogorodica Precista, St. Atanasie, the monastery church of St. Arhangel Mihail, and the Treskavec monastery. At the Markovi Kuli site, there used to exist a fortification structure from the Hellenic period. This is one of the best preserved middle-age monuments in Macedonia, and one of the largest fortresses in the Balkans. On the Poitinger map, this is the location of the Hellenic settlement of Kerampa that used to exist in the Roman period as well.
Today, Varos is an integral part of Prilep. Each year, it is host of the oldest traditional fine art colony in Macedonia, with international participation.
How to reach Varos?
From Skopje, you can reach Prilep by car (135 km), by coach leaving Skopje at 10.00, 13.00, 14.00, and 18.00 hours, or by train leaving Skopje at 6.00, 14.30, 18.48, and 23.20 hours.
You can also reach Prilep from Ohrid by car (125 km) or by coach leaving at 13.30 and 15.30 hours.
Where to stay overnight?
Private accommodation is available in Varos. Near Varos, there is a hotel named “Crystal Palace” (184 Lenin St.) offering possibilities of organizing seminars and meetings, with a swimming pool and a restaurant offering international cuisine dishes.
Local specifics
The restaurant which is the feature of Prilep and which is located in the town's centre is “Makedonska kuka”. You can try local specialties there - among other things, the Prilep “shyrden”.
What can you see in the surroundings?
You should certainly visit the Hellenic settlement of Stibera, known also as the “Macedonian Pompey”. In Prilep itself, you should have a look at the old town bazaar from the XVII-XIX century, with is Saat Kula (“the Clock Tower”), old shops and other famous sites, the monument called the Mogila (“Grave”) of the Invincible - a testimony of the heroic participation of Prilep in the people's liberation war during World War II; the Prilep Museum with its archeological, historic, and a section dedicated to the people's rebellion during the Second World War, and a collection of some 200 icons from the XVI-XIX century, as well as the Museum of Tobacco, dedicated to the long tradition of tobacco production and smoking in the Prilep region. |
