Me at the "Makadonium" monument
Inside the monument
The Town of Krucevo (see the Makadonium monument on the hill?)
The Macedonian flag
The nearby hills & site of battle for independence
I went to Krusevo for a week long conference, an In Service Training (IST) from April 17th-20th. Krusevo is an interesting little town in the mountains, (32 km from Prilep). At 1,250 meters, it is the highest point in the Balkans. It also has a very important historical significance because it was the location of the famous Ilinden Uprising, on August 2nd, 1903. This is when the Macedonians and Vlachs (ethnic groups) fought for independence from the Ottoman Empire (The Turks, who ruled them for 500 years). It was a fierce battle which liberated Krusevo, created the Republic of Krusevo and were independent for 10 days. Then the Turks came back with reinforcements and the republic was no more. The rebel leaders are today regarded as heros, and their names are sung in the national anthem… August 2nd is a big holiday in Macedonia (called Ilinden) and it is like the equivalent to the 4th of July in the US.
The strange white monument "Makadonium" houses the tomb of Nikola Karaev, one of the rebel leaders and president to the Republic of Krusevo and is also an interesting museum. Krusevo also has very traditional architecture of old churches and houses and it was fun to just stroll around the town and do some hiking in the hills nearby (as well as see the ski lifts from the heart of the town heading up to the hills).
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