Prilep

Prilep is a city in Western North Macedonia nicknamed "The city under Marko’s towers", alluding to its fortress. The city of 76,768 is the Macedonian tobacco and beer capital - tobacco leaves can be seen drying across the city and Prilep's brewery produces most of the country's most popular beers. The city was the capital of the medieval kingdom of Kings Vukašin and Marko which explains the large number of churches and monasteries in and around the city.

Understand
What is most striking about Prilep is the strange bare scenery with huge rocks scattered around. The city is nestled below a bare hill. On the top of the hill, ruins of a medieval fortress stand. All around the city are tobacco fields, and if one visits the city in late summer or fall, one will see tobacco drying everywhere he turns. What is unique about Prilep is the strange sense of humor its inhabitants have and the way they have preserved their traditional way of life. Near Prilep is the Mariovo region, one of the most untouched regions of Macedonia, with small, half-deserted villages scattered in untouched nature.

History
The ancient Macedonian city of Styberra existed near present-day Prilep, within the village of Čepigovo. It was later incorporated into the Roman Empire. Razed by the Goths in 268, it remained inhabited.

Even though the Prilep has been in existence since ancient times, its peak was in the Middle Ages. In 1018, it was here that Tsar Samuel died of a heart attack when he saw his army of 14,000 blinded by the Byzantine Emperor Vasilij.

Prilep was the capital of the medieval kingdom of King Vukasin (r 1350-1375) and his son King Marko (r 1375-1395). They both tried to stop the progress of the Turkish expansion and are remembered as mythical heroes in the folk tales and songs. After the death of King Marko in 1395, Prilep was conquered by the Turks. The next five centuries were under Ottoman rule. Among the first rebellions to take place against Ottoman occupation was orchestrated in the Mariovo area in 1564. In 1907 following the Ilinden Uprising, the Battle of the Knife occurred near the village of Rakle, close to Prilep. 67 rebels were killed by Ottoman forces in what was considered the bloodiest rebellion after the Ilinden Uprising; photographs of the aftermath spread around the world.

The Battle of Prilep occurred in November 1912, as part of the First Balkan War. The Serbian army overwhelmed the Ottomans over the course of three days and forced them to retreat. This set the Serbs on course to head southward to Bitola.

On 11 October 1941 in Prilep, the rebellion of the Macedonian people against the fascist Bulgarian occupation began. The Prilep partisans attacked the Bulgarian police station, prison, and telephone and telegraph networks.

During the communist period under Yugoslavia, Prilep was named one of eight "Hero Cities" in the country.

Curiosities

 * The whitest marble in the world is found in Prilep. The marble is called "Sivec". The pedestal of the Statue of Liberty is made of Sivec, and the marble has also been used in building the White House and other buildings in Washington, D.C.
 * Prilep and the village of Varosh are attached to each other. In the Middle Ages Varosh was actually the city and Prilep was a suburb attached to the city.

By bicycle
Riding from Bitola, one can take on old road that parallel the new highway. It is in good condition, and has little traffic; parts of it are still paved with stones, rather than asphalt.

From Skopje and Veles, the usual road would follow the valley of the Vardar River to near Gradsko (where an older road, suitable for bicycles, roughly parallels the expressway); from there, one would continue west to Prilep along Hwy P106; the highest pass on this route has elevation 992 m.

A much more challenging, but historic and quite scenic route from Veles follows the valley of the Babuna River, and then that of its tributary, the Izvorčica, crossing the mountains over Prisad Pass (elevation 1090 m). From near Izvor, and to the vicinity of the Prilep Reservoir (a few km northeast of Prilep) the road is unpaved. While at lower elevations it's a more or less normal dirt (gravel) road, around Prisad Pass it's been paved with large boulders, perhaps in the Ottoman era or during WWI. Considering the road condition and steepness, you likely will be walking for several miles over the pass. Although old kilometer stones, with nearly illegible numbers, still stand along this road, few cars (maybe one or two a day) travel over the pass, and that's a good thing, considering the amount of dust a vehicle would rise on a road like this.

The monastery of St Dimitri is found near the dirt road north of the pass, and that of St George, south of the pass. Large marble quarries can be seen south of the pass as well. There is an old pillbox at the pass.

Get around
The centre is small and it's easiest to get around on foot.

The bus station is in the centre too.

To get to Varosh village, you can get a taxi for around MKD50 - ask to be dropped at the monastery and then walk down to visit the churches, or walk for about 20 to 30 minutes.

See
Prilep is one of Macedonia's foremost cities. While it perhaps saw its greatest importance in the medieval era, there are monuments from the ancient, Byzantine, Ottoman, neoclassical, communist, and modern eras as well that showcase Prilep's fascinating past. Coupled with the unique landscape in and around the city, Prilep is not to be missed when visiting Macedonia.

Varoš
Prilep's oldest neighborhood was considered a separate village not so long ago, but it was ultimately absorbed within the growing city's limits. Once home to 77 churches, several medieval monuments remain today. Varoš is northwest of the city center, under Marko's Towers.

Neighboring villages
Prilep Municipality is among the largest in the country by area and is home to 58 villages, ranging from suburbs of Prilep to severely depopulated historic villages in the Mariovo region. The topography coupled with the historic architecture make the rural areas of Prilep Municipality worth exploring. Places like Veprčani have been used as settings in films.




 * Mariovo. Prilep Municipality contains a majority of this historic region.
 * Mariovo. Prilep Municipality contains a majority of this historic region.
 * Mariovo. Prilep Municipality contains a majority of this historic region.

Events

 * International festival of folk instruments and songs "Pece Atanasovski" held in the village of Dolneni 15 km away from Prilep on 22 and 23 May
 * Center for Contemporary Arts an Art Colony from 1957 year, held from 10 July until 10 August every summer in the center of Prilep. web.wwwcslu-prilep.org. tel +38970208331
 * Center for Contemporary Arts an Art Colony from 1957 year, held from 10 July until 10 August every summer in the center of Prilep. web.wwwcslu-prilep.org. tel +38970208331

Eat
Prilep is the origin of the traditional Macedonian food Širden. It is prepared with an elastic muscle organ of a sheep or lamb, which is washed and then stuffed with three kinds of chopped meat, onions, and paprika and seasoned with black pepper, pimento, and salt. A little water is added and the opening is sewn with a needle and a thread. It is baked with lard in an earthen casserole.

There are many burek and pastry places and restaurants in the centre but for best grill and local food head for:

Drink
There is a selection of cafes, bars and clubs in Prilep, most of them in and around the old bazaar and in the shopping mall that stands on the main square. Here are some of the popular destinations: In the center of the town there are at least twenty cafe bars offering a variety of fun and you can have a nice time enjoying some very modern or rustique views of architecture.

Car Rental

 * Astra Rent-a-Car  Tel: +389-71-214-071. Affordable and fully insured car rental in the center of the city, with signing contract available in English. You can travel everywhere in the country and also outside of Macedonia. Specially organized trips to Treskavec Monastery with off-road jeep and a tour guide are available. Company is part of Pension Breza hotel.

Go next

 * Bitola- Visit the “city of consuls”. Cozy Old Town and a very ruined, ancient city remains. Certainly worth stopping off here for a few hours if travelling from Prilep to Ohrid.
 * Kicevo - There is the St. Bogorodica Precista a monastery with the 'flying icon'
 * Ohrid- A couple bus per day (via Bitola). With ancient churches and flower-filled balconies in the hillside old city, and beach life down below on the lake coast, this is no doubt the "Macedonian Riviera"
 * Skopje - around dozen of buses and couple of trains depart to the Capital
 * Veles - 65 km NE. - Visit the nearby Saint Jovan Vetersko monastery