Struga

Struga (Macedonian: Струга, Albanian: Strugë) is a city in Western North Macedonia on Lake Ohrid. Nicknamed the "City of Poetry and World's Poetry City", it is known for its annual international poetry festival. Unlike larger and more popular Ohrid, Struga is situated on a plain and is more ethnically diverse.

Understand
Struga has always been in the shadow of Ohrid, as Ohrid has more monuments and better preserved houses. But Struga can still be a fun daytrip from Ohrid if one combines it with a trip to the villages on the west coast of lake Ohrid where main sight, aside from the nice quiet beaches, are the cave churches.

Unlike Ohrid which is in hills, Struga is flat, spread around Drim river. It is a great place to relax with a cup of coffee by the river.

While the city of Struga has a majority ethnic Macedonian population, Struga Municipality as a whole with its 50 surrounding villages is home to an Albanian majority.

History
In ancient time the city was known as Enchalon, which means eel (fishing eels in Drim river used to be very popular in Struga). The Via Egnatia road that connected Rome with Thesaloniki and Constantinople passed through Struga. The name Struga was used for the first time in a document in the 11th c, but it originates from the 7th c. The Byzantine travel writer Ana Komnina visited Struga in the 11th century and named it “City of 100 bridges”.

While the nearby Ohrid was always cultural and religious centre, Struga played the role of trading centre of the region. It still does and a visit on market day can be fun.

In the 19th century Struga played important part in the national revival as it was home town of Konstantin and Dimitar Miladinovi, brothers who collected and published a collection of folk songs (named "Folk songs from Macedonia") in 1862. Konstantin Miladinov wrote Sorrow for the south (also translated as 'Longing for the South') during his studies in Saint Petersburg. Today, in his honour, the biggest poetry festivals in the world is held in Struga every year.

Curiosities

 * The river Drim, which enters Ohrid lake in the St. Naum monastery, comes out in Struga after going through the whole lake.
 * Before the Drim had been blocked by several dams downstream of Struga, Lake Ohrid was home to a large population of eels. The annual run of the eels, when they left the lake en masse every fall, to spawn in the Atlantic Ocean, was a major event in Struga, where weirs were constructed to catch the fish. The towns' eel lore is celebrated in Luan Starova's novel The Path of Eels  ("Патот на јагулите").
 * Vlado Maleski, a poet from Struga wrote the Macedonian national anthem "Denes nad Makedonija se raga". It was sung for the first time in Struga.
 * The Vasilica carnival in Vevčani village has been held on 14th & 15th of January for over 1500 years.

By bus
There are direct buses from Skopje and other cities in Macedonia to Struga. Also there are buses to Tirana, Albania.



Get around
Struga is small and easiest to get around is by walking. To visit the cave churches on the west coast of Ohrid lake take a taxi or check out the bus schedule. A 15 minutes walk along the lake will take you to Kalishta village and cave monastery.

West coast of Lake Ohrid
Going west from Struga along the lake are the villages of Kališta and Radožda, followed by the Kjafasan border crossing to Albania.

Away from the lake

 * Vevčani, 14 km northwest of Struga, is an independent village known for its ancient carnival and natural scenery.
 * Vevčani, 14 km northwest of Struga, is an independent village known for its ancient carnival and natural scenery.
 * Vevčani, 14 km northwest of Struga, is an independent village known for its ancient carnival and natural scenery.
 * Vevčani, 14 km northwest of Struga, is an independent village known for its ancient carnival and natural scenery.
 * Vevčani, 14 km northwest of Struga, is an independent village known for its ancient carnival and natural scenery.
 * Vevčani, 14 km northwest of Struga, is an independent village known for its ancient carnival and natural scenery.
 * Vevčani, 14 km northwest of Struga, is an independent village known for its ancient carnival and natural scenery.
 * Vevčani, 14 km northwest of Struga, is an independent village known for its ancient carnival and natural scenery.
 * Vevčani, 14 km northwest of Struga, is an independent village known for its ancient carnival and natural scenery.
 * Vevčani, 14 km northwest of Struga, is an independent village known for its ancient carnival and natural scenery.
 * Vevčani, 14 km northwest of Struga, is an independent village known for its ancient carnival and natural scenery.
 * Vevčani, 14 km northwest of Struga, is an independent village known for its ancient carnival and natural scenery.
 * Vevčani, 14 km northwest of Struga, is an independent village known for its ancient carnival and natural scenery.

Do

 * Football: FC Struga play soccer in the First Division, the top tier. Their tiny Gradska Plaža Stadium (capacity 800) is shared with FK Karaorman in the Second Division; it's on the coast 500 m east of the river outlet.
 * Football: FC Struga play soccer in the First Division, the top tier. Their tiny Gradska Plaža Stadium (capacity 800) is shared with FK Karaorman in the Second Division; it's on the coast 500 m east of the river outlet.
 * Football: FC Struga play soccer in the First Division, the top tier. Their tiny Gradska Plaža Stadium (capacity 800) is shared with FK Karaorman in the Second Division; it's on the coast 500 m east of the river outlet.
 * Football: FC Struga play soccer in the First Division, the top tier. Their tiny Gradska Plaža Stadium (capacity 800) is shared with FK Karaorman in the Second Division; it's on the coast 500 m east of the river outlet.

Eat
A dish native to Struga and Ohrid is gjomzele. It is made of flour, water, salt, and some oil.

Sleep
Same as in Ohrid, accommodation is easy in Struga as many people rent rooms starting from €15 per person per night. Here is a list of some hotels in Struga:

Go next

 * Ohrid, the most famous city on Lake Ohrid, is just 15 km away and full of culture.
 * Shebenik-Jabllanice National Park is a mountainous national park just across the border in Albania.
 * Pogradec, Albania
 * Elbasan, Albania