Berovo

(Macedonian: Берово)

Berovo is a small town in the heart of Malesevski Mountains, 178 km south east from Skopje, 53 km north east from Strumica and 52 km south east from Kocani, in the Republic of Macedonia. It is a seat of the Berovo municipality.

Sustained by the Bregalnica River, Berovo stands at 834 meters above sea level and can be reached by car using a single asphalt road leading to the city. Berovo lake and the forest of the Malesevski Mountains are two popular sites for tourists and Berovo craftsmen are well known for their skill in traditional wood crafting. Berovo cheese is also a well-known commodity.

• Number of inhabitants: the municipality 13 971 in 2003, Berovo itself something over 5 500
• Area: 597 sq. km
• Geographic position: 41.42° N 22.51° E
• Climate: semi-mountainous to mountainous continental
• Average temperature: July-August highs 30 – 35°C, January – February Lows up to – 15°C. Extremes possible, particularly in winter (1962 – 30°C).
• Time zone: Central European Time (GMT +1)
• Postal Code: 2330
• Local area code: 033

The only guarantee you may get in Berovo concerning the food is that you will always have a “fresh dish”, almost always the meat i.e. comes “directly from the knife” to your table. There are some small restaurants in the city, mostly offering you Macedonian specialities, here and there some pizzerias, and you surely cannot expect they will offer you French or Chinese food. Just enjoy in Macedonian dish, their famous “white cheese”, always on the top of Macedonian quality, grilled lamb, it’s never hard for them to make the barbecue in front of you and prepare the lamb in a “Berovo way”.

This area has always been passive and rural, but the people are rich in their hearts, it’s in their genes to offer you everything they have from their fool heart.

There are no reliable proofs of the age of Berovo as a settlement, although some sources show it dates even from Roman times. The historically confirmed facts show on the other hand that Berovo started it’s growing at the middle 18th century, as the surrounding villages began to gather in one centre.

At the beginning of the 19th century Berovo was still “just a pile of houses”, a typical rural settlement without any characteristics of a town. Turks would come to collect the taxes for the sultan (and a good part for themselves), kill someone here and there, take away some of the girls for their harems, and the life was going on. But, the primordial feeling of freedom and independence was growing every day in the hearts of Berovo people. Soon, the area became a shelter of many rebellions and Berovo itself a centre of the resistance against the Ottomans.

It happen that the habitants decided to built a church first, due to the small one they’ve had had fallen into decay. They decided to have a new church built at the site known as Mogila. The parish priest, Friar Peco, was assigned to obtain a building permit from the Turkish authorities in Radovis. The Turkish governor Vali gave a building permit but made sure to set conditions for construction of the church as difficult as possible. The church was to be built low, below the road level and not to be seen, construction was to end in forty days, and Fr Peco was to give his youngest daughter, Sultana, to the harem. The people of the town prevailed and the church building was finished and covered with stone blocks, soot, and lime (so as not to be noticed) in 40 days. Seeing that the church had been completed, Vali immediately ordered the deaths of three church elders in front of the church, and since Sultana had fled to Kiystendil, now in Bulgaria, Friar Peco was imprisoned for three years. When Sultana found out that Vali had been murdered by komitas - fighters for Macedonian liberation, she promptly returned to Berovo.

Berovo and its surroundings are often called Macedonian Switzerland, because of the beautiful forests, fresh air and almost virgin nature. There are no big sport grounds or courts for tennis i.e. people are still struggling to provide such objects for their guests, but be sure that you’ll enjoy if you’re a “mountain walker”. Mountains over Berovo are pleasant, no big rocks or steep traces, surely you may lose your breath walking around, and still you will not be so tired at the end of the day. You’ll meet flocks of sheep on your way and shepherds that will offer you “a swallow of slivovitza”, because Berovo is the only one region in Macedonia where slivovitza is distilled, a piece of cheese, or boiled potatoes.

If you are “ a bike-man” you’ll be delighted with the traces they have, all around, from Berovo to Delcevo, asphalt roads that are used for all kinds of traffic, and still you’ll meet some car here and there, forest-trucks transporting wood and some tractors. Animals like cows and mountain dogs will salute you on your way, that’s for sure.

And, when you leave Berovo, take a glance on your “blood picture”, don’t be surprised if it would be radically improved.

If you take the fact that being here is a fun itself, you’ll not be disappointed too much. There are some “night bars” actually, three or four small cafeterias in the centre, opened till the depth of night becomes weaker, but only in the summertime. They organise concerts of young talents from the area, they have a wonderful celebration of Holy Mother Marry day, on the 28th of August which was accepted as a holiest day for the people of Berovo and east part of Macedonia, but when you come here in wintertime be prepare to face the fact that you are here to give a break to your brain.

• By car: 178 km far from Skopje (about 2,5 hours drive), 53 km or one hour drive from Strumica
• By plane: www.airports.com.mk (Skopje)
• By bus: www.sas.com.mk (Skopje)
• By train: No railway to Berovo

Certainly, the two monasteries, the lake, the local forests and mountains, but first of all meet these people and your goal is fulfilled. They will know how to make you satisfied.