Krusevo

(Macedonian: Крушево)

Krusevo is a town in Republic of Macedonia. It is the highest town in Macedonia as it is situated at an altitude of over 4,000 feet above sea level. The town of Krusevo is a seat of the Krusevo municipality.

Krusevo is a small picturesque mountain town. It resembles a magic painting by an old master. Situated at an altitude of 1350m, Krusevo is the highest town in the Republic of Macedonia. The chance guest will not be wrong if they style Krusevo as a museum of old architecture. The town is full of old and more recent houses built in the style of old Macedonian architecture.

It is home to Meckin Kamen (Stone of the Bear), a famous historical landmark which marks the spot of the uprising of 1903. On 2 August every year, it is the site of the traditional Macedonian Independence Day celebrations which are attended by the President of Macedonia, as well as other Macedonian political leaders.

The "Makedonium" monument of the Ilinden Uprising is to be found in Krusevo. There are also a number of museums of the Ilinden Uprising, a Gallery of 19th century icons, and a memorial gallery to the master of modern Macedonian painting, Nikola Martinovski, who was born in this town.

Owing to its high elevation (1300 meters or 4,400 feet), Krusevo is also one of Macedonia’s prime winter sports destinations. Yet this same quality also makes this pine-forested getaway a comfortable destination in summer, when the Krusevo air stays cooler and more pure than in the arid lowlands.

• Number of inhabitants: 9684, Krusevo itself 5.507
• Area:
• Geographic position: 41.368° N 21.248° E
• Climate: Continental
• Average temperature:
• Time zone: Central European Time (GMT +1)
• Postal Code: 7550
• Local area code: 048

Like nowhere in Macedonia you will enjoy in the traditional Macedonian dish here.

Mentioned in documents from the 15th century, Krusevo is a living museum, famous for its traditional architecture, cultural sites, and legacy as the site of the great 1903 Ilinden uprising against Ottoman domination. The rebellion failed, but its memory is cherished in Macedonia even today, as a symbol of the national struggle for freedom and democracy; while it lasted only 10 days, the Krushevo Republic of revolutionary leader Nikola Karev represented a desire for self-rule under a modern European political system. Today an enormous monument on the hill above Krusevo marks the elusive dream of the Ilinden revolutionaries.

During the Ilinden-Preobrazhenie Uprising in 1903 the rebels proclaimed a short lived Kruševo Republic. Having suppressed the uprising the city was almost completely destroyed by the Ottoman army.The republic known as Krushevska republika was established here in 1903 during the Ilinden insurrection. One of the most important points in the Ilinden uprising was the declaration of the "Manifesto of Krushevo". It called for all the people of Macedonia regardless of their nationality and religion to fight together against the Ottoman Empire and live peacefully in a free country of Macedonia.

There is in the area a monument called Meckin Kamen (Bear's Stone). This was the place where Pitu Guli's band (cheta) was trying to defend the town of Kruševo from the Turkish troops coming from Bitola. The whole band and their leaders (vojvodite) perished and Kruševo as well as many of the nearby villages were set to fire by the Ottomans.

Definitely this is the centre of the paragliding sport in Macedonia, mountain walking and biking, fishing and hunting and the winter sports centre as well.

• By car: 175 km south-west from Skopje, 30 km far from Prilep
• By plane: www.airports.com.mk (Skopje)
• By bus: www.sas.com.mk (Skopje)
• By train: No railway line to Krusevo

The churches of Holy Mother, St. Salvation, St. Nicolas, St. John will certainly attract your attention. The monuments of Ilinden Uprising and the Krusevo Republic, Museum of PLW (people Liberation War – the WW-2), the monument on Bear’s Stone, the monument “Plum tree”, the Bullets foundry from the Krusevo uprising and the Martinoski Art Gallery will be the matter of your interest here as well.