From Wikitravel

Krushevo small town in Western Macedonia, (pop. 9684 (Krushevo county) in 2002; 62,8% Macedonians, 10,53% Vlahs, 21,3%Albanians, 3,25%Turks). Historic Krushevo was the centre of the Ilinden Uprising when Macedonians called for independence of Macedonia from the Turks. Today the main celebrations of the National holyday on 2nd of August are held here. Krushevo is the centre of the Vlach minority in Macedonia.

Contents 1 Understand 1.1 History 1.2 curiosities 2 Get in 3 Get around 4 See 5 Do 6 Buy 7 Eat 8 Drink 9 Sleep

Understand

Hidden up in the mountains between the woods, Krushevo has managed to preserve a genuine appeal. The town has the same layout as a century ago and around 80 traditional houses are preserved, so it is a good place to admire and learn about traditional architecture. Unfortunately, being so small and isolated the town has had problems coping with the transition. The town is a winter skiing centre with paths good for beginners.

History

Even though Krushevo looks as it has slept in time, it actually is the youngest town in Macedonia. It was founded in the 18th c. It was inhabited by Vlachs from Epirus in Greece and Macedonians from the Reka region in Western Macedonia called Mijaks. Both suffered a lot from Ali Pasha Janinski an Albanian aristocrat and his army, so they gathered in Bitola asking for help from the Turkish administration. The governor offered them to stay in Bitola and the Vlachs who were traders and goldsmiths accepted, but the ones who had large herds of sheep and the Mijaks who were used to live in the mountains, didn’t have what to do in Bitola, so they were offered to found their own city. It was a good combination as the Vlachs were rich and the Mijaks were the best builders in the Balkans, and both groups had a very sophisticated sense of aesthetics, so they created the wonderful Krushevo we have today. On 2nd of August 1903 the Ilinden Uprising started in Krushevo, the biggest rebellion of the Macedonians against the Turks. On the freed territory Krushevo Republic was established which lasted for 10 days and Nikola Karev was proclaimed president. He wrote the Krushevo Manifesto which called all peoples that live in Macedonia to join them in the struggle for independence of Macedonia.

curiosities

• Settled on 1350 meters above the see level, Krushevo is the highest city in the Balkans.

• In 1926 Krushevo was visited by the internationally renown architect Le Corbusier who admired the local architecture.

Get in

Busses have stopped going to Krushevo, but there is a minibus going back and forth couple of times a day and taxi from Prilep wouldn’t cost much since it is just 30km away.

Get around

The town is small and pleasant for walking around and a walk through the woods to reach the monuments is recommendable.

See

• Krushevo architecture – As the city was started from scratch, the Vlachs were willing to invest and the Mijaks were excellent builders, in Krushevo a very interesting architecture has developed. The houses are freestanding, mostly symmetrical, without open spaces typical for other towns in Macedonia. The back of the houses are built of stone, while the front of socalled “bondruk” construction of wooden columns and beams covered with white plaster. There is almost always a well in the ground floor. On the main facade usually there are painted decorations in blue colour. Blue is also usually used for the window frames and other details of the facades. On the upper floor there usually is a small balcony with a triangular pediment above it to put accent on the symmetry of the house.
• St.Nikola Church – built in 1905 on the site of an earlier church that was burned after the Ilinden uprising. St. Nikola church is the cathedral in the town and it is situated in the old bazaar. The iconscreen of the earlier church, that suffered in the fire, was made by the famous woodcarver Petre Filipovski-Garkata whose other work include the iconscreen of the church of Sv.Spas (St.Saviour) in Skopje and the iconscreen of St.Jovan Bigorski Monastery.
• St.Jovan Church – was built in 1897. The iconscreen was made by Nestor and Lazar Aleksievski. Inside also notice the two large stoves typical for Krushevo houses.
• Nikola Martinovski gallery – Nikola Martinovski (1903-1973) one of the most important Macedonian contemporary painters was born in Krushevo and to the town he donated 62 paintings which are now exhibited in his birth house. The house itself is excellent example of Krushevo architecture and it is worth exploring. Also a small ethnological museum has been set up inside the house. Visiting the gallery gives you a chance to admire not just Martinovski works, but also the beauty of Krushevo houses.
• Museum of Ilinden Uprising – is set up in an old house in which the Krushevo Republic was proclaimed. Through photographs, documents, maps and weapons the period prior, during and after the Ilinden uprising is explained
• Macedonium Monument
• Meckin Kamen

Do

Buy

Eat

Drink

Sleep

There are couple of hotels in Krushevo inc. Montana Hotel with breathtaking views over the city, but cheaper option is to rent a room in a home (300-450 denars per person)

This article is an outline and needs more content. It has a template, but there is not enough information present. Please plunge forward and help it grow!