Brajcino

Brajcino is a small village on the slopes of the mountains of Pelister National Park. It is located on the east side of Lake Prespa, close to the border with Greece. In 2009 we came to Brajcino full of expectations. The village was known for its eco-tourism. There should be well-kept marked hiking trails in and around the village and into Pelister National Park. Supposedly, 10-15% of the income from tourism should be invested in preserving the local area, information panels, brochures, marking the trails etc.

After arriving in Brajcino, we wanted to walk the hiking trail around the village along six churches. Unfortunately, all the brochures with the description of the the hikes were finished, and apparently no effort was made to print new ones. So much for the eco-tourism. The trail was not marked very well, there only was some faded blue/white paint here and there, and some ribbons in the trees.

The first church along the trail was the Church of St Atanas, built in 1970.
Allegedly there used to be a big monastery at this place which was burned down by the Ottomans. It is also said that this was the place where Tsar Samoils brother became a monk and later died. The most straightforward way to get to St Atanas is to take the unpaved path uphill at the entrance to Brajcino, where the sign “welcome to Brajcino” is.

The Church of St Nikola is on the local cemetery and was built in 1871. It was locked when we were there, you might be able to get the key somewhere in the village but we did not try.

The Church of St Archangel is from 1919 and lies about 45 minutes hiking into the mountains outside the village. The church was closed when we got there (although we were told it would be open). Unfortunately, when we wanted to continue the trail to the Church of St Bogorodica, we lost the marking and we got a little bit lost in the forest. We just made it back into Brajcino before it got completely dark. Take-home message: take a guide if you want to do this trail or try to find a GPS track.

Besides the closed churches, most of the characteristic houses are not open to the public anymore, because the caretakers have gotten too old.

We initially planned to overnight in the Monastery of St Petka, which does not have a monastery function anymore but was renovated to accommodate visitors. However, when we phoned them we were told the monastery was fully occupied. Remarkably, when we visited the Monastery the next day it was deserted.

The Monastery of St Petka is from the 16th century. It must be a wonderful and peaceful experience to stay here!

The Church of St Petka, part of the monastery, also dates back to the 16th century. To find the monastery, just follow the road upstream of the river, past the restaurant Raskrsnica. It’s about 15 minutes walking after the asphalt ends.

Luckily, the church of St Petka was open and we could admire the old and quite remarkable frescoes.

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We had a nice dinner in restaurant Raskrsnica (meaning crossroad) after we got lost on the mountain. They managed to make a vegetarian dish for my girlfriend, who must be the sole Macedonian vegetarian in this country of carnivores. Their home-made rakija made me beg for more. The two stuffed bears and stuffed fox that are part of the interior put the term “eco-tourism” in a special perspective. When we asked about them, they said that the bears probably died of natural causes or were killed in self-defense 🙂 We made a reservation at the restaurant in the afternoon, to let them know that we would be visiting in the evening.

Because we could not overnight in the Monastery of St Petka, we arranged private accommodation in one of the last houses when you follow the river upstream. The hostess Divna Kostovska speaks some English. They have two or three rooms, with a shared bathroom/toilet. Everything was very clean. We had the room with a double bed and the window on the front garden. The breakfast Divna provided for us was really delicious. Her husband gave us advice how to walk the trail to the 6 churches. We should have asked him to come with us, because we got lost! In 2009, the price was 800 denars per person (about 14 euro), including breakfast. Phone: +389 (0)70-507-367 or +389 (0)47-482-321.

Summarized, Brajcino offers some nice rural architecture and peaceful nature. It is just a pity that the few trails they have are not marked well.
There is also a hiking trail from Brajcino leading into Pelister National Park to the two glacial lakes, the Pelister summit and the mountain hut at the Big Lake. We may try this trail another time.