Kratovo is a small town in the northeast of Macedonia, situated in the crater of an ancient volcano. The name of the town still reminds you of this fact.
It used to be a mining town for gold and silver. In the surroundings of Kratovo are the ancient observatory Cocev Kamen, the archeological site Golemo Gradiste and the natural locality the Stone Dolls.
Stone Bridges
The river Tabacka runs through the crater, and the four stone bridges across the river date from the early Ottoman period.
Together with the defense towers, these bridges are the famous landmarks of Kratovo.
The Gorno Amamski Bridge (Upper Turkish Bathhouse Bridge) is located close to the ruins of an old Turkish Bathhouse.
Note the round stone on the bridge, this is one of the “volcanic bombs” that can be found around Kratovo. A volcanic bomb is a mass of molten rock, formed when a volcano ejects viscous fragments of lava during an eruption. They cool into solid fragments before they reach the ground.
Not surprisingly, the Bazaar Bridge is located close to the old bazaar. Below it is the old Ottoman Prison, and next to the bridge is the Museum of Kratovo, housed in a former inn.
The Radin Bridge was destroyed en repaired, but not to its original state. It rests on two medieval towers
Defense towers
Originally there were twelve defense towers in Kratovo, now only six remain. They are called Hadzi Kostava, Saat (Clock Tower), Simitceva, Krsteva (Krste’s Tower), Emin-bey or Srez Tower and Zlatkoviceva tower. The Hadzi Kostava tower was damaged in 1929 and rebuilt in 1957. The towers originally did not have stairs and you could only access the higher floors with a ladder. The villagers could hide from the enemy in the higher levels of the tower, and take the ladder up with them. From there they could defend themselves against their attackers with weapons, rocks and hot oil.
According to a sign attached to the tower it is called Srez Tower, but I think it is also called Emin Bey Tower. The Srez Tower is found next to Krste’s Tower.
The Krste Tower is close to the Srez Tower, and the ruins of another defense tower can be found next to it as well.
Ruins of a Turkish Bath house
If you would not look for these ruins of an old Turkish Amam, you would probably miss them, they are hardly recognizable anymore. You find the ruins close to the Gorno Amamski Bridge.
Museum and Ottoman Prison
This museum and cultural center is next to the Bazaar Bridge and the Ottoman Prison. When we were there, the paintings of an art colony for children were on display. The museum is housed in a former inn.
Below the Bazaar Bridge there used to be an Ottoman Prison.
The old bazaar is found close to the Bazaar Bridge. This used to be a vibrant place where craftsmen sold their products in these small shops, now it looks rather deserted.
Churches
This church dedicated to St Nicholas the Miracle Worker is mentioned for the first time in 1666. Allegedly the church is very old and it existed even before the arrival of the Ottoman Turks in the late 14th century. It was completely restored in 1848.
There is a carved wooden iconostasis, and the frescoes are said to date back to the 16th century. The church was closed when we were there, but we asked in the neighborhood for the person who has the key. Key of the church? = klucot od crkvata?, pronounced “klutsjot od serkvata?”. It is a good habit to leave some denars in the church, or to buy some candles.
The Church of St Jovan (St John the Baptist) was built by the master-builder Nikola Damjanov. It was destroyed several times during the Ottoman period, and restored in 1836. Also this church was closed when we arrived there, but after asking around a bit somebody came to open it. According to one of our guidebooks, the church should house an icon of Holy Mary, Mother of God, from 1636. However, the man who opened the church for us did not know if this icon was indeed there.
Statues
In 1689, the miners of Kratovo joined the Macedonian hero Karpos when he rose up against the Ottomans, at the side of the Austrians. Unfortunately, after taking over Kriva Palanka and Kumanovo, Karpos and 200 of his man were killed and impaled on the Stone Bridge in Skopje. A memorial plaque at the Stone Bridge in Skopje still reminds of this tragic event.
St George of Kratovo (1497-1515) was a silversmith by trade and a convinced and a devout Christian. He was eighteen years old when the Turks tried to convert him to Islam. George remained as firm as a diamond in his faith. The Turks tortured him and finally burned him at the stake.
Old Pine Trees
According to the sign next to them, these Old Pine Trees are from the 14th century!
So these trees are about 600-700 years old! Other old trees in Macedonia are for example the Cinar in Ohrid and the 560 year old plane tree in Skopje.
Center of Rock Art
The Center of Rock Art is a one-room information center about Kratovo and surroundings. They can provide you with guides to visit for example Kratovo, the locality Cocev Kamen, the archeological site Golemo Gradiste with its Roman Rotunda Church and Church of St George, the locality Stone Dolls, etc. The owner and guide, Stevce Donevski does not speak English, but he can hook you up with guides that do,
or take along somebody who translates for you. The Center of Rock art sells various booklets and flyers about the surrounding attractions as well.
Stevce came with us for a whole day in our car to visit Cocev kamen, Golemo Gradiste and the Stone Dolls. Without Stevce and his explanations it would have been impossible to find all the important objects that make these sites worth a visit. His services for a whole day cost 800 MKD in 2010, about 13 euros. Opening times (2010): Monday-Saturday 08.00 – 20.00, Sunday 09.00 – 16.00. Address: Planinska 1, 1360 Kratovo. Other contact: stevcedonevkratovo(at)yahoo.com. Phone:+38970975684 +38931481572.
Cocev Kamen
The archeological site Cocev Kamen (or Tsotse’s Stone) is thought to be a prehistoric observatory similar to Kokino near Kumanovo. Besides, it was used for sacrificial rituals and as a temple. Rocks art (paintings on the rocks) is found here as well.
Cocev Kamen is a spectacular rock formation near Sopsko Rudare, about 45 minutes by car from Kratovo. Although it is an asphalt road, drive carefully because there are many holes in the road. There are some natural shallow caves in this rock, and many man-made structures in the rock, such as stairs and holes for e.g. wooden piles used to built walls. In early times, the entrance to the rock was closed-off by massive wooden gates, you can still see the holes that were cut in the rocks to support gates and piles. In my opinion, it is best to go there with a guide. You probably will miss a lot when there’s no expert to tell you what you see. Our guide was Stevce from the Municipal Center of Rock Art in Kratovo.
Golemo Gradiste
The archeological site Golemo Gradiste (Big Building Site) is a hill that rises about 100 meters above the Kriva river. It served as the acropolis of a fortified ancient city. There are many man-made adjustments to be seen in the rocks of the hill, such as rooms cut into the rock, stairs, niches etc. Pottery of the 4th-6th centuries has been found here, and evidence suggests that people were living at Golemo Gradiste in the prehistoric, Hellenistic, late Roman/late antique and medieval periods. About 160 meter south of the hill Golemo Gradiste, there are the ruins of an unusual early Byzantine church in the form of a Rotunda. Next to the Rotunda a new small church was built. The roofless Church of St George is about 300 meter southwest of Golemo Gradiste and 400 meter west of the Rotunda. Also this site is best visited with a guide.
Golemo Gradiste is located 41 km east of Skopje near the village Konjuh, south of the Kumanovo–Kriva Palanka highway, not far from Kratovo. It is about 2 km away from the locality Cocev Kamen, on the other site of the asphalt road leading to Cocev Kamen. You have to walk from the asphalt road to both localities, unless you have a 4×4. Note that this asphalt road contained more holes than asphalt in 2010, so drive carefully.
Stone Dolls
The Stone Dolls, or Kameni Kukli, are stone pillars that have been formed 10 million years ago by erosion. They are near the village of Kuklica, south of the road from Kumanovo to Kriva Palanka, and close to Kratovo. We went here by car together with the guide from the Municipal Center of Rock Art of Kratovo. It is not really necessary to visit the Stone Dolls with a guide.
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