Negotino is a town in the Tikves wine region of Macedonia. The ancient city of Antigona, founded by the Macedonian King Antigonus Gonat (what an unfortunate last name) in the 3rd century BC is thought to have been at this location. An interesting observation is that Ne-go-ti-no appears to be An-ti-go-ne spelled backwards. We were told that this name-change may have been done in order to mislead the Ottoman occupier. The archeological site Antigona is on top of the hill shown in the picture.
A concrete riverbed divides the town in two parts. Several sources mention that there is a bezisten (covered market) in Negotino. Don’t bother looking for it since it does not exist anymore!
Archeological site Antigona
The archeological site Antigona, also spelled Antigoneia, Antigone or Antigonia, is located on a hill at the northern entrance of Negotino. It is thought to be the ancient city founded by the Macedonian King Antigonus Gonat (277-240 BC). The ancient village was likely destroyed during the big earthquake that hit Macedonia in the 6th century. See here for more pictures and information about Antigona.
Clock Tower
The hexagonal Clock Tower (Saat Kula) is probably the most famous landmark of Negotino. It was built during the first half of the 19th century, some sources mention the year 1821. The clock tower suffered from a fire in 1913. It is located on a hill overlooking Negotino.
You can have a peek inside through a hole in the wall where probably once the door was. The wooden beams that once supported ceilings and floors are still present. Nowadays the Clock Tower does not have a clock anymore and is mainly in use by pigeons. Directions: N41.48439 E22.09278
Museum of Negotino
The Museum of Negotino was closed when we wanted to visit it during the weekend. We called the phone-number that was written on a sign at the entrance, to see if somebody would be willing to open it for us. They were willing but not in the neighborhood, so we did not see the museum. Opening times: Monday-Friday 08.00-16.30; Break: 12.00-12.30; Phone: +389 (0)75 298 169
Church of St Atanas
According to the inscription above the entrance, the Church of St Atanas dates back to 1837. It can be found next to the concrete riverbed that runs through Negotino. Directions: N41.48776 E22.09330
Town Hall
We always try to go to the town hall of the city that we are visiting in Macedonia. They often have booklets and flyers with information about the area. When we were in Negotino on a Saturday in August 2012 we did not expect the town hall to be open, but it was open because there was a wedding. The guard who was working there turned out to be an English speaking history student called Daniel, who told us about the history and sights of Negotino. When we came back the following day to pick his brain a little bit more, he even gave us his personal copy of a Macedonian book about Negotino and Antigona! He told us where to find the Clock Tower and the archeological site Antigona. He was also able to tell us that the Bezisten (covered marketplace) that was mentioned in several books and flyers about Negotino does not exist anymore since a long time! It was a real pleasure to spend some time with him! His friendliness, helpfulness and passion for Macedonia gave our visit to Negotino something extra. Directions: N41.48358 E22.08914
Zelkova Kuka Tourist Info
Zelkova Kuka, or the house of Zelko, is a house built in 1925 which in 2009 was turned into a tourist information center. It was closed or being renovated when we were there on a Sunday in August 2012. I doubt if they would have been able to give better and more enthusiastic information about Negotino than the guard at the town-hall gave us. Directions: N41.48300 E22.09016
World War II Monument
This monument commemorates people fallen during the Second World War. It is located along the main road through the center of Negotino. Directions: N41.48371 E22.08842
Monastery of St George
The Monastery of St George dates back to 1860. The monastery is located a few km north-east of Negotino, not far from the train station. It is a working monastery where you can stay overnight. Directions: N41.49336 E22.10790. Phone: +389 (0)43 360 091
Besides the Church dedicated to St George, there is a bell tower, monastery inns, a kitchen and shared showers/toilets for people staying in rooms without those facilities
There were several dogs and a cute kitten at the monastery. The sheep and goat in the picture did not make it until the end of our stay: they were ritually sacrificed on the second day 😦
We stayed for three nights in the Monastery of St George during a tour through this region of Macedonia. Our previous accommodation was in Dojran. With the monastery as our base, we visited Negotino and Kavadarci, and did a hike from Demir Kapija to the village Koresnica.
Lodging 
Lodging
The Monastery of St George has recently renovated rooms with two beds, and private toilet and shower. The older rooms do not have a private shower and toilet but shared facilities. In 2012, the new rooms cost 400 denar (almost 7 euros) per person per night for Macedonians and 600 denar (10 euro) per person per night for foreigners. These prices are reasonable but a bit steep considering the fact that Negotino is not the most touristic town of Macedonia. The older rooms are 300 denar (5 euro) per person per night, I don’t know if foreigners also have to pay extra for these rooms. We stayed in the new rooms. Our room was clean and quite spacious, especially after our previous claustrophobic accommodation in Dojran.
Older lodging houses 
Kitchen
The kitchen facilities can be used to prepare your own meals. We were warned not to drink from the springs at the monastery grounds and also not to drink non-boiled water in the kitchen, since the water comes from a basin which quality is not monitored. Behind the monastery are taps were you can get good natural water
When we left Negotino, we had a short stop in Veles on our way to Skopje.
My Macedonia Blog 