Most sights in the mountain town Krushevo can be seen in two days. We stayed for more than a week in Krushevo because we used it a base to see some of the surroundings during daytrips.
Daytrip 1: Village Babino, Dragon Cave and several churches
During this daytrip we first visited the village Babino, which is about 40 minutes driving from Krushevo. We came to Babino to do a short hike to the Zmejova Dupka or Dragon Cave. Another sight in Babino is the private library / etno museum, the Al-Bi Library. See here for more info on Babino and the cave.
After our visit to the cave we visited the medieval St Nikola Toplichki Monastery Church from the 14th century near the village Sloeshtica (Sloestica). This old church was really an unexpected gem, near a mining site. The mining site had guard dogs, but lucky for us there was a guard on duty who opened the church for us and could even tell us some details about the church. Location: N41° 17′ 04.6″ E21° 05′ 30.5″.
The church has great intact frescoes. According to the guard the fresco of St Marina is the only one of its kind in Macedonia. The guard also showed us a spring near the church.
We drove on to the village of Sloestica, were there are two “natural washing machines” located at the restaurant “Na Valajci“.
Unfortunately the restaurant was closed but we could visit the “natural washing machines” which use a natural stream of water to wash rugs etc. I doubt these are still in use, as they are part of the terrace of the restaurant. The only place I have seen these natural washing machines before was in the village Rechica near Ohrid, where they actually were still in use to wash rugs.
The next visit, on our way back to Krushevo, was the church of St Dimitri from 1624 near the village Zvan (Zhvan), The church is located just next to the main road and was open. Location: N41° 17′ 40.0″ E21° 07′ 12.9″.
The next stop was the Monastery of St Atanasia near the village Sopotnica, recommended by aforementioned guard of the mining site who claimed there was an old church. Unfortunately, to get to the monastery we had two drive 2 km on an unpaved road and the church turned out to be brand new. It’s probably a good place to hang out for the locals but I suggest to save yourself the trouble of visiting here. Location: N41° 18′ 49.9″ E21° 08′ 48.6″.
The last church on this trip was the 17th century Monastery of St Atanasij (St Athanasius) of Alexandria near the village Zhurche (Zurce). Unfortunately the church was closed, because it is supposed to be worth a visit. The monastery is part of the Monastery of St John near the village Slepche, which we visited during another daytrip. They may be able to arrange to open it for you if you insist. Location: N41° 17′ 47.1″ E21° 15′ 09.9″.
The last sight of this daytrip was the site Meckin Kamen (Bears Rock), which is one of the battles sites during the Ilinden Uprising. The story tells that the Macedonians were heavily outnumbered by the Ottomans and short of ammunition, so they started to throw rocks. The powerful statue shows a fighter throwing a huge rock. The Macedonians come here every August 2nd to celebrate the independence of Macedonia. Mechkin Kamen is located about 4 km south of Krushevo. Location: N41° 20′ 15.8″ E21° 15′ 28.4″.
Map of daytrips #2 to #5
Daytrip 2: Gresnica Waterfall, Devini Kuli Fortress and Peshna Cave
Daytrip 2 started with a visit to the Gresnica Waterfall, about 1 hour and 10 minutes drive from Krushevo. It’s only a short walk to the waterfall, which was not very spectacular.
Next we visited the ruins of the Devini Kuli Fortress, which involved a hike of 5 km in total. The start of the hike is in the village Devich, about 10 minutes driving from Gresnica. There are also the ruins of a 14th century church to be seen.
We did not include it in our daytrip this time, but given the historic link with the Devini Kuli, you definitely should visit the nearby Peshna Cave with its ruins of a fortress as well during this daytrip.
Daytrip 3: Zrze Monastery and Dragon Cave
Daytrip 3 takes you to the well-known Zrze Monastery. If you feel adventurous you can do a beautiful 8 km hike and visit the impressive Zmejovica/Dragon Cave as well. See the link for more information about this great daytrip!
Daytrip 4: Hike to the Stara Musica peak, including Cross of Christ, Preobrazenie Monastery and Sliva monument
Daytrip 4 is a 13 km hike near Krushevo to the Stara Musica peak. It visits the Preobrazenie Monastery, also known as the Monastery of the late Macedonian singer Tose Proeski, as well as the Cross of Christ that was raised in his honor. You can also visit the Sliva monument for the fallen fighters during the Ilinden Uprising.
Daytrip 5: Ramnishte cave
We combined a visit to the Ramnishte cave near Prilep with a visit to the St Dimitrija Monastery in the village Selce near Prilep. Retrospectively the relatively young monastery (1933) was not worth the detour. Prilep itself is definately worth a visit as well, but you would probably need more than a day to fully enjoy all the sights. The Fortress of Marko’s Towers near Prilep is one of my favorite sites in Macedeonia!
Daytrip 6: Smilevo & Slepche
Smilevo is a village about 50 minutes from Krushevo and 40 minutes by car from Bitola. It is a historically significant village, because at the Congress of Smilevo in May 1903 the decision was taken for the Ilinden Uprising against the Ottoman occupiers, which took place a few months later on 2 August 1903.
We went to Smilevo after our stay in Krushevo and stayed two nights in the Smilevo Monastery dedicated to St Peter and Paul. Other sights in the village Smilevo are the Memorial Museum of Smilevo, dedicated to the Smilevo Congress and the revolution, and several other other monuments that commemorate the heroes of the Ilinden Uprising. See here for more information about Smilevo.
After out visit to Smilevo, we went to the Slepche Monastery dedicated to St John the Baptist.
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