A canyon
Just 15 km from the capital there is a beautiful piece of untouched nature full of rare animal species and endemic plants. It is something that very few countries have. Beside the wealth of natural rarities, the rich oak and beech forests, the beautiful pink Ramonda flowers, the bald eagles, the unique butterflies and the speleological objects, this location abounds with a great number of culture-historical monuments, mostly monasteries which is why it is called the little Mount Athos for a reason.
The water temperature in the lake Matka is constantly 7-9 degrees Celsius, while in the summer the air temperature is approximately 9 degrees lower than in the city. The distance between the dams Matka 1 and Matka 2 is 9 kilometers, and the Kozjak dam is 25 km away.
A collector’s paradise
With height differences from 460 to 1000 meters of altitude, along with the variety of relief, steep slopes and vertical rocky massifs, the Matka Canyon truly is an excellent preserved piece of nature. The wonderful canyon which is also a natural reservation of rare animal species and endemic plants has been attracting a great number of fans of nature as well as different kinds of researchers for decades, biologists and butterfly collectors, to name a few. Namely, there are 10 to 15 kinds of butterflies living here and here only. They are an endemic species on the territory of the Balkan Peninsula, as are some kinds of herbs. Unfortunately, the butterflies end up as part of a collection most of the time. Collectors believe that by doing this they are perpetuating and prolong their short lives which averagely last 5 to 15 days.
A speleological park
Matka is a natural canyon. As a geographical relief it is special, and the speleological park is one of the most fascinating in the world. Out of the 10 caves in the speleological park, the only one that works as a tourist attraction is Vrelo. Its close proximity to the Lake Matka is what makes it best suited for tourist exploitation and the two lakes inside the cave and the several big and beautiful cave galleries are very interesting to the visitors. It takes about twenty minutes to get there by one of the four boats which are stationed in front of the Canyon Matka restaurant. There are a lot of cave ornaments inside the cave, with a huge cone-like stalagmite which has been forming for 2700 years dominating above all. The sounds that can be heard all the time in the inside of the cave come from its inhabitants – the bats. Researches are still ongoing on the cave under Vrelo which is filled with water and it’s one of a kind in Macedonia. Based on researches so far, the expectations are that it will be the biggest in Europe. The spring believed to be coming from the river Patishka can also be seen here, even though the river is 15 km away. Other caves than Vrelo include Ubava and Krshtalna.
Culture-historical monuments
Besides being protected as a natural monument, Matka is also rich with a great number of culture-historical monuments, which is why it is being called the little Mount Athos. There are approximately ten monasteries remaining. These include the monastery dedicated to St. Nicholas in Shishevo which was either built or restored in 1345; the “St. John Chrysostom” monastery in the village of Kozarevo; the “Most-Holy Birth-giver to God” monastery near the village of Glumovo; the “St. Andrew” monastery; the churches “Holy Trinity”, “Venerable Parasceva”, “St. Athanasius”, “St. Nicholas” in Nir and “St. Kyriaki”.
The lovers of culture-historical monuments can get organized trips, which include visiting the City of Marko, a 14th century medieval settlement-fortress where the remains of the churches “St. Kyriaki”, “St. George” and “Holy Trinity” can be found. There is also a site called Marko’s leg. This site is connected to the legends about King Marko. One of them is about a print in the wall of the “St. Andrew” monastery, called Marko’s hand.
According to the legend, King Marko and his brother Andrea were passing through and they stopped to rest and refresh themselves. Andrea entered the restaurant which was at the same place where today’s restaurant is, and there were a lot of Turkish soldiers inside. They killed Andrea, and after avenging him, Marko left a print of his hand in the wall of the monastery as a warning.
Tourist offer
The best view towards the mountain house and the “St. Andrew” monastery is from the “St. Nicholas” monastery. It’s a two-hour walk to get there, and after coming down, you knock the bell and one of the boats will come to get you. It is a half-an-hour walk to get to the “St. John Chrysostom” monastery and the curing spring which is located there. To get to the City of Marko and the “St. Kyriaki” church it takes approximately 80 minutes. The numerous paths enable to have extraordinary experiences and are a great way of recreation with the beautiful breathtaking views being the biggest pleasure. The paths are all connected to each other so it’s impossible to get lost, they say.
For the extremists and the adventourists
For those who are into extreme sports, Matka offers a lot of possibilities for sports climbing and alpinism, considering that Matka is the heart of alpinism and the place where it started from in Macedonia. There are five main places for alpinism and sports climbing: The Central; Otmar’s Rock (named after Otmar Hudomalj, one of the pioneers of alpinism who died on 4th July 1957 while climbing the high and steep rock over Lake Matka); The Rock at the house; Matka’s den; and Iglite. There is also a kayak center where the first kayak world championship was held in 1975 and the 2004 European championship.
Dragica Hristova
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