Here, when somebody says they will go to a spa, the first question they get is: “What’s wrong with you, are in some sort of pain?”
The spas used to be true mundane places in Europe where health tourism was practiced as an excuse or a nice way of the healthy people to stay in shape, whatever that meant. There had to be no special reason to go to a spa and even the tiniest bit of stomach ache that would occur at least three times a year deserved a spa treatment. Even though spas different spas were irreplaceable when it came to different illnesses, the most common indication for them all was female sterility, so young women rushed to the spas to find a cure and get pregnant, even though they had only been married for three months.
Spa and wellness
Today, spas are as popular as they were in the past, if not more, at least in some of our neighboring countries, and generally in Europe, spa tourism is becoming less primarily health tourism. Namely, over the last two decades, spa-centers are built instead of just spas. Those are a new type of spas that are primarily preventive, without neglecting those who really have health issues. For examples, the Slovenians have built 15 spa-centers that have brought more than 50% bigger income than tourism. All world trends point to the fact that spa and wellness tourism are taking over as leaders in this area.
What is the condition of the Macedonian spas?
Those familiar with the subject, point out that the Macedonian spas have really quality mineral water, in some cases with higher quality than the spas in the neighborhood and European spas, but because the many years of non-investments and decline of the existing capacities, this tourism has been brought to the minimum level in Macedonia.
Much of the spa-centers in Macedonia are in disastrous condition and the ruined and dilapidated facades, urbanely non-ordered yards and parking lots, abandoned and crumbling buildings speak enough about the negligence. Inside, the cracked and yellow walls, the desolated pools, the old and worn-out furniture cannot be hidden.
Spa complexes
And while Belgium became famous for its town Spa, Czech Republic has its Karlovy Vary, Italy has its famous Tuscan spas, Germany has Baden-Baden, Hungary has its centers at Lake Balaton and the Heviz spa with the lake considered to be the biggest thermal lake in the world, Switzerland has Sent Moritz and France has Vichy, Macedonia has eight spa tourist places: Kumanovo Spa, Katlanovo Spa, Kezovica Spa near Stip, Banje near Kochani, Bansko Spa near Strumica, Negorski Spas near Gevgelija and the Kosovrasti and Banjishte spas near Debar.
Towards last year’s end, at the first Macedonian Spa Awards ceremony, which was held at the “Aleksandar Palace” hotel in Skopje, the Bansko spa in Strumica was named the best spa destination in Macedonia for 2012. The Minister of Economy, Valon Sarakjini, who handed the award to the municipality of Strumica, pointed out that according to the government’s national tourism development strategy, spa tourism was one of the most important tourist products that Macedonia could offer on the international market. Unfortunately, our prejudices that only the ill and old people go to spas is something that costs us a potentially good earning. How big an earning we are talking about can be seen from the information that Hungary made bigger profit than the Adriatic coast of the former Yugoslav Republic at the time.
Even though Bansko, Katlanovo, Banjishte, Kosovrasti, Kezovica and Negorski spas are the bigger active capacities that can serve a bigger number of visitors and offer the necessary conditions for spa tourism, they most definitely don’t fulfill the modern requests of spa tourism and that is why they can only compete with the regional and European spas in the curative characteristics of the water and nothing more.
For example, unlike the modern equipped spa-centers throughout the world, the Bansko spa in Strumica, or the Macedonian Baden-Baden, has just two functional hotels and one country kebab restaurant, and instead of the famous Baden-Baden horse races, has a great number of harnesses that leave the kind of trails behind them that you would want to avoid.
Geographical setting of the spa
The Bansko spa is located 12 km south-east of Strumica, at the eastern end of the village Bansko. The thermo-mineral springs are in the base of the Belasica Mountain and the spa facilities are set on a gravel terrace created by the Dermenska River at an altitude of 270 m. From the spacious terrace there is a great view of the Strumica valley on one side, and the steep peaks of the impressive Belasica on the other.
The legend of Bansko
According to a legend related to the Bansko spa, the blinded soldiers of Samoil found their healing peace right here, in the old Roman spa Bansko. That is why the logo of the “Tsar Samoil” hotel in Bansko is a stylized army helmet.
During the building of the spa hotel, which is one of the biggest in our country, in the late 1970s, remains of the old Roman system of healing water supply and its use have been found. There are no other known data about this, but the opulence of the healing water springs millennia later until present day leads to the assumptions that we will have this gift from nature for a long time. A Turkish spa was also found here, which is another artifact about the appreciation of the old Ottomans for the spa, hedonism and healing culture.
The healing hot water in Bansko comes out on the surface with a devastating heat of over 70 degrees Celsius. In most cases, it cools down to an acceptable level, as well as usefulness in the healing services. The water helps in healing all kinds of rheumatic diseases, sciatica, respiratory diseases (bronchitis, asthma), digestive diseases (ulcer, gastritis), post-bone fracture conditions, post-jaundice condition, nerve diseases, female gynecological diseases (sterility, inflammation of the ovaries), etc.
Around the spring there are several old and worn out hotels and resorts. Except for the medical system “Tsar Samoil” and the smaller, but the only commercially functional “Atlantis” there is nothing else that works.
The 40 Holy Martyrs from Sebastea
Along the road that steers away from the Bansko spa to the center of the Bansko village, you will get to the recently organized friary dedicated to the 40 Holy Martyrs from Sebastea. The biographies of the Holy Martyrs and most of the folk legends about them are very similar, but the one thing mentioned in all of them is that the 40 soldiers from Sebastea died as martyrs refusing to give up their Christian religion. In 320, 40 soldiers from a regiment in Sebastea refused the order to bow in front of the Roman idols and offer sacrifice. When they said that they did that because they believed in Jesus Christ, they were first called at the mayor and persuaded to give up Christianity and return to idolatry. When they refused they were locked, tortured and taken in front of a court. They were sentenced to staying in a freezing water a whole night. There was a spa with hot water nearby and they were told that whoever changed their mind and give up on Jesus Christ could go to the spa where hot water and delicious feasts await. The boys boldly endured their suffering, praying to Jesus and encouraging each other. Only one of them could not hold on, secretly left the pool and headed towards the spa, but died at the entrance.
That night, all the guards fell asleep, but one. At one moment he noticed bright wreaths over the soldiers’ heads and because he was a Christian he immediately entered the water asking God to give him such a wreath. And really, soon he noticed the same wreath over his head, too. The following morning they loaded the frozen soldiers in a carriage and took them outside the town where they burned them. It is that day, the holiday of spring, 22nd March that the young people celebrate as their day, day of youth, love and beauty, the Holy Orthodox Church celebrates the memory of the 40 soldiers from Sebastea.
The friar Gregorij is one of the five friars at the monastery of the 40 Holy Martyrs of Sebastea in the village of Bansko. The wide metal gates lead directly into the monastery yard where the contours of the old and new can be seen under the branches of the big trees. In almost two years, new hospices have been built and the small church dedicated to two saints named Parasceva – the one whose relics today are located in Romania and the other from Rome – has been renewed.
Monastery printing works
The monks are printing religious materials (calendar and books) using the great Heidelberg monocolor printing machine from the beginning of the century, thus doing the craft that has been extinct – the bookbinding. This exclusivity and the peaceful life dedicated to God allow them to be creative and original, at the same time to be able to leave behind wonderful works in the prime of electronic publishing, which has brought the printing and printed works on the edge of extinction. In the printing works of “Saint Teodosij Sinaitski”, the friars carefully and with fervor dedicate themselves to the every-day process of making diaries, books, notebooks, calendars, prospects, catalogues and many other office materials that enable the monastery economy and make a great contribution to the publishing activity of the diocese.
Today, the printing and bookbinding works of “Saint Teodosij Sinaitski” at the friary in Bansko is capable of making all kinds of print products in mono-color, dual-color and color print, with hard binding made of leather, textile, artificial materials and solid paper.
The village of Bansko is higher up the Strumica valley, which is why the damages from the recent torrential rains were not as devastating as in the villages of Dabile and Murtino. There was certain damage, however. Actually, any damage impacts the farmers that lose their profit and existence, as well as the whole society, which is then hit by the lack of agricultural products on the market. Everything becomes more expensive, but the lives of the farmers remain the most expensive. The great amount of water such as the one from the recent rains remains under the surface for a long time, which makes the land problematic for processing for up to a year. The water in the basements and the damages done to the households are another sad and tragic story.
