WILD JUNIPER
OTESEVO'S
HEALTHY
SECRET
A Natural Air Spa in Otesevo
For decades, Otesevo had been known throughout the South Eastern European region for it's astonishing and natural health benefits, all thanks to an abundance of a single local plant and tree species - the wild juniper.
Juniper trees and plants produce rich, high quality oxygen that are the reason Otesevo is known throughout the region as a natural "air spa". The national government had built a Hospital for Respiratory and Lung Rehabilitation in Otesevo only 900m from Lakeview.
Be prepared to breathe and sleep like never before from the comfort of your own hotel room!
GOLEM GRAD
The island of Golem Grad is the only one of its' kind in the country. It holds the remains of ancient Roman ruins from as old as the 2nd Century, as well as a well-preserved 14th Century Orthodox Church.
Golem Grad is also home to an array of birds and reptiles, such as cormorans, dalmation pelicans, turtles and snakes (as it is also affectionately known as 'Snake Island' by locals).
LAKE PRESPA | 20km
CHURCH OF ST. GEORGE
The Church of St. George is a 12th-Century Macedonian Orthodox monastery located 2 km away from the village of Kurbinovo. Excavations have shown that the building has once belonged to a settlement, which was abandoned at the end of the 18th century for the present-day village of Kurbinovo. According to the research made on the church's frescoes, it is supposed that the church was built in the year 1191 by the Byzantines.
KURBINOVO | 24km
SARAJ
Ahmed Niyazi Bey, a progressive and likely a member of the Young Turk Revolution, was the bey of the Resen area in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Construction of the Saraj began in 1905 and the exterior of the building was completed in 1909 after the Young Turk Revolution. Everything else, including the interior, was not completed until a few years after the Balkan Wars and World War I in 1922.
After the Balkan Wars, the Saraj was first used for local administrative purposes under the Kingdom of Serbia, then under the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. During World War II, the building was used by occupying forces. After the war, it was used as the city hall of Resen and, later, as a city library. Finally, the Saraj became a museum and gallery, which it remains today.
RESEN | 16km
NATIONAL PARK GALICHICA
The floral life in the Galičica National Park represents over 1000 species, of which a large number of relicts and endems have the final frontier of its range exactly on the mountain Galičica. There is characteristically presence of up to now 11 discovered local endems to be found exclusively on the slopes of Galičica and nowhere else, this illustrates the specifically floristic composition of this mountain. At the moment, it is intensively worked on the flora of the National Park and there are indications that the number of endems will be even bigger.
PRESPA/OHRID | 4km
NATIONAL PARK
PELISTER
The park is located in the Baba Mountain massif and covers an area of 171.5 square kilometres (66.2 sq mi). The altitude of the park varies between 927 and 2,601 m (3,041 and 8,533 ft) above sea level and is filled with exquisite flora and fauna. Pelister is the oldest and second largest national park in Republic of Macedonia after Mavrovo. It is one of the leading tourist areas in the country, since it is a well-known ski resort, along with Ohrid, Prespa, Dojran, Popova Šapka, and Kruševo.
BITOLA | 53km
HERACLEA
Heraclea was founded by Philip II of Macedon in the middle of the 4th century BC. The city was named in honor of the mythological Greek hero Heracles. The name Lynkestis originates from the name of the ancient kingdom, conquered by Philip, where the city was built.
Heraclea was a strategically important town during the Hellenistic period, as it was at the edge of Macedon's border with Epirus to the west and Paeonia to the north, until the middle of the 2nd century BC, when the Romans conquered Macedon and destroyed its political power.
BITOLA | 46.5km
LAKE OHRID
Lake Ohrid straddles the mountainous border between South Western Macedonia and Eastern Albania. It is one of Europe's deepest and oldest lakes, preserving a unique aquatic ecosystem that is of worldwide importance, with more than 200 endemic species. The importance of the lake was further emphasized when it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979 and when, in 2010, NASA decided to name one of Titan's lakes after Lake Ohrid.
OHRID | 51km
ST. NAUM MONESTARY
Set amidst lush verdure where the River Crn Drim tumbles into the lake, the monastery of St. Naum is a refuge of tranquility at the very southwestern corner of the Macedonian Republic. Situated 29 km (18 m) from the town of Ohrid and only 1 kilometer (0.6 m) from the Albanian border, the monastery brings the Macedonian experience to a dramatic culmination.
The Byzantine monastic complex and church of St. Naum were built originally at the turn of the tenth century by the monk that bore the same name; some Macedonians believe you can still hear the saint’s heartbeat by pressing an ear to his stone coffin inside the church.
OHRID | 40km
OHRID (CITY)
Ohrid once had 365 churches, one for each day of the year, and has been referred to as a "Jerusalem (of the Balkans)". The city is rich in picturesque houses and monuments, and tourism is predominant. It is located southwest of Skopje, west of Resen and Bitola.
In 1979 and in 1980 respectively, Ohrid and Lake Ohrid were accepted as Cultural and Natural World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. Ohrid is one of only 28 sites that are part of UNESCO's World Heritage that are Cultural as well as Natural sites. Here you can visit the Church of St. John at Kaneo, Samoil's Fortress and many other exhilerating sites.