Novo Selo
Novo Selo (Macedonian: Ново Село) is municipality in the very southeastern corner of North Macedonia, bordering Bulgaria to the east and Greece to the south. The rural municipality is home to over 11,000 residents.
Understand
Novo Selo Municipality consists of 16 villages. Each of these villages are home to absolute majorities of ethnic Macedonians, almost all of whom are Orthodox Christians. The seat of the municipality is in the village of Novo Selo.
Get in
By car
Novo Selo Municipality is connected to the rest of North Macedonia by two highways. Highway R1402 runs across the south of the municipality from Strumica to the east. This highway passes through Smolari and Kolešino, among others. Highway A4 runs across the center of the municipality all the way to a border crossing with Bulgaria. It passes through the municipal center of Novo Selo.
There are no border crossings to Greece within Novo Selo Municipality.
Get around
Novo Selo is a rural municipality with places of interest spread out. Therefore, a car is needed to get around comfortably.
See
Waterfalls
The Novo Selo area is best-known for its two major waterfalls, Smolari and Kolešino.
- 🌍 Smolari Falls (Смоларски водопад). The tallest waterfall in North Macedonia. Smolari Falls, located above the village of the same name, fall from a height of 39.5 m (129.5 ft). The waterfall is part of the Lomnica River on Belasica Mountain. It falls down a smooth, black rock face and is surrounded by beech trees. The path to Smolari Falls from the village is a narrow and curvy road shared with tractors and livestock herds. A small market exists along the path where local fruits, vegetables, and honey can be purchased from villagers.
- 🌍 Kolešino Falls (Колешински водопад). Above the village of Kolešino, these falls flow gently over stone cliffs nestled on Belasica Mountain. The height of the waterfall is 19 m (62 ft) and its width is about 6 m (19.7 ft). The falls are on the Baba River's lower course at 610 m (2,001 ft) above sea level.
Other sights
- 🌍 Mokrino Springs (Мокрински извори). Water clears the springs a rate of about 40 litres per second. The springs are situated at an elevation of 330 m (1,083 ft) on Belasica Mountain within the village of Mokrino.
- 🌍 Monastery of St Anthony the Great (Манастир „Св. Антониј“). A necropolis, likely dating from Roman times, was discovered on a hill above Novo Selo village in the 1990s. Following the discovery, this monastery was established in 1995. The main church of the monastery is dedicated to St George. Its frescoes and iconostasis are not yet completed.
Do
Eat
Drink
Sleep
- 🌍 Motel Podgorski An (Мотел Подгорски Ан), ☎ +389 34 351 100. On the R1402 highway (Maršal Tito) just before Kolešino is Motel Podgorski An. It is situated in a natural setting.
Go next
- Strumica is the main city of southeastern North Macedonia is just west of the municipality.
- Bulgaria is reachable from Novo Selo with a border crossing to Petrich.