Radoviš
Radoviš (Радовиш in Macedonian) is a small city in Eastern North Macedonia. The city contains 16,223 people with an absolute Macedonian majority. The population of the whole municipality (including the villages) is approx. 28,000 people. It is famous for the tourists because of the new Holy Trinity Orthodox Church, which is one of the biggest and most beautiful in North Macedonia.
Understand
History
The city of Radoviš was mentioned for the first time in 1019 during the reign of the Byzantine King Basil II (which was the name of the city during the Middle Ages. At this time in history, Radoviš is an important center for regional trade, craftsmanship and mining. At that time, the town was located in the North-West of the town's present location, on the banks of the Old river, where we can find traces of several churches, for example St. Archangel church.
In the 14th century, after the destruction of the Byzantine Empire, Radoviš found itself in the Serb medieval state. In 1361, the tsar Uroš sojourned in Radoviš. During the Ottoman Empire, in the 17th Century under the Kyustendil sanjak, it belonged to the diocese of the Kustendil metropolitan. At that time, the town had 3,000–4,000 inhabitants.
The nearby village of Dedino, within the historical region of Lakavičko, is known for its role in the Ilinden Uprising of 1903. It was home to a bomb-making workshop and was the site of the murder of two Ottoman tax collectors, which resulted in the besieging of the village by Ottoman forces.
Get in
By plane
The closest airport (100 km from Radoviš) is "Alexander the Great Airport" (SKP IATA) in the capital Skopje.
By train
There is no train station in the city. The closest train station is in the city Štip, 36 km from Radoviš.
By bus
There are buses from the capital Skopje every 1 hour, passing through Veles and Štip, starting from the morning, and the last bus is in 19.00 (7PM). The trip takes 2.5 hours (121 km) and costs approx. 300 denars (~ 5 euro). There is one bus departing from Bitola at 14:00 (2PM) and passing through Prilep, Kavadarci, Negotino and arrives in Radoviš at 17:00. The trip takes 3 hours and costs ~300 denars. Also, there are 2 buses from the nearby city Strumica. The ticket costs ~100 denars, and it is a 30 minutes trip.
By car
The road is new and modern, it is easy to travel and arrive in the city, you can reach Radoviš from south Strumica, or from the north, Štip. The main road M6 Štip - Strumica is tangentially placed on the township of Radoviš. This road is a main communication route with other parts of the country.
Get around
See
The Radoviš area is full of things to see. Aside from hiking the nearby mountain Plačkovica, visitors shouldn’t leave without visiting the famous orthodox church Holy Trinity (Sveta Trojca).
- Holy Trinity Orthodox church (Sveta Trojca/Света Тројца in Macedonian) - The building of the church was financed by the Macedonian businessman Risto Gusterov. The church has been built in the past seven years. It covers an area of about 5,000 square meters. The interior and the exterior of the church were designed by the Ukrainian painter Anatolij Gajdanaka and they are based on the Macedonian orthodox church traditions.
- St. Ilija (Sveti Ilija/Свети Илија in Macedonian) - The old orthodox church
- St.King Konstantin and Queen Elena(Sveti Car Konstantin i Carica Elena/Цар Константин и Царица Елена in Macedonian) from the 18th century
- St. Archangel monastery (Sveti Arahangel manastir/Свети Арахангел манастир in Macedonian)
- 🌍 Konče Monastery (Конечки манастир), village of Konče. One of the most significant churches of this region lies within Konče Monastery, within the village of the same name. The Church of St Stefan was built from 1366 to 1371; its frescoes were also originally completed in 1371 though not much remains of the originals. The second painting of frescoes date from the 18th and 19th centuries. Built during the reign of Serbian Emperor Dušan, it is in the Byzantine style with a prominent dome and a covered porch. The church and the grounds are well-maintained with living quarters, a fountain, and a bell tower.
Do
- 🌍 Lake Mantovo (Мантово) (18 km SW of Radoviš). This artificial lake was created in 1978 on the Kriva Lakavica River to be a major attraction for this region. Weekend homes have been built around the lake in recent years and recreational activities such as hiking are possible.
Talk
Almost every young person speaks English, but it may be a problem with an older person, so a phrasebook is handy. Speakers of Bulgarian, Serbian, Croatian and Slovene should have no problem getting by. German, French and Italian are also very useful.
Buy
In the centre of the city you can find ATMs (for Visa, MasterCard, Visa Electron and Maestro), exchange offices and banks. The shops for clothing are located in the centre, while there are other shops in all the city. Also, for fresh food you can go to the Bazaar (Pazar/Пазар in Macedonian) located in the centre as well.
Eat
- Restaurant Beverly Hills, ☎ +389 32 630 940.
- Pizza Joker
- Pizza Santa Maria
- Pizza MeryJane, ☎ +389 32 635 775. address: Geras Cunev n.10 (Герас Цунев бр. 10)
- Restaurant Ambasador
- Restaurant Shampion, ☎ +389 32 634 454.
- Restaurant Karagjoz
- Restaurant Pilav Tepe
- Fast Food Gril Melani
- Fast Food Angela
- Fast Food Karpos
Drink
- Full House - a night club
- Club Diamond - a night club
- Ti-Amo cafe
- Escape cafe
- Twelve cafe
- Virus cafe
- Target cafe
Sleep
- Hotel Panorama
- Hotel Bahamas, ☎ +389 32 630 804.
Go next
Stay safe
Radoviš is a safe small and peaceful city. Most people are very friendly and hospitable.
Emergencies
In case of an emergency call 192 (police), 194 (ambulance) or 193 (fire).
Stay healthy
Water is safe to drink and there are public drinking water fountains in some public places.