A view of Crn Drim in Struga

Struga is situated on the northern part of the Lake Ohrid, on the both sides of river Crn Drim.

Sunrise over Lake Ohrid in Struga

Struga is an old settlement dating from the Neolithic period. In Antiquity, Struga benefited greatly from being located on Via Egnatia, the road connecting the Eastern and Western Roman Empires. The old name of Struga was Enhalon, which in means eel. This is not surprising, since the eel from the Ohrid Lake start their from Struga their migration to the Sargasso Sea. The current name of Struga is of Slavic origin, which means hunting place.

Struga is the capital of poetry and one of the cradles of the Macedonian spiritual revival in the 19^th century, for it is the birthplace of the outstanding poets and educators, the brothers Dimitrija and Konstantin Miladinov. Here, one is charmed by the source of the river Crn Drim, which flows into Lake Ohrid and runs across it, only to emerge again with its clear and greenish water, and beautify the already delightful town of Struga.

This town is a famous tourist resort, and it is an eternal inspiration for poets from all over the world. Since 1962, each year at the second half of August, the Struga Poetry Evenings held in honor of brothers Miladinov, have gathered poets from all the continents. The Struga Poetry Festival is one of the oldest, largest, and most renowned of its kind in the world.

A scene from the farmer's market in Struga

At the spectacular poetic event entitled "Bridges", poets read their works from the bridge under which the River Crni Drim flows out of Lake Ohrid, before an audience of some ten thousand people. Some of the greatest poets of the world are recipients of the Golden Wreath, the highest accolade of the festival.

There are several cultural monuments in Struga and in its vicinity such as the Monastery of Kalishta, a few kilometers away from the town center, laying on the very shores of Lake Ohrid. It is believed that it dates from the 15^th century, with frescos from the 15^th and the 16^th centuries.

The Chuch Sveta Bogorodica (Holy Virgin) in the village of Vranishta, is believed to be the one where Tsar Samoil was crowned. The church has many doors and the people call it also "the kings church".

Another church St. George in the town, build on the foundations of the Samoil's church, has many icons from the 14^th, 5^th, and 16^th century. Near the village of Radolishta, a basilica from the 4^th century has been discovered, with an extraordinary beautiful mosaic. In the cultural-historical monuments of Struga, can also be included its old architecture from the 18^th and 19^th century.

The historical town of Ohrid, only 15 kilometers from Struga, is also situated on the shores of beautiful Lake Ohrid.