08:00 - 20:00
(CYCLING TOUR)
SKREBATNO
A picnic point with a thrilling nature
Only 15 km from downtown Ohrid and up the winding asphalt road, at an altitude of 1130 m a.s.l. on the northern slopes of Mount Galicica, is the village of Skrebatno. At the foot of the mountain you are met by the blue streams and the few waterfalls whose murmur reveals the wealth of water in the area. As you climb up, the high steep slopes of the mountain make you wonder - at least for an instance - where the village might be.
It finally appears after two hours of biking, like a birds nest, its old houses scattered over the slope on the right side. The houses are old and built in the traditional Macedonian style, made of stone, mud bricks and wooden beams. The village is almost deserted and it reminds of a museum under the open sky, with the time seemingly standing still. High above the last of the houses lies the pride of the villagers, the church of Sveta Bogorodica (The Holy Virgin).
Legend has it that the three masons who begun building the church which was originally planned to stand in the village, always found their yesterday’s work in ruins and the tools taken to the place where the church stands today. After three days, they decided to start building the church at the spot where The Virgin kept taking their tools. The villagers and the local population considers the place to be holly and the day of the village is 28 August, when by the Orthodox calendar is the holiday of the Ascension of The Virgin. On that day, about 5000 people from Ohrid and the area around are going to the church, on the fields around traditionally prepared lunch is served in pottery along with home made bread and people are consuming it sitting on the ground.