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[h=3]The Village of Ljubojno - Where You Go to Fall in Love[/h]
When one wants to calm the mind and the soul, somewhere away from the city noise, in a nice village, and to be welcomed and regaled at the same time, it’s impossible not to think of the village of Ljubojno.
It is as if the Prespa region has been predestined for enjoyment and for opening all the senses. Just like the local residents say, “when God bestowed beauty, he was more than generous here". Only two or three kilometers away from Lake Prespa, this village with its architecture and the untamed nature, is an ideal place for everyone’s hedonistic soul.
The village Ljubojno is situated around 2 km east from the Prespa Lake, with elevation of 920 m above the sea level, nested in the west bosoms of the Baba Mountain. Ljubojno is typical hilly mountainous village of compact type composed of few village quarters. Through the vicinity of the village flows the Brajchino River, aqueous, fast and clear and on witch till the years of the Ilinden Uprising had been working 16 watermills.
Ljubojno is a compact type of village with around 35 houses, built close to each other or connected and properly located from the both sides of the tight streets. The houses built in the period between the two world wars are decorated with the fine trimmed stone, the multicolored facades with vast terraces.
The yards are fenced with high enclosed walls and wide gates. In the vicinity of the village there are more localities of archeological significance: Graishta – necropolis from the roman period; Kula – settlement with necropolis from late ancient time; Kukjishtata – middle age settlement; Prisoj – settlement from the roman period and other localities like Rudina, St. Dimitrija, and also many churches.
As the orange moon casts its shadow on the glassy surface of the Prespa Lake, Ljubojno is a village where one suddenly wishes to fall in love, to love…
The legend says that the village got its name after a love story. Once upon a time a true love sparkled between a boy and a girl that lived in different settlements, a love that was forbidden due to the bad neighborly relations among the locals. Despite everything, these love birds decided to get married and fly away. They settled near a river and lived happily ever after. Later on, many families settled there as well and named the settlement Ljubojno.
The legend is probably just a story the elderly here have retold. However, it is true that Ljubojno, or rather the residents of this Prespa region, do possess love, love toward their birthplace, their native country, nature, and all that is beautiful. According to the elderly this has always been a place where hardworking and honest Macedonians lived, who fanatically defended and protected their faith and nation.
If Macedonia is the most beautiful country in the Balkans, then Prespa and Ljubojno are the core of this Macedonian beauty. And this is no coincidence, for it was the centre of Tzar Samoil’s state and Saint Clement as well, the former being ruler of the world and the latter an outstanding man of Orthodoxy.
Following Clement’s death, the long and harsh winter of the year 927 turned Prespa into a white snowy valley. Hence, from the word for the white snowdrifts “preslap” so the name “Prespa” was derived.
According to another folk legend on the name of the region, Prespa is a piece of earth in heaven and a piece of heaven on earth. When the tired Almighty Creator was looking for a place to rest, to sleep a bit on his own land, he found this place and slept (“prespal'” in Macedonian). After the people found that place, they called it Prespa.
The melting snow later formed the lakes, first the large one and then the smaller ones. Thus, Prespa began transforming into a natural reservation as is never remembered in the Balkans. The beautiful mountain views of Pelister and Galichitsa, the rich and rare flora and fauna, and the pleasant climate have turned Prespa into a true natural wonder.
The village of Ljubojno is first mentioned in a document by Tzar Dushan in 1337, and is later mentioned once again as one of the large Macedonian settlements in records at the Slivnichki Monastery in 1607.
In the historical resources this village is found like Ljubovino. This corresponds to another local legend that is saying that the name came after the first settled innkeeper Ljuba, who was serving very tasty wine. When the customers were entering into the inn they were ordering loudly “Wine, Ljuba!”.
The village is also known for many scholars, especially doctors that started their education in the school opened right after the Second World War ended. At that time, there were 7-8 local bakeries, a tailor and several local diners (kafana).
Unfortunately, most of the people left the village in search of a better life in America and Canada. The locals cheerfully tell the story about some fortune seeker from Ljubojno who lived in Chicago during the Prohibition and revealed to Al Capone how to make rakija in a boiling cauldron.
There are 8 Orthodox churches in the village. Among them are Sv. Prechista, St. Atanasij, St. Marena, St. Elijah, St. Dimitrija, St. Bogorodica and monastery of St. Petre and Paul. Church of St. John was built in 1861, was destroyed by fire in 1903 and was renovated in 1921.
Ljubojno was recently voted "Favorite Macedonian Village of 2007" by MakLink, with a vote of 62% to 38% over Krusevo in the finals of the Selo Survivor 2007 tournament.
The village counts nearly 180 inhabitants, a number that increases as the fortune seekers come back home every summer. Fruticulture is the main local activity.
Intact and rich in endemic plants but also bears, wolfs or wild boars, the nature surrounding the village is declared eco-zone while the Prespa Lake is a natural monument. The river passing through the village and pouring into the lake is known for a special kind of trout.
We warmly recommend a visit to Prespa region where you can experience the colors of the rainbow, the starry skies and feel the spirit of tradition. Those who haven’t been here yet, have missed an opportunity to experience magical beauty. Those who have seen Prespa will cherish their memories forever with a burning desire to come back again and again…
When one wants to calm the mind and the soul, somewhere away from the city noise, in a nice village, and to be welcomed and regaled at the same time, it’s impossible not to think of the village of Ljubojno.
It is as if the Prespa region has been predestined for enjoyment and for opening all the senses. Just like the local residents say, “when God bestowed beauty, he was more than generous here". Only two or three kilometers away from Lake Prespa, this village with its architecture and the untamed nature, is an ideal place for everyone’s hedonistic soul.
The village Ljubojno is situated around 2 km east from the Prespa Lake, with elevation of 920 m above the sea level, nested in the west bosoms of the Baba Mountain. Ljubojno is typical hilly mountainous village of compact type composed of few village quarters. Through the vicinity of the village flows the Brajchino River, aqueous, fast and clear and on witch till the years of the Ilinden Uprising had been working 16 watermills.
Ljubojno is a compact type of village with around 35 houses, built close to each other or connected and properly located from the both sides of the tight streets. The houses built in the period between the two world wars are decorated with the fine trimmed stone, the multicolored facades with vast terraces.The yards are fenced with high enclosed walls and wide gates. In the vicinity of the village there are more localities of archeological significance: Graishta – necropolis from the roman period; Kula – settlement with necropolis from late ancient time; Kukjishtata – middle age settlement; Prisoj – settlement from the roman period and other localities like Rudina, St. Dimitrija, and also many churches.
As the orange moon casts its shadow on the glassy surface of the Prespa Lake, Ljubojno is a village where one suddenly wishes to fall in love, to love…
The legend says that the village got its name after a love story. Once upon a time a true love sparkled between a boy and a girl that lived in different settlements, a love that was forbidden due to the bad neighborly relations among the locals. Despite everything, these love birds decided to get married and fly away. They settled near a river and lived happily ever after. Later on, many families settled there as well and named the settlement Ljubojno.
The legend is probably just a story the elderly here have retold. However, it is true that Ljubojno, or rather the residents of this Prespa region, do possess love, love toward their birthplace, their native country, nature, and all that is beautiful. According to the elderly this has always been a place where hardworking and honest Macedonians lived, who fanatically defended and protected their faith and nation.If Macedonia is the most beautiful country in the Balkans, then Prespa and Ljubojno are the core of this Macedonian beauty. And this is no coincidence, for it was the centre of Tzar Samoil’s state and Saint Clement as well, the former being ruler of the world and the latter an outstanding man of Orthodoxy.
Following Clement’s death, the long and harsh winter of the year 927 turned Prespa into a white snowy valley. Hence, from the word for the white snowdrifts “preslap” so the name “Prespa” was derived.
According to another folk legend on the name of the region, Prespa is a piece of earth in heaven and a piece of heaven on earth. When the tired Almighty Creator was looking for a place to rest, to sleep a bit on his own land, he found this place and slept (“prespal'” in Macedonian). After the people found that place, they called it Prespa.
The melting snow later formed the lakes, first the large one and then the smaller ones. Thus, Prespa began transforming into a natural reservation as is never remembered in the Balkans. The beautiful mountain views of Pelister and Galichitsa, the rich and rare flora and fauna, and the pleasant climate have turned Prespa into a true natural wonder.
In the historical resources this village is found like Ljubovino. This corresponds to another local legend that is saying that the name came after the first settled innkeeper Ljuba, who was serving very tasty wine. When the customers were entering into the inn they were ordering loudly “Wine, Ljuba!”.
The village is also known for many scholars, especially doctors that started their education in the school opened right after the Second World War ended. At that time, there were 7-8 local bakeries, a tailor and several local diners (kafana).
Unfortunately, most of the people left the village in search of a better life in America and Canada. The locals cheerfully tell the story about some fortune seeker from Ljubojno who lived in Chicago during the Prohibition and revealed to Al Capone how to make rakija in a boiling cauldron.
There are 8 Orthodox churches in the village. Among them are Sv. Prechista, St. Atanasij, St. Marena, St. Elijah, St. Dimitrija, St. Bogorodica and monastery of St. Petre and Paul. Church of St. John was built in 1861, was destroyed by fire in 1903 and was renovated in 1921.
Ljubojno was recently voted "Favorite Macedonian Village of 2007" by MakLink, with a vote of 62% to 38% over Krusevo in the finals of the Selo Survivor 2007 tournament.
Intact and rich in endemic plants but also bears, wolfs or wild boars, the nature surrounding the village is declared eco-zone while the Prespa Lake is a natural monument. The river passing through the village and pouring into the lake is known for a special kind of trout.
We warmly recommend a visit to Prespa region where you can experience the colors of the rainbow, the starry skies and feel the spirit of tradition. Those who haven’t been here yet, have missed an opportunity to experience magical beauty. Those who have seen Prespa will cherish their memories forever with a burning desire to come back again and again…
