MACEDONIA CROSSROAD OF THE BALKAN

Ancient roads

Macedonia’s exceptional geographical position as well as its natural geographical characteristics has always attracted the attention of many people and civilizations. Through the centuries they have left behind many traces that can be seen in the rich cultural-historical past of Macedonia. Because of its exceptional geo-strategic position, through the history many roads were built on this territory, from which even today there are many visible traces. This is a prove that even then Macedonia represented a very important traffic center that was connecting the Middle Europe with the Balkan Peninsula and furthermore with the Near and Middle East. One of the principal road routes dating from the Roman period that was running through the territory of Macedonia was the route “Via Egnatia” that linked Rome with Constantinople. This road route was an extension of the route “Via Appia” which began at Rome and lead to the place Egnatia situated between Bari and Brindisi. From there it ran along sea extending to Durrës (Dyrrachium) in Albania and from there it continued as “Via Egnatia” towards Elbasan (Elbanopolin), Struga (Stronga), Ohrid (Lihnidos), Bitola(Heraclea), Voden (Edesa) and across the river Vardar (Aksios) ended in Thessaloniki. From there it connected to the so-called Tsargrad road or more known as “Via Militaris” that via the cities Belgrade, Nis and Sofia was connecting the European cities with this metropolis. According to the manuscripts of Al Indrisi (1110-1166) the total length of this road route was 830 km or 535 roman miles. On the territory of Macedonia besides this route existed other routes, mutually connecting one town with another and ended in the main road. In the Byzantine period important crossroad illustrated even on the Peutinger Table (Tabule Peutingeriana) was the town Prilep. This route started at Bitola via Prilep and Pletvar linked with Gradsko that is Stobi. According to Al Indrisi in the same period important traffic center was the city of Skopje where the roads from Kosovo, Povardarie and East Macedonia were connecting. According to the manuscripts of the Byzantine tsar Constantine VII Porphurog (905-959) along the valley of the river Vardar was running the famous Thessaloniki road. The route Vranje-Skopje-Thessaloniki was illustrated on the Peutinger Table as well on the maps and documents related to this part of the Balkans. The Thessaloniki road is considered as a very important communication route in the Byzantine period. In Macedonia, besides these road routes other road routes existed for example: the Tatar road that started from Vranje and runned up to the Aegean region of Macedonia, the Prokopian road that connected Vranje with the Ovcepole region. On the Peutinger Table as well as in the manuscripts of Al Indrisi as an important crossroad was mentioned the city of Stip .Along the valley of the river Struma ran a road that via Radovis, Strumica and Serres ended in Kavala where it connected to the road “Via Egnatia”. Another road that connected Stip with Gradsko (Stobi) and Negotino ran along the valley of the river Bregalnica and from there it connected with the ancient Thessaloniki road via Delcevo, along the valley of the river Struma it connected to the Tsargrad road. During the Ottoman Empire the most exploited was the Thessaloniki road, then the Serres road that ran via Katlanovo, Stip and Strumica to the city Ser , as a Nis road ran via Kumanovo till Serbia. Important road routes in that period were the Nord-Albanian road that ran in the direction of the river Drim towards Prizren and ended in Skadar, the Bitola road that via Tetovo, Gostivar and Bitola led to Debar, Prilep road that through Mokra Planina , Markova reka and Sopiste led to Skopje. To Skopje led also Porec road whose route run along the village Pusta Breznica, Dolno Sonje, Sopiste and ended in Skopje. A large number of the ancient roads and later constructed roads are the base for construction of today’s road routes.