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BRUEABURTIKIAFUL MACEDONIA
Resen and Stenje
For a long time the Prespa region was a
synonym of a withdrawn lake, extinct
tourism and poor infrastructure, but
today the region is experiencing a real
renaissance in every respect. The lake
is in much better condition than it was ten years
ago. Many of the beaches are well equipped with
many facilities, and the road from Resen to Mar-
kova Noga has been recently renovated and is in
excellent condition.
To go to Resen, and not to visit Resen Palace (Sa-
ray) is like to go to Paris and skip the visit to the
Palace of Versailles. The recognizable West Euro-
pean architecture was the main inspiration for
Ahmed Niazi Bey, one of the leaders of the Young
Turk revolution, when he began the construction
of this magnificent palace in 1905. Today the Saray
is a place which houses an extensive collection of
works by the Resen Ceramics Colony. The Ceram-
ics Colony is open to visitors and any spare time in
Resen should be used to visit this exhibition. The
visit to this place is a unique opportunity to experi- of this place will be fully utilized. Probably this vil-
ence the grandeur of the building on the one hand,
and the great creativity of 250 artists from around
the world, on the other. In the hall of the palace
there is a large wooden boat made from a single
tree, which was used on the Prespa Lake. Similar
boats, according to some estimates over four mil-
104 September 2015
lennia old, are exhibited also on the island of Saint
Achilles in the Small Prespa Lake in Greece, which
is an evidence of a very long continuity of an active
life on the shores of these lakes. The boats found
in Nakolec are handmade and up to 5 meters long.
As they were under water, they had no contact
with oxygen, and therefore today we can admire
these perfectly preserved, unique means of trans-
portation. The very name of the Nakolec village
indicates the existence of a pile dwelling in the
waters of Prespa Lake, similar to the famous Bay
of Bones at the site called Gradishte, but also that
near the mouth of the River Drim in Struga, on the
shores of Ohrid Lake. The courtyard of the palace
is often the stage for music concerts and similar
events which bring back life to the building.
Stenje offers a wonderful opportunity for rest,
and its special feature is the big sandy beach,
which now has a new revamped beachfront look.
At the moment, two large beach restaurants are
under construction, whereby the great potential
lage was given the name Stenje after the big rocks
(Macedonian: steni) that are located on the south-
east side of the village. And that’s where the road to
the village of Konjsko passes. If you want to walk,
or you are looking for an adventure, or you simply
have a terrain vehicle, then you should know that