Front Matter - Part 06

After two days of traveling by train, the refuges arrived at a small railway station near the city Katovitse where they were loaded onto buses and transferred to the resort Mendzheguzhe.

In Mendzheguzhe they were settled in a number of beautiful and luxurious hotels located in the picturesque mountainside near the Czechoslovakian border, surrounded by a dense pine forest. The same day that they arrived they were issued new clothing. The

people from the villages German and R’bi were settled in the hotel “Modilas”, the largest hotel in the resort. A few days later the various hotels were renamed and given names of the Mala Prespa villages to correspond with the origin of the people residing in them.

The local post office was kept very busy during the first few weeks after the refugees arrived. Hundreds of letters from various countries in the world were arriving which the local post office had to deliver to the various hotels. The Macedonian people were scattered all over the world and only through letters were they able to communicate with each other and share their pain. In the beginning all letters arriving from Yugoslavia had to be first inspected by Zahariadis’s cronies before they could be delivered. Zahariadis’s cronies also obstructed all letters from being sent to Yugoslavia. If anyone wanted to send a letter to Yugoslavia he or she had to rely on the Polish staff to mail it outside of the hotels. But this was a punishable offence and strict measures were taken against those who broke the rules and sent mail to Yugoslavia. Thankfully many Poles were sympathetic to the Macedonians and regularly delivered such mail.

The tables in the hotel restaurants were set three times a day like at a wedding. The refugees quickly became accustomed to the food served by the Poles but nothing could fill their void of loneliness. Anxiously they waited for replies to the letters they sent to various countries in the world and every unanswered letter was met with tears and pain. Every day many waited to get permission to leave the country or to bring family members to the country. The biggest obstacle to all this were Zahariadis’s cronies and Zahariadis himself, who constantly looked for “culprits” to blame for his personal failures and for losing the Greek Civil War. Zahariadis’s rabid clique even looked in Mendzhegushe for people to blame for Zahariadis’s personal failure. Initially Zahariadis blamed the Macedonian cadres, many of whom he removed from the CPG. Many were even sent to prison, including Tane Naumov and Kosta Kirkov. Others were forced to make statements and blame Yugoslavia for his failures. The only people Zahariadis trusted were those who criticized Yugoslavia heavily. The vast majority, however, were Greeks. Them he called Zahariadis’s children and they were sent to finish high school. He then turned them into his minions and used them to torment the Macedonian people, even here

in Poland several thousand kilometres away from their homes. And those Greeks who kept to themselves and said nothing, Zahariadis treated them the same way he treated Tsaksiras, Gizas and Sarandopoulos.

The refugees stayed in Mendzheguzhe for about six months after which, on March 20, 1950, they were sent to work. There too the Poles welcomed them with open arms.

The Polish people spared no expense to accommodate the Macedonian people and not just now. They also helped DAG during the Greek Civil War. Polish hospitals treated many of DAG’s wounded fighters, many of whom were Macedonians. The Macedonian children were also accepted, welcomed and looked after in the Polish boarding schools and afterwards were provided with secondary and higher education. Even DAG fighters who arrived after the war were accepted in the Polish schools and allowed to complete secondary school and enjoy higher education, as well as enter various trades and work in factories.

While Stalin was still alive, Zahariadis requested from the Polish leadership to establish prison camps so that he could jail the “unruly”. The Poles, however, refused him because, they said, it would reflect badly on the Polish nation which did not consider the people they had accepted to help and protect as criminals.

The following tables list the names of the fighters from Mala Prespa who died during the liberation war and during the Greek Civil War, from 1941 to 1949. The names were obtained from the INI archives in Skopje.

The village German

Serafim Giakov Lambro Petkov Ilia Liaov Kote Golchev Miaile Popovski Risto Nikovski German Liaov

German Grozdanovski Mitre Pitropovski Krstin Vlashki Vangel Vlashki Atanas Vlashki Stefo Mechkarov Mitre Kolev

Vangel Liaov Traiko Iankov Stoian Liangov Risto Guerov Vangel Gerovski Stoian Koliachkov Elena Koliachkova Spase Koliachkov Kote T. Petkov Ioshe Nikin Simo Sekoulov German Vrlevski Ilia Kuzmanov Bogoia Nushev Mitre Liangov Goche Doichinovski Pando Dupchinov Elena Durlova Kote Durlot Goche Arnautovski Mitre Paikov Germania Paikova Tanas Kirinkov Mitre Topalov Mitre Veliainchin Bogoia Muchkarov Ioshe Topalov Peter Boglev Stoian Petkashinov Lambro Kufalov Sandra Kufalova Tanas Paikov Risto T. Aseincharov Bozin Aseincharov Tanas Grozdanovski Risto T. Grozdanovski Vasilka Kufalova Tanas Rousev Ahilea Vlaskki Vangel Kaichovski

Ilia Nedinkin Atanas Nikovski Pavle Giakov Vangel Giakov Vasil Giakov Mitre Saragilov Petre Ioanov Done Dimovski German Dolgiot Mitre Machev Vasil Machev Trifon Nushev Nikola Boshev Stoian Boshev Naum Iankulov Nikola Popovski Alekso Popovski Bogoia Lelifanov Nikola Chetelev Tsvetko Chetelev Bogoia Doichinovski Kire Grezhliov Done Kaichovski Goche Kiprev Stoian Kiprev Mitre Machev Kote Dzhuklev Traiko Sivakov Alekso Ushlinov Vasil Kaichovski Vangel K. Ushlinov Iana Durlova Ioshe V. Damovski Ilia L. Paikov Tronda Gerovska Eftim Gashtov Vangel Giakov Dora Karlovska Pavle Shapkov

Killed by bombs dropped on the village

Stoia Petkova Stefo Velainchin Ristosia Ginova

The village R’bi

(Missing in this list are the names of the 13 dead people from the village Medovo.)

Fote Popfotev German Vidinov Vasil Mialchev Sotir Zarovski Fote Vidinov Ioshe Markov Metodia Giakovski Vangel Demirov Socrat Popnaumov Pavle Sekulov Mitre Bechkov Goche Georgiev Lazo Prodanov Tronda Popnaumova

Goche Popfotev Andrea Prodanov Done Zarovski Nikola Nikolov Ioshe Popovski Todor Giakovski Boris Demirov Vangel Popnaumov Tsvetko Mundushev Fote Bechkov Vasil Bakushov Bosilko Georgiev Traian Georgiev

The village Shtrkovo

Pando Kostovski Iane Kostovski Stavre Temelkovski Alekso Kostadinovski Iane V. Ristovski Traiko Ristovski Mihail Minevski

Vasil Kostovski Gorgan Grozdanovski Goshe Ristovski Sotir Ristovski Mitre Ristovski Stefana Stefanovska Ristosia Kostovska

The village P’pli

Iankula Petrovski Stoian Popovski

Risto Petrovski Kole Kochovski

Dosta Filipova Traiko Tutunovski Vasil Steriovski Risto Miovski Mitre Gerovski Traikoitsa Dimanova

Pavle Begovski Fote Karanfilovski Stoian Tomovski Stoian Dimovski Sotira Traikovska

The village of Rudari

Goche Krstevski Kosta Krstevski Petre Gerovski Mitre Hristovski Ilia Hristovski Pando Mihailovski Ioshe Gerovski Goche Karulovska Iani Mihailovski Vangel Mitrevski Ioshe Fotevski Naum Bogoevski Vasil Georgievski Stavre Kalevski

Kostadinka Kostevska Nikola Kalevski Vangel Dimovski Fote Hristovski Vangel Hristovski Spiro Vangelovski Vangel Gerovski Pavle Karulovski Risto N. Kalevski Spiro Fotevski Fote Fotevski Nikola Georgievski Risto Georgievski Naum Miailov

The village Bukoik

Risto Mechkarovski Vangel Mechkarovski Risto Sekulovski Vasil Taskovski

Done Mechkarovski Tanas Sekulovski Mitre Sekulovski Mitre Taskovski

The village Besfina

Kiro Grozdanovski Anastas Angelovski Kosta Giorgiovski Spiro Skenderovski Giorgi Skenderovski Spiro Kapovski Lazo Cholakovski

Risto Fotevski Iovanche Nichovski Ilo Krstevski Iani Skenderovski Petre Dukovski Giorgi Cholakovski Stoian Popovski

Kole Kirovski Risto Skenderovski Stefana Koieva Sevda Nichovska Gana Nichovska Tode R. Popovski

Vasil Paunin Mitre L. Skenderovski Ristana Kalkovska Stoina Vanova Traiko R. Popovski

The village Lok

Pando Stefanovski Mial Novachevski Stailo Dimitrovski Mitre Petrovski Vidin Spirovski Spiro Angelovski Velika Apostolova Atanas Nikolovski Trifun Petrovski

Petre Novachevski Iozhe Nashulov Krstin Petrovski German Tsvetkovski Done Hristovski Kole Apostolovski Simo Traikovski Iosif Nikolovski

The village Drenovo

Ilia Ilovski Vasil Kirovski Stoiana Kostovska Nikola Ilovski Leko Ilovski

Stoian Atanasovski Vasil Sotirovski Sofia Bogdanova Kiro Ilovski Mihail Ilovski

The village Grazhdeno

Philip K. Kostovski Kosta Traianov Ioshe Boinov Vangel Mitrev Sandra Stoianova Mial R. Kalinovski Filip D. Kochovski Toma D. Traikovski Leko S. Traikovski Mitre S. Ognenovski

Elena Petrevska Boris G. DR’bitski German K. Ianetomu Marko L. Vasilevski Nake I Kochovski Kiro N. Kochovski Sofia Koteva Fote K. Nestorovski Zugra Koteva Krsto G. Nestorovski

Lazo Filipov Boris K. Tsvetkovski Petre R. Ristevski Ilia V. Ristevski Mial I. Ristevski Tanas D. Ristevski Boris Krstinov Lefteria Traianova Mial Boinov Krsto L. Sekulovski Kote S. Ralevski Alekso Kalinov

Boris I. Kochovski Mitre N. Kochovski Tranda S. Kochovska Trane F. Traikovski Vangel S. Traikovski Vasil D. Donevski Klime Gelev Fote S. Markoichin Fotia G. Ristevska Risto M. Ristevski Ioshe S. Ristevski Goche F. Ristevski

The village Trnaa

(Missing in this list are the names of fallen soldiers from the villages Orovnik, Orovo, DR’bitishta, Nivitsi and Ail because of lack of data in the INI archives. There were no participants from Vineni, the majority of the population were Asia Minor colonists loyal to the Greek government.)

Kotse Kumanov Hristo Mitrovski

Pavle Pavlev Hristo Pandovski

Prespa in flames

On the road you travel through our country You came to us to climb the Brtse Hill, To take a good look at the village German To take a look at the other villages And to see if your heart won’t bleed.

Oh, my dear traveler! Why did you come now? Why did you not come sooner? To see Tsrniche full of people To see people singing, people smiling Oh, my dear traveler! Why didn’t you come sooner?

To see twenty weddings to hear twenty drums beating To see twenty brides Brides in the morning dew Wearing ornate Maisko clothes.

My unlucky traveler! Why did you come now? To see the unharvested fields and meadows and uncollected grains and grass? To see the houses destroyed and homes demolished To see fourteen heroes buried in a single grave Seven young boys in the same grave? To see the many graves side by side?

To see the fourteen abandoned houses Fourteen houses where heroes were born To see a village with houses abandoned Each house a home to a hero Where all people are heroes.

Oh! My dear traveler! Have you seen the beautiful Germania? Wounded and covered in blood Being dragged alive in the streets of Lerin?

Have you seen the cursed prisons and torture chambers? With iron doors and iron-barred windows

In Orovo, German, Polpli and Lok If you look at them and you shudder Places where they tortured the heroes For whom many mothers wept Have you seen the masonry on which their bodies were tortured And where walls were smeared with their blood?

Oh, my dear traveler Look away, far in the beyond Look at the seven towering pines They are not pines They are seven young Macedonian heroes Who side by side lie in a single grave! Look away, far away in the valley Look at the unharvested fields and meadows There are no people to do the job No one to harvest the grains No one to cut the grass…

My dear traveler A black cloud hangs over Perovo Flames are licking the sky Loud rumbling is heard over the mountains Go there and have a look My brothers are all there Locked in a struggle of life and death…

I am a young boy! To Perovo I cannot go! There the bridge over the river has been destroyed And no one can cross the raging waters The flames are rising up high The earth and forests are shaking And the place stinks of gunpowder

I am a young boy! To Perovo I cannot go! The bridge over the river has been demolished No one can cross the river Many people have perished

Many young have been cut down And with it death has taken many…

The wounded bury themselves in the sand The dead lay on the sand People throw themselves in the lake Blood flows from the people The soil burns and the water boils from the fire The entire lakeshore is red The land is covered with fire and smoke I am a young boy, there I cannot go!

Oh my dear traveler! Why come now? Why did you not come sooner? To see Tsrniche full of people To see the people smile and sing…

Oh my dear traveler Why did you not come earlier?

Legends and Hardship

Legends

How Prespa got its name

From what the old people of Prespa have told us, according to out oral narrative, once upon a time there were fertile flatlands covering the area where the lakes are today. There also existed many villages including the town Prespa. Then a pond began to appear and over time stretched along the junction where the Yugoslav-Greek-Albanian border is today. The town Prespa itself was located on the shore of today’s Mala Prespa Lake near the island Sveti Petar. Prespa unfortunately was destroyed by a strong earthquake which engulfed the entire region. There is also a legend associated with how Prespa, the town, got its name. Legend has it that Prespa was a very beautiful town with large buildings, shops and a bazaar. Here many of the local traders traded with many cities outside of Prepa which brought great wealth and high culture to the town.

Once upon a time a rich merchant lived in the town Prespa who had only one daughter. When she was about 15 or 16 years old, she began to wear lavish clothing and expensive jewelry which, on top of her beautiful blue eyes and blond hair, made her extraordinarily beautiful and very attractive. Every man in Prespa wanted her and would have taken her for a bride given the opportunity. She was the pride of the entire town. Unfortunately, even though her parents were very rich and happy, one day she died.

Her death shook not only her parents but the entire town. They held a grand funeral for her which was attended by the entire town’s population. For her funeral the beautiful dead girl was dressed in her finest precious silk garments, with many ornaments of gold and silver which made her body and face shine.

Attracted by this extraordinary wealth, the two gravediggers who dug her grave agreed to later come back dig up the dead girl’s grave and take all her valuables. This was to be done during the night when the town’s people were all sleeping. When night came the two gravediggers arrived at the grave, dug up the soil and removed the dead girl’s body from the coffin and placed it on the grass. Having spent a long time digging in the dark, the grave diggers lost track of

time. Realizing that dawn was about to break and they would be visible in the open space, the two grave diggers hastily covered up the grave, grabbed the girl’s body and ran for the church. There they hastily undressed her. On her neck she was wearing a gold amulet which the undertakers tried but could not remove. Everything else they took and ran but agreed to comeback the next night and try again to remove the amulet and also bury the girl’s body.

The grave diggers then left and went to their homes. They were very tired and so they quickly went to bed. The younger man instantly fell asleep. The dead girl appeared in his dream wearing only her underwear and in her hand she held a dagger with which she threatened to kill him if he did not return her clothes and jewelry. He suddenly woke up all frightened and was no longer able to sleep. He decided that the next day he would return the stolen items. The older gravedigger could not sleep either. He could not get the shiny gold amulet out of his mind. So, he decided to go back to the church by himself earlier and try to get it off the girl’s neck.

The two gravediggers could not wait until it was dark. The older man went to the church first. He lit a candle and began to untie the chain holding the amulet. It was tied very tightly. He was sure he wouldn’t be able to untie it so he decided to cut off the girl’s head in order to remove it. He took out his knife he always carried with him on his belt, sharpened it on a stone, lifted the dead girl’s body and placed it over his knees. He then pushed the girl’s head exposing her neck and looked for a place to start cutting. The moment he put his knife on her neck the girl slipped off his knees, fell down to the ground and then suddenly stood up on her feet. In a very timid voice she asked where she was. Frightened by her site, the gravedigger dropped his knife and stood there petrified and unable to answer her. At that very moment the second gravedigger entered the church. He too became petrified. All three kept looking at each other in silence. After their fear subsided a little they began to talk.

“Where am I? And who are you and why have you brought me here?” she demanded to know.

After they lost their fear, the two grave diggers explained everything to her and all three were happy with the way things turned out.

The girl thanked the gravediggers for saving her life and in gratitude kissed their hands and feet. She then asked them to take her home to her parents and promised them plenty of rich rewards for their services. The gravediggers were not so sure about the girl’s plan and they figured saving her life was not such a good idea. They remembered that there were strict laws against robbing the dead and punishment for that was being burned alive.

“I am sorry my dear but we will have to kill you…” said the older gravedigger.

The girl did not expect such a response and was petrified by it. She looked around left and right to see if she could escape. When she saw that she couldn’t because there were two of them and had weapons, she again fell to her knees, kissed their feet and begged for mercy.

“We can’t save you…” said the older man. “We must kill you now…” He then bent down to pick up his knife he had dropped on the ground earlier and went towards her.

The girl spread her arms wide open and demanded mercy. The younger gravedigger watching all this felt sorry for the girl, jumped his co-conspirator, took his knife away and said:

“Wait, let’s not kill her. Let’s change her name and we will sell her to one of the many traders that come here.

He then said to the girl: “From now on your name will be Prespa (overslept) on account that you did not die but overslept. From now on you will call yourself Prespa. In addition to that you will take an oath to never tell anyone and you will remain alive and no one will ever know about all this.

The girl was pleased with this and again fell to her knees and kissed their hands and feet and the said:

“I swear that I will fulfill this oath…”

That evening they dressed Prespa in old clothes and cut her hair. They then took her to the market and sold her to some traders who were passing through the city. Ten days later she arrived in Tsarigrad (Istanbul). Here Prespa was taken to the slave market and sold for a lot of money. An old but rich merchant who lived alone with his wife, who needed a young slave to look after them, bought her.

Prespa looked after her old masters like they were her own parents. And because she did that they too began to regard her as their own daughter. After their death, she inherited their entire wealth. Now, besides being beautiful Prespa was also a very rich woman. Nevertheless, she was not happy because she knew that she was living in someone else’s country. Soon she developed the desire to return to her own homeland and as soon as possible. One day she decided to do just that.

Then, one day the woman from this town near the small lake in the wide and rich fields who was born, grew up, “died”, and got her name “Prespa” here, returned with a caravan of camels, horses and several servants carrying gifts. She parked her entourage in front of the house she was born and went inside. Everyone around her bowed their heads down including her old grieving parents. When she told them that she was their daughter they refused to believe her. They insisted that their daughter had died ten years ago. Refusing to give up she gave them credible evidence of her childhood and even showed them the amulet her mother had given her. But despite her efforts to show them that she indeed was their daughter, they still did not believe her. Prespa persisted with her might, but unfortunately her parents still did not believe her. They threw her out of their house and reported her to the town authorities. Prespa was then told she had three days to leave town. Prespa in desperation asked the authorities to open the grave of the girl they all thought had died. Then, after they did and found no body, and after receiving assurances from the authorities that they would not punish those who saved her, she told them who they were. When everything was check out her case was declared a miracle. Her parents got their daughter back and the town held a celebration in her honour. Prespa kept her new name and the mayor gave her the town’s key. She became widely known and many people, even from

distant parts of the land, came to see her. And because of the miracle that took place in this town, the town’s officials decided to rename their town and call it Prespa. Later, the entire surrounding area and the lakes too became known as Prespa.

Prespa and Reka

The river that flows for about 200 meters connecting the two Prespa lakes near Perovo Tower was called Reka (River). The river flows from Lake Mala Prespa to Lake Golema Prespa.

According to oral history, this river was much longer, much wider and carried a larger flow of water. The river began at the foot of Mount Verba near the village Lok and ended at the curve of Mount Nivitsi in a place called Root, where the lake is now the deepest. At that time the lake was very small in which the river flowed and its waters disappeared in underground cracks and channels in Mount Galichitsa and reappeared in Lake Ohrid.

According to oral accounts, in days of old Prespa was a wide and fertile plain, with many villages and, as we mentioned earlier, the town Prespa was also located there. Prespa River was most liked named “Prespa” because of its close proximity to the town Prespa and because it was a large river worthy of having a name. And as mentioned earlier, Prespa and the surrounding beautiful villages were hit by a devastating earthquake which not only destroyed them but sunk the entire valley. The entire area sunk deep into the eroded underground and water eventually flooded the entire region forever. Years of erosion created underground channels and cracks around Galichitsa under which the water was draining. And all these underground caverns collapsed when the earthquake struck. The small lake then began to grow into a lake swallowing the town and all the surrounding villages and flooding all the gardens and fields. The area continued to flood over the years until it reached the present level. As the water level rose year after year, the original Prespa residents kept moving to higher ground and settled to where they are found today. Many of the people from old Prespa also settled in the villages Zhelevo, Oshchima, Rulia, Breznitsa, Gabresh, and in the region called Koreshta. And because this population came

from the area called Reka, it acquired the name Rekartsi, a name they still carry to this day.

There is a large water spring gushing from underground near the village Lok. This is where the river begins to which the springs in the villages Drenovo, Trnaa and Vineni add to that empty in the lakes. There are also the rivers in Rudari, German and Braichino as well as the rivers and streams that add to the larger river which flows near Vidrinets island and continued towards Ail on the east side cutting across the valley then approaching Nakolets and flowing in Mala Prespa Lake in a place called Root at the junction of the Yugoslav-Greek-Albanian border, as it passes by the great bend on Mount Nivitsi. And as the water builds up into Lake Mala Prespa it flows through the crevices under Galichitsa Mountain and flows into Lake Ohrid. At the Sveti Naum monastery at the foot of Mount Galichitsa there are large springs of water which empty into Lake Ohrid. Tests have been conducted which prove the origin of this water is Lake Prespa. Likewise, the water found in the plane in Poplenska Goritsa leads us to the conclusion that this water travels underground through cracks and channels under Mount Goritsa for a length of approximately 1 km before it surfaces again and flows into Lake Mala Prespa. Otherwise, this plane would have been a bog. These cracks are wide enough to allow fish to swim through the underground channels and to spawn on the other side of the mountain leaving large amounts of fish for the villagers in P’pli to catch in their ditches.

The great river that used to cut the valley that separated Prespa into Upper and Lower Prespa had many bridges that connected the various villages and settlements. But, due to the frequent autumn rains and melting mountain snows in the spring, the river was often flooded pouring silt into the fields and damaging the crops which prompted its early rulers and later Tsar Samoil, to clear the river bed and widen the river with labour from the Koreshtata population whose land was inert and they were exempt from all duties of the state. It was therefore their duty to clear the riverbed and in order to do that these people stayed in Prespa in groups and after a few months a year, alternated with other groups. Given, that these people cleaned the river bed for decades they eventually became known as the Rekartsi (river people) of Prespa.

As mentioned earlier, the town Prespa was located above the shore of the little lake, near the island Sveti Petar. This was an old town which, along with some the larger settlements, was well developed both in population and economic activities. This was largely due to the fact that this town was located on the road between Heraclea (Bitola) and Lihnica (Ohrid) and the Adriatic Sea. There was also the miracle in the legend mentioned earlier, which gave the town not only its name but also its fame. Prespa was the town of the beautiful rich girl who died and was resurrected.

Unfortunately there is nothing left of old Prespa today. There is only its name and where it is located. It is the fishermen near this site that keep the legend alive. There are ruins of some larger settlements, as well as some ruins of castles and churches and other buildings, including some cobbled stone roads 2 meters underwater, but none can be connected to the old town for certain.

A large settlement began to develop in the Latin Cemetery locality, near the village P’pli. Ore was melted in the settlement extracted from the Rudari mine located near the present village Rudari, which actually got its name from the mine (rudnik). Weapons and other military equipment were fabricated from the melted ore. The then rulers of Prespa and later Tsar Samoil forged most of their arms and weapons in Prespa. This settlement also produced and shaped copper objects that were used in the households. All that is left of this settlement today are large heaps of stones.

The modern residents of P’pli who cultivated these lands often found ancient objects including old building foundations and sewerage and water channels everywhere they dug. They found piles of broken clay jags, various coins and other metal objects. They also found many tombs and some of the skeletons were much larger compared to the people living there today. This appears to be a very old settlement which was guarded by two forts. The Graishta Fortress located on Graishta hill and the Tumba Fortress located between Rudari and the old settlement. It is not known who built these fortresses.

The old settlement was destroyed by Basil II’s soldiers when they invaded Prespa and since then it was never restored to its original splendor. It was again completely destroyed by the Ottomans. When the Ottoman army invaded the Balkans and came to Prespa it was met with much resistance and many Ottomans soldiers were killed in the battles. In order to capture the settlement the Ottomans resorted to burning it down and killing its population. The survivors settled in present day P’pli. But the Ottomans did not stop there; they also attacked the Sveti Giorgia monastery near Rudari. The monks living there would not surrender and resisted the Ottoman attacks. The monastery was surrounded and under siege for a few weeks. When the Ottomans seized it, they locked the monks in their own separate cells and kept them there until they died of starvation. This place is called Kielie (cell) and the hill over the small Sveti Giorgi monastery is called Kaludieritsa (home of the monks).

A large settlement also existed on the shore of Lake Mala Prespa near the village Vineni. Most of its ruins now lie beneath the lake waters. On the coastline are the ruins of the big Sveti Giorgi church. Within about a kilometre of this neighborhood is the old village Vineni with about 50 houses, which later was moved to the foot of the hill to avoid being flooded.

The village Ail is now located on the northwest side of the island. In ancient times this was a very rich and powerful village and stretched all the way to the east side at the foot of the island.

The great river flowed by the village Ail and on the opposite side of its bank was the village Opaa. When the women from the two villages went to do the laundry they often talked to one another over the river. At this point in time the river was about 2 to 3 metres deep.

There is also a small island, a few hectares wide, called Vidrinets (otter) in Lake Mala Prespa. This island consists mostly of rocks and has a large cave in it. Before the lake waters rose, this area was dry and when the shepherds brought their sheep to drink water they often housed them in the cave to keep them out of the sun and to milk them. There are also many otters in the waters all around the island which, in the winter when the lake is frozen and covered with

ice, are seen lying on the rocks on the island. The island Vidrinets (otter) got its name from the otters. Given that the island is so close to the river flow, there are many fish that the otters can eat.

Long ago there was a village called Bushkani located near the island Vidrinets, which played a significant role in the development of handicrafts in the settlement. Bushkani was located on the road leading from Korcha through today’s Drenovo into the town Prespa and the Prespa settlements. When it flooded the residents from Buskani eventually settled in the villages Orovnik, Bukoik and Lok.

The village Opaa, located opposite Ail, was the last village to be abandoned by its residents who settled in the villages Strkovo and Rudari. The families Tolev and Maialov now living in Rudari and the families Kostandinov today living in Shtrkovo are originally from Opaa. The residents still call them Opaaitsi (from Opaa). The area that once was Opaa in the Gradinieto locality today is flooded with water about a metre and a half deep. There is a 500 metre long cobblestone road stretching from Perovo Tower towards Gradinieto and Opaa heading towards the Slogot locality, which today is submerged under 1.5 metres of water.

The village Nakolets was moved several times. Before the most recent move when floodwaters began to surround the village, the residents built a cobblestone road and drove poles (kolie) into the ground to keep the soil from eroding, especially under the cobblestone road. The village got its name Nakolets from the kolie (poles).

The village Drenovo is located at the entrance to the road from Korcha to Prespa. There were several inns in this village where many traders and their caravans spent the night on their way to market. All that remains of them today are the stones from the destroyed former inns, and a place called Anovite (inns).

On the land between Ail and the mainland towards Krina Hill, now submerged under three metres of water, lies a 3 metre wide cobblestone road raised about 1.5 metres above the ground but submerged about 1m below the surface. This cobblestone road is a remnant from Tsar Samoil’s time. There was a swamp that existed

there during Samoil’s time and so he built a cobblestone road over it. It was later upgraded and raised when the area began to flood.

In 1935 the level of Lake Golema Prespa fell about a metre below the level of Lake Mala Prespa.

Residents of the nearby villages widened the river banks at Perovo Tower and for several hours the small river flow turned into a monstrous torrent which immediately washed away the bridge, the only link between the villages of Dolna Prespa and Gorna Prespa leaving the population cut off for several months until the water level of the two lakes leveled off. They then built a new bridge. When the waters of Lake Mala Prespa were drained the cobblestone road leading to Ail became exposed and the people began to use until it was flooded again. In some places along the cobblestone road there were so-called open crossings for boats to cross when the water level fell.

The bridge and the river at Perovo Tower occupy an important place in Macedonia’s history. And as mentioned earlier, on August 14, 1949, when DAG was withdrawing from the Greek Civil War, along with the civilian population of Mala Prespa, they were exposed to mass butchery perpetrated by the Greek government air force. At this critical juncture the Greek government army pushed hard to invade Prespa and cut off the partisans from escaping over the Albanian border. During the evening of August 15, 1949 the riverbed was once again excavated and the river, for a short time, turned into a torrent, and thus prevented the government tanks and troops from crossing, giving the fleeing partisans and war refugees a of couple days to escape while the Greek government continued its pursuit by boats over the lake. In those two days the vast majority of the partisans and civilians had moved into the Albanian interior and were saved.

On account of the various legends and claims made by the fishermen about what is under the waters of the Prespa Lakes, Mala Prespa hired two divers in 1936 who then went down to the bottom of Lake Mala Prespa to examine the various locations according to instructions given to them by the fishermen. And indeed they found remains of buildings in several places at the bottom of the lake that

included houses and churches and, in some places, where the old river flowed they found beams of wood that were at one time part of bridges.

Located on the coastline of Lake Golema Prespa, in the bay near the Root settlement, is the village Nivitsi whose residents are all fisherman. The people in this village speak an ancient Macedonian dialect which has been preserved for a long time. This is because this village has been completely cut off from the rest of the Prespa villages and has largely evolved independently.

Tsar Samoil and Prespa

When Tsar Samoil was looking for a place to locate his capital for his Macedonian state, the Macedonian king purposely chose Prespa. Prespa at the time was a large, rich and peaceful area with large settlements, rich and fertile fields, rich pastures, rich hunting and fishing grounds, a small lake, a large river and a swamp. Prespa had all the right ingredients to support his army and his slaves. Samoil also saw Prespa as a fortress which provided his army and his administration a peaceful stay and rest after returning from campaigns and conquests.

The moment Samoil decided to make Prespa his capital, he immediately started huge projects to build his country’s economy and strengthen its culture.

The first thing he did was to hire people to clear the river basin which for a long time had been neglected and its blocked flow had flooded the most fertile fields in the valley. For this purpose he ordered the Koreshtata population, now known as the called Rekartsi, whose own land was unproductive, to move to Prespa in groups and clear the silt. The Rekartsi were required to clean up the river all across the fields and to dig channels in the swamp to drain the water. And because of that they were exempt from all state duties.

After these people successfully cleared the riverbed and drained the fields through the channels they dug, they were legislated to do this

work the next year and over time it became their permanent preoccupation until the land was completely flooded by the lakes.

In the wet season, particularly during the fall and winter, the road from Krina Hill to Ail was usually very wet and difficult to cross because of the developing swamp. So Tsar Samoil decided to build a nice path of cobblestones over it. For this project he put his slaves, part of his army and the Prespa population to work. The people worked uninterrupted until the road was built. When it was completed the road was 3 metres wide and 1.5 kilometres long. The stones used to build the road came from local sources and were carried by hand, passed on from person to person. The job, in which women were also involved, even mothers of young children, was completed very quickly. While their mothers worked on the road, the little suckling children were looked after by old women. One woman usually looked after 10 children. When she put them to sleep she rocked all their cribs with a single rope which she had used to tie them together.

After constructing the cobblestone road Samoil built a palace in Ail and settled there. He then moved his administration to Ail. By digging the various channels through the fields the old marsh quickly dried up and the soil became fertile again. The Ail villagers were very proud of their cobblestone road and considered it as one of the greatest benefits contributed by Tsar Samoil. Every visitor who comes to Ail was first shown the cobblestone road before they were taken to see other places.

After Samoil moved to Prespa he began to build cultural monuments. After constructing his palace he built the St. Achilles church in Ail. This large and beautiful church had 12 altars and 12 priests performing liturgy. Samoil built this church after his great victory against the Byzantine army in Larissa. When he entered Larissa and saw the beautiful St. Achilles church he wanted to build a similar church in Prespa. He sought out the Larissa master builders who built the church there and brought them with him to Ail. Samoil also took Patriarch Achilles’s bones, in whose honour he built this church. Patriarch Achilles’s bones were buried in one of the altars, which gave the church the name St. Achilles. The church was

located on the east side of the foot of Ail which is now submerged under the lake water. Only the church’s ruins remain today.

According to eye witness accounts, the St. Achilles church in Ail was destroyed in 1918. Before that many people came to the church on St. Achilles’s day, and along with them came all the priests from the Prespa villages who then performed liturgy and participated in the ceremonies.

According to eye witness accounts the church was destroyed in 1918 during the First World War by the allied army consisting of Frenchmen, Serbians and Greeks stationed on Mount Graishta about 5 km away from Ail. They bombed Ail with their cannons while ceremonies were taking place in the St. Achilles church. The Bulgarian front was located at Sveti Ilia and Slivia in R’bi and German. A lot of people had attended liturgy that day and as the parishioners were leaving St. Achilles the allies bombed the church. They pounded the church with their artillery for half an hour until it was in ruins. The church collapsed and several houses in the village were destroyed. People too were killed and wounded.

Given that the distance from Graishta to Ail was short, the allies could have easily determined that there were no Bulgarian soldiers attending liturgy at St. Achilles that day. So it would appear that something else motivated them to destroy the church. The allies also knew that the Bulgarians could not have come to Ail even if they wanted to because their way was cut off and well-guarded by the allies themselves.

The motivation for the destruction of this beautiful Macedonian church in Prespa to this day remains a mystery.

Ioakim, the chief master builder who supervised the construction of the St. Achilles church in Ail, was from Veles Region, today’s Republic of Macedonia. This builder became a legend in Prespa and was responsible for building several churches including the Sveti Giorgi church in a settlement near Vineni, from which only ruins remain today deep in the waters of Lake Mala Prespa.

At the foot of Goritsa Hill in P’pli, near the source of the large underground spring, the master builder built the Sveta Iana church whose ruins today lie under the waters of Lake Prespa. Later a new Sveta Iana church was built but much smaller and up higher. The same master builder also built the Virgin Mary church in R’bi, in the same style as the St. Achilles church but smaller in size and with one altar. This church was later openly destroyed and we know why (because it was a Macedonian church). In the ruins we could see the scattered marble and the destroyed marble tombstones. A new Byzantine style church was later built right beside it. This was the church of Sveti Prechista. On its altar and side walls one could see a few thin layers of plaster one on top of another. Each layer had new images painted in different periods.

While he was in Prespa, Tsar Samoil built many churches but most of the churches he built were in Ail and R’bi. Included among the churches he built in Ail were St. Achilles, Sveti Spas, Sveti Giorgi, Sveti Dimitria and Sveta Bogoroditsa. Sveta Bogoroditsa later became a large monastery housing many monks. The monks cultivated the land that belonged to the monastery as well as bred many flocks of sheep and cattle. With their proceeds they cared for and maintained other churches and considered Ail to be sacred ground. Later, as much of Mala Prespa became flooded, Ail began to turn into an island and was cut off from Prespa. At this time many of the monks and residents began to leave their “holy” land. Those remaining, with assistance from the Prespa villages, upgraded the cobblestone road by adding more stones to bring the road above the water level which by then had risen about 1.5 metres.

In 1942 the Italians positioned their artillery in Krina. To cover their military barracks they stripped the monastery of its roof tiles. The last monk living in this monastery died in 1943.

Ioakim, the master builder, also built several churches in R’bi including Sveti Prechista (The Virgin Mary), Sveti Dimitria, Sveta Petka and Sveti Nikola. The Sveti Nikola church was destroyed by the Ottomans who then built a mosque on top of it. But because of a great flood, which affected the village, the mosque was moved and the villagers again built a Sveti Nikola church on the same foundation but smaller in size.