The best museums Povadarie

Housed in a former school surrounded by greenery and peacocks, this private museum (Музеј на Виното Демир Капија) is open since 2010. Inside, a real bric-a-brac awaits you: wine containers from the 1930s of the royal family of Serbia, antique pottery, old photos of Demir Kapija's first tractor, stills, numismatic collection, traditional clothing, an exhibition on the birds of the region... An inventory à la Prévert as poorly presented as interesting.

This municipal museum (Музеј на Град Неготино) was founded in 1978. It includes a rich archaeological collection from the nearby site of Antigonia (^3rd century ^BC-3rd century AD): votive statuettes, ceramics, jewelry, weapons, coins or even tombstones displayed in the lapidarium, outside. The history section covers the founding of the present city in 1800 and the two world wars. The ethnographic collection is also interesting, largely devoted to viticulture.

Housed in an elegant early ^20th-century building, this museum founded in 1946 (Народен Mузеј/Naroden Muzej) houses collections of archaeology, history, ethnology and art history: beautiful costumes from Povardarie, traditional house interiors, objects from the ancient site of Stobi... Of particular interest are the finds from the Neolithic sites of Čaška and Kartalica: figurines, necklaces, bracelets, pendants, amulets and a very rare globular flute. The latter dates from 4000-5000 BC and belonged to the Anzabegovo-Vršnik culture.

This small 100^m2 museum (Вински Музеј за Pегион Тиквеш-Кавадарци) is dedicated to viticulture in the Kavadarci-Tikveš region. It looks back at the history of wine in Greater Macedonia geographically, from Greek antiquity to the rise of Kavadarci winemakers and merchants in the ^18th century. Mainly on display are barrels, stills and utensils used in the ^19th and ^20th centuries to produce wine, rakija and madzoun, a thick local grape juice. Store with wines from different producers and sometimes tastings.

Closed during our last visit, this municipal museum established in 2000 (Езерски Mузеј на Дојран) presents the flora and fauna of the lake as well as the old technique of fishing with cormorants. Opposite, along Maršal-Tito Street, an information center, meanwhile, operates in summer. Otherwise, the National Museum of Natural History of Skopje has, since 2017, a branch on the heights, next to the clock tower. Here again, we found the door closed. Finally, in the Greek village of Doïrani, another museum dedicated to the lake was also closed.

Opened in 1976, this municipal museum (Музеј-Галерија Кавадарци) has four collections. Archaeology: fishing and hunting tools from the Neolithic period, funerary stelae from the Roman period in the courtyard, etc. Ethnological: traditional dress of the region, everyday objects from the ^18th and ^19th centuries, viticulture, etc. History: homage to two local figures linked to musical traditions, weapons of the rebellion movements against the Ottomans and the partisans of the Second World War, etc. Fine arts: local painters and temporary exhibitions.

A national institution founded in 1992, this museum (Национална Установа-Музеј Гевгелија/Nacionalna Ustanova-Muzej Gevgelija) is housed in the former Vladov konak, a mansion built in 1906. The main hall houses about 350 objects from the Vardarski Rid site, especially those from the period of the Macedonian kingdom (^4th-1st century BC): a 61 cm statue of Aphrodite, coins minted under various Macedonian kings (including Alexander III, known as "the Great"), jewelry, luxury ceramics, red clay figurines, including the seated one depicting the Phrygian goddess Cybele, etc. We go back in time with the previous occupants of the same site: beautiful bronze objects left by the Peonians (^7th-6th century B.C.) and superb ceramic jugs from the tomb of a Bronze Age child (^13th-12th century B.C.). The rest of the archaeological collection consists of finds from other sites in the region, especially the Isar site near the village of Marvinci/Марвинци, 19 km north of Gevgelija (GPS: 41.283333, 22.498056). This site that can be visited freely had a strong development with the Greco-Roman city of Idomene. There is also a beautiful set of bronze bracelets and pendants (700-650 BC) from the site of Milci, near the border post. Finally, the museum houses small collections of ethnology, art and history as well as a store selling reproductions of the most beautiful archaeological objects exhibited here.