Things to see and do Demir Kapija

This spectacular rocky passage carved by the Vardar (Демиркаписка Клисура/Demirkapiska Klisura) begins just south of Demir Kapija and extends 31 km in length to the village of Udovo/Удово towards Gevgelija. Demir Kapija owes its name to it, since the Ottomans called the site the "Iron Gate": Demir Kapı in Turkish. The site allowed for easy control of communications between Skopje and Thessaloniki. During the First World War, Austro-Hungarian troops dug a first rudimentary tunnel on the left bank, south of Demir Kapija. Above it, the cliff preserves a large inscription engraved in honor of the German Emperor Wilhelm II. A century later, from 2012 to 2018, it is a Franco-Greek consortium that dug the very complex tunnel of 1 km in length allowing the European Highway 75 to pass under this mass of limestone rock with gray-blue hues. The same sector is also among the most popular climbing sites in the Balkans: a wall almost at the peak (85 degrees of inclination) of 300 m high with several routes reserved for the best climbers. For the less experienced climbers, there are also three via ferrate, routes with iron frames installed between 2017 and 2020. But it still requires to come with its safety equipment (ropes, harness, helmet ...). The cliff opposite, on the right bank of the Vardar, has at its summit the remains of the medieval fortress of Prosek.

This small natural site (Долина на Кактусите/Dolina na Kaktusite) is located at the edge of the Demir Kapija Gorge, 270 m above sea level, in the abandoned village of Klisura/Клисура, whose name of Greek origin refers to a mountain pass. There is a large field of cacti here: prickly pear trees(Opuntia ficus-indica) that yield edible fruit and yellow flowers in summer. It is located just south of the church of Saint Nicholas (^19th century). There are also rare vultures and, nearby, the Zmejovec ("dragonfly") cave.

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.

The ruins of this fortress (Просек) emerge from the vegetation at 400 m above sea level, just above the beginning of the Demir Kapija gorge. The rectangular layout of the enclosure is still visible. It is the stronghold of the Aromanian lord Dobromir Chrysos who formed a micro-state here at the end of the ^12th century, when the region was disputed between Byzantines, Serbs and Bulgarians. The site was then occupied by another rebel nobleman, the Bulgarian Strez, before falling into oblivion until 1948. A 2.5 km path leads to it from Partizanska Street.

Located in the place called Manastir/Манастир ("monastery"), the ruins of this three-aisled basilica date from the early ^4th century. Local tradition has it that the apostle Paul, during his third journey to Macedonia (between 53 and 58), celebrated his first baptism at this very spot, at the confluence of the Vardar and Bošava rivers. Several buildings were subsequently built, destroyed and rebuilt. In the adjoining medieval necropolis, an icon carved in stone of St. John the Theologian from the ^10th-12th century was discovered in 1952 and is now on display in Skopje.

Called Корешница in Macedonian and Koreşnik in Turkish, this village in the municipality of Demir Kapija has a population of 500, half of whom are Turks, about 100 Serbs, and about 100 Macedonians. Surrounded by stone quarries, it is famous for the tomb of the^5th century BC which was discovered in 1996. It housed the most beautiful ancient object in the country: the Korešnica crater, a Greek bronze wine vase 1.20 m high. Unfortunately, this one was acquired by the American collector Shelby White who refuses to return it to Northern Macedonia.