
Macedonia. A speck on the map, north of Greece and once part of the former Yugoslavia. A landlocked country with mountainous peaks and valleys, deep basins, lakes and rivers. Its greatest treasure: its warm, hospitable, and at times wonderfully temperamental, people. Until recently, Macedonia’s bigger Balkan brothers and sisters have claimed much of the spotlight, but now this feisty nation is ready for center stage.
Both geographically and culturally, Macedonia is a gateway between the East and the West, with Christian Europe on one side and the mystical Orient on the other. A melting pot of ethnicities and cultures, Macedonia is surrounded by Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Kosovo and Serbia. It claims a population of just over two million: descendants of Macedonian and Slavic tribes that settled the land as far back as the 5th century A. D., and smaller ethnic groups that include Albanians, Turks, Romas (Gypsies), Serbs, Bosnians and Croats.
The modern Macedonian state was founded on August 2, 1944. On January 31, 1946, the country became part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. It would not be independent again until September 8, 1991, when it separated from the former Yugoslavia. After gaining its independency, Macedonia found itself the poorest of all the former Yugoslavian states, but recently it has taken steps to bolster its economy by implementing economic reforms such as flat tax rates to attract foreign investments, and by heavily promoting tourism. Read more…

While originally part of the Yugoslavian Federation, Macedonia won its independence peacefully and without any problems in 1991. Since then, regardless of some not favourable effects of neighbouring countries, Macedonia has been developing successfully. The same has been true about the growing awareness of this country in the rest of the world.
And that is precisely the goal of Days of Macedonian Culture in Prague — to raise awareness about Macedonia in the Czech Republic, to present the country in the real light, and to increase its visibility and awareness. This cultural event took place in May with the participation of Ministers of Culture of the Czech Republic and Macedonia, and under the patronage of H. E. Igor Ilievski. Read more…




















