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Galicnik Wedding: A Historic Macedonian Tradition

8 hours
Live tour guide German, English, Serbo-Croatian, Bulgarian
Group Size Private group

About the Experience

Galicnik is a village in the National Park Mavrovo, on the slopes of the Bistra mountain, located at an altitude of 1270 to 1500 meters and surrounded by neverending pastures. Galicnik is a tourist attraction due to its authentic architecture, rich cultural heritage and amazing landscapes.

The oldest knowledge about the creation of Galicnik dates back to the 10th century. It is considered one of the oldest villages in the Mijacki region. The first period of the village is characterized by the mixing of Vlach families with Macedonians with Slavic culture.
The second epoch of Galichnik are the Turkish years. Although there were attempts to Islamize the population, it remained Christian. In the 19th century, thanks to the immigration, the high birth rate, and favorable economic conditions for animal husbandry, Galicnik was already a small town. The Turkish travel writers speak of Galicnik of the 18th and 19th centuries as an important economic center, not only for the region, but also for the Turkish empire. In the second half of the 19th century, it is said that the village had 500 houses. If we consider that an average of 8 people would live in one house, then the population would be around 4,000.

The third era in the history of Galicnik is from 1912 to the present day. The Balkan wars had a negative effect on sheep farming, because the Greek occupation prevented sheep from wintering in Aegean Macedonia. However, this activity began to stagnate in the 19th century. An increasing number of men went to work abroad, where they specialized in various trades: dairying, baking, confectionery

It is interesting to note that the official number of inhabitants of Galicnik during the winter is one inhabitant.

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