Veles

Veles is built up both banks of the Vardar where the river cuts through, the houses climbing steeply from the water on either side so the town reads as two amphitheatres facing each other. The church of Saint Panteleimon stands high on the eastern slope with a view over the whole town. Veles was a significant trading and craft centre and produced a number of Macedonian writers, and the old quarter keeps nineteenth-century houses.

History

In antiquity Veles was most likely a settlement near the Paionian capital Bylazora, and it belonged for centuries to the Roman and Eastern Roman empires. In the 14th century, during the Serbian Empire, it was an estate of Jovan Oliver and then of the Mrnjavčević family (Wikipedia, Veles, North Macedonia).

What to look for

• The two slopes - the town climbing steeply from both banks of the Vardar.
• Saint Panteleimon - the church high on the eastern side with the town view.
• The old houses - nineteenth-century buildings in the older quarters.
• The river - the Vardar cutting through the middle of the town.

When to go

April to June and September to October are the most comfortable. Summer in the Vardar valley is very hot. The town is a road and rail junction.

Before you go

Veles carried a heavy industrial legacy from a lead and zinc smelter that closed in 2003, and contamination remains a local issue. Parts of the town are run down. Summer heat is severe.

Nearby

Stobi is south, and Skopje is northwest.

Key facts