Probistip is the newest town in all of Macedonia. The approximately 33 villages within the Municipality, however, date back to the 17th century (more on this in my next Blog).
The town itself was built after WWII when Yugoslavia opened a fully operational iron and lead mine and large factory that made auto and truck batteries for the entire country. It became the second most affluent town in all of Macedonia. Apartment buildings for the miners and their families were built as well as homes for the managers and professional staff. I’m guessing, as time went by, miners built their own homes away from the center of town. These are the “suburbs “as I like to call them.
(N.B.The mine and battery factory are currently operating at only 20% of capacity (this % is hearsay) so unemployment within the community stands at 35- 40%. The residents have experienced the best of times and now they are enduring some tough times).
A couple of weeks ago on one of the last days of Spring, I took an early morning Sunday walk through the southern neighborhood of Probistip (I forget the name) where many of these homes were built and where many are still in different throes of completion. Being mindful that Probistip is relatively small, it is only a 5 minute walk to this part of the town from my apartment building.
In this part of town (southern “suburbs”) some of the roads have yet to be paved, unlike the northern side “suburbs”, where all the roads are asphalted. Many homes in the southern neighborhood are in different stages of completion but almost all of them have vegetable and flower gardens, grape arbors and fruit trees. The neighborhood on the northern side was established first and all of the homes are well established with beautiful landscaping and outdoor patios and arbors.
Rather than try to explain what I saw on my stroll, go to Click here to Check Out My Photo Albums at the top of this page. Check out the beauty of the Springtime in Probistip.
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