Ponikva-Recreational ana Tourist center in Macedonia

Ponikva – Recreational and Tourist center In Macedonia, in the breasts of Osogovo Mountain, 1460 m. above sea level. Recreational and tourist center PONIKVA, place which is visited both in summer and in winter, (as well as in the others seasons), by a big number of people, who are lovers of mountain beauty and white sports. People visit the place from different places from Macedonia, but most of the tourists and weekenders are from Kocani, Shtip, Probishtip, Veles and Skopje. You can arrive to Ponikva following on a good and modern road, whose length is 20 km. This road in the winter mounts (when the snowfall is even 1m.) is always clean and good for traveling. The town Kocani is located in a valley, dominated by the Osogovo and Plackovica Mountains, the fruitful field and also the river Kocani. It is Industrial and Economic center. It’s modern town with 32 000 inhabitants. If you have already seen Kocani (I hope that you saw the pictures) I’m inviting you to go for a walk in Ponikva. The mountain region is 1000 m. above sea level. Here are the Lodge and the hunting reservation. The trophy quarry: deer, mouflon, wild pig, doe, rabbit, and spring quarry (birds) are the treasure of this reservation, which is a place for research for flora and fauna, and also rare species of fern. In the sport-recreational and tourist center Ponikva, there are places like: the Children Resort with capacity of 200 beds, than, the hotels “Izgrev”, “Sharena Cheshma”, “Shampinjoni”, the Lodge, 2 resorts and about 100 cottages, bungalows and lodges, where the attendance in the whole year, is very big. On the snow grounds in Ponikva, the young people compete in skiing, like Osogovo slalom and giant slalom. The ski path is kept for ski competitions for international character too. Characteristically for the mountain's beauty lovers is that Ponikva and Osogovo Mountains are full of rich mountain trees, the most of oak and tumult, and also plants with low tree-trunk, and pastures. For the mountain flower's beauty there are a lot of flowers like: snowdrop, Klamath weed, and also lots of mountain tea. Many people and holyday makers visit and gather the fields of strawberries and raspberries because they are ecologically clean from clean environment. For the mountaineering lovers there are some famous attractive places like: Ponikva-1460 m., Retki buki-1760 m., and Ruen - 2085 m. and also the people call it "Sultan tepe" (King's top). Famous settlements in this region are: Jastebnik, Novo selo , Nebojani, Glavovica and also about ten resettled villages where a small number of people live, most of them are very old. The wish to keep the family houses develops the mountain and village tourism. On Ponikva there are some places for breeding sheep and from their milk people make cheese. In the mountain villages the visitors will be invited to eat `bakardan`(famous traditional meal) and yogurt. From the drained plums and the other drained fruit the people prepare tea or as they call it `oshav`(stewed fruit).