Dojran is a historical city in the southeastern part of the Republic of Macedonia located on the shore of Dojran Lake. The city was ruined in the WWI when its population counted 18.000 citizens. Today there are three populated places with the same name located around the Dojran Lake:
- The city Old Dojran (800 population), the center of Municipality of Dojran in the Republic of Macedonia located at the same place as the old city.
- The city New Dojran (1200 population) in the Republic of Macedonia located 5 kilometers north from the Old City.
- The village Dojran ( 183 population) in Greece located on the south shore of Dojran Lake at the place of the old Dojran train station.
The mount Belasica is located south of this natural lake. The fact that this lowland is opened to the south, determines its Mediterranean climate which is characterized by warm and dry summers and fresh and humid winters. The city of Dojran is located on the border triangle between the Republic Of Macedonia, the Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of Greece.
DOJRAN LAKE
According to an old legend, a Macedonian girl named Dojrana was fetching water from special springs that had to be sealed after use. At the very moment, Dojrana was filling her jugs, she heard that her beloved had come back from the army and forgot to seal the springs. Lake Dojran was, as the legend says, the result of her careless euphoria. Due to the Mediterranean climate of southern Macedonia and the proximity of the balmy Aegean not far to the south, in the Dojran area vegetation starts blooming nearly spring and continues to do so until late autumn. Even though Lake Dojran is only 10 meters (30 feet) deep at its deepest point, it is full of life. The large number of weeds that grow in the lake and a large number of planktons on its surface make Dojran’s waters very helpful for treating rheumatism, skin diseases and respiratory diseases, so many tourists come here precisely for this. Distinguishable for the Dojran lakeside are the fishing boats and the fishermen’s huts standing on stilts above the surface of the water. The method of fishing here is original and very old, performed with the help of the cormorants, gulls and other birds that fly above the lake, directing the fish into the baskets where they are gathered in enormous quantities. The father of history himself, Herodotus, noted Dojran’s fish potential way back in the 5th century B.C. According to him, the lake was so teeming with fish that if you put an empty basket in the water at night, it would be full by morning. Today, the best-known types of fish are red-finned carp, trout, perch, eel, and claw-fish.
Dojran Lake is a lake with an area of 43.1 km² shared between the Republic of Macedonia (27.3 km²) and West Macedonia within Greek Macedonia, Greece (15.8 km²). To the west is the city of Nov Dojran, to the east the village of Mouries, to the north the mountain Belasica/Beles and to the south the Greek town of Doirani. The lake has a rounded shape, a maximum depth of 10 m and a north-to-south length of 8.9 km and is 7.1 km at its widest, making it the third-largest lake partially in the Republic of Macedonia after Lake Ohrid and Lake Prespa. The lake was on the southern line of the Macedonian front during World War I, and its southern shore became the site of the Battle of Doiran between allied Greek and British troops attacking from the south, and Bulgarian troops entrenched to the east of the lake.hill a few hundred meters south of the lake. A monument to the battle and two cemeteries for Greek and British troops stand on a
CHARACTERISTIC DOJRAN DISHES AND HOSPITALITY
The city of Dojran has a rich gastronomic offer.
Typical Dojran fish dishes are: fish stew, roe stew, carp fritters, roe langidida, reed fish, pan fish, baked carp, carp in casserole, carp stew, etc. Typical Dojran dough dishes are: banica, baklava, tatlia, milknik, cabbage with spinach, langids from dough, Dojran pretzels, ravania, etc.
The city of Dojran has a large catering capacity.
Among the hotels that have a restaurant in their composition are the following: Hotel “Polin”, Star Dojran with a restaurant, Motel “Istatov” New Dojran with a restaurant and Hotel Casino “Hit International”.
Restaurants where you can taste Dojran dishes are as follows: fish restaurant “Fuk Tak”, Old Dojran; “Nota” restaurant, Star Dojran; “Casablanca” restaurant, Old Dojran, “Kaldrma” restaurant, New Dojran; “Bohemian” restaurant Star Dojran; “Tobi” restaurant, Star Dojran; “President” pizzeria, Star Dojran and “Luna” pizzeria, Star Dojran.