Kriva Palanka: Festivals, History and Architecture

Kriva Palanka offers several distinct cultural points of reference for planning a trip: festivals held on specific calendar dates, the city’s founding history, and buildings from different centuries. When looking for a hotel, first decide whether an event date, the history of the place, or religious architecture will be the focus of your trip.

Festivals and their dates

“Šopska Sofra” is a traditional gastronomic event held every year as part of Kriva Palanka’s city holiday on October 8. Pivtijada takes place on January 19 in the city square, after the ceremonial cross-throwing into the Kriva Reka has concluded. The International Folklore Festival “Sveti Joakim Osogovski” takes place in Kriva Palanka on August 25, 26 and 27, and includes a procession of participants as well as an outdoor program. If you want to plan your trip around one of these dates, check the event dates in advance.

These occasions are spread throughout the year: Pivtijada in January, the folklore festival in August, and “Šopska Sofra” in October. Their formats also differ: a gastronomic event, Pivtijada following the cross-throwing, and folklore with a procession and an outdoor program.

Founded as a fortified settlement

Kriva Palanka was founded in 1633 by Bayram Pasha as a fortified settlement on the road to Bulgaria; at the time, the city was called Egri Dere. The fortification served to protect the passage through the Krivorečka Klisura. The city’s founding history thus links its founding year and former name to the settlement’s protective function. Egri Dere is the name from the time of its founding; today the city is called Kriva Palanka.

Church of Sveti Dimitrie and architectural design

The Church of Sveti Dimitrie in Kriva Palanka was built in 1833 and has the floor plan of a three-aisled basilica. “Three-aisled” describes a basilica with three naves and adds a specific architectural classification to the date of construction. Exactly two centuries separate the founding of the fortified settlement in 1633 from the church’s construction in 1833. The city’s origins and the church’s date can therefore be considered as separate historical points of reference.

Monastery complex outside the city

The Sveti Joakim Osogovski Monastery complex dates back to the 11th century. It is located in the municipality, 3 km east of Kriva Palanka and outside the city. Unlike the Church of Sveti Dimitrie, which is in Kriva Palanka, the monastery complex is a geographical point of reference outside the city limits. Its date also goes further back than the city’s founding in 1633 and the church’s construction in 1833. When planning your trip around these places, you can take both their locations and their different historical periods into account.

Discover more destinations: Durachka Reka.

Return to the main travel overview: Municipality of Kriva Palanka.