Strumica is a city in the South-East part of Macedonia with a population of 35.311 (census 2002). It is located southeast from the mountain Smrdes, under the fortress “Carevi Kuli (Tsar Towers)” on an elevation between 225 and 300 meters.

Strumica occupies an area of 896 ha. With the national road, M6 Strumica is connected with Radovish and Shtip and to the east with Petric in Bulgaria. A regional road on the north, leads to Berovo and in Valandovo on the South.

Strumica has a moderate continental climate with certain Mediterranean influence. The average year air temperature is 12.9 C (55.22 F) and the average rainfall 583 mm.

Strumica is an old city that in ancient times is mentioned as “Astraeum”. In the I-st century in the city stayed the Roman emperor Tiberius, after which the city received the name Tiberiopolis. The grave of his daughter Struma is located here, after which later the Slavs gave the name to the city.

Near the city in 1014 took place the famous battle between the Macedonian Tsar Samuil and the Byzantine emperor Vasilij II (Basil II), after which the Byzantine emperor gave the order more than 14.000 prisoners from the Samuels army to be blinded and only one eye was left to every 100-th soldier, so he can lead his follows to their king.

The place where this brutal act was conducted is marked by the local population under the name Vodoca.

Saint Leontius – Vodocha Monastery near Strumica

The site of his blinded soldiers was fatal for Tsar Samuil so he died soon after.

Due to the favorable geopolitical situation, the city of Strumica in the middle ages had an important strategic position, especially in XVIII and XIX, since it lied on the well-known Ser Road.

At the end of XIX, the city had a population of 10.160.

Between the two world wars as a city near the border, Strumica sequentially loses its former functions and in 1921 there lived only 5.866 people.

Strumica had its expansion in the middle of the XX century and today it has a population of about 40.000. According to the 2002 census in Strumica lived 32.075 Macedonians and from the minorities – 2.642 Turks, 157 Serbs, and 130 Roma.

The city of Strumica is the administrative center of the Municipality of Strumica, which occupies an area of 32.149 ha, has 25 populated places, with a population of 54.670.

The city of Strumica represents an important economical, cultural, educational, and administrative center of the Strumica plain area. It has developed textile, ceramic, metal, wood, and agricultural industry.

The Strumica Carnival is one of the famous customs and traditions of its kind in the Republic of Macedonia. With a very long tradition, it is even mentioned by travel writer Evliya Çelebi in 1670. The carnival is held every year at the beginning of Easter Lent.

The city has also a gymnasium, High agricultural school, House of Culture, public theater, public museum, memorial museum “Blagoj Jankov – Muceto”, library, and other institutions.

Among the important cultural heritage objects, several sites can be mentioned as Tzar’s towers above the city, Strumin grob (grave), Vodoca and Veljusa XI cent., and also near village Bansko, one of the oldest Roman baths exist.