Negotino between Antiquity and Wine

Negotino combines an archaeological site on a high hill with wine tastings and recurring festival traditions. Gradishte-Antigonea tells the story of a settlement that was already a walled centre at the beginning of antiquity; the Dudin and Bovin wineries add another dimension. If you are looking for a holiday apartment, you can weigh up these different highlights: local history, wine and cultural events shape your travel plans in different ways.

Gradishte-Antigonea: a hill with far-reaching views

The Gradishte-Antigonea archaeological site lies at the northern entrance to Negotino, on a high hill. From there, you can look out over the Negotino Valley. Its location combines views of the landscape with a tangible insight into the settlement’s long history.

At the beginning of antiquity, the settlement on Gradishte Hill developed into an urbanised centre. At the time, walls enclosed an area of about 3.5 hectares. The dating established so far provisionally ranges from the 5th–4th century BC to the 1st–2nd century AD; the site also contains late antique remains. This cautious dating and the later traces reveal different chapters in the area’s history.

Wine tastings in Negotino

The Dudin and Bovin wineries each have their own premises for wine tastings in Negotino. If you plan to include a tasting in your itinerary, check availability directly with the relevant winery in advance.

Fair and recurring festival days

The Negotino Fair is a traditional economic and cultural event held annually in Negotino. Every February, the traditional St Tryphon festival is also celebrated in the Municipality of Negotino, promoting local wine traditions and wine culture.

Near Negotino, the Monastery of St George celebrates its feast day on 21 September, the feast day of Mala Bogorodica. The celebration begins on 20 September with the so-called monastery evening. The current programme may vary. The people of Negotino built the Monastery of St George at Crkviste in 1860.

Culture and landscape in the Municipality of Negotino

The Negotino City Museum houses an ethnological exhibition related to wine and a lapidarium. Its Ethnology Department presents the material and spiritual culture of the settlements in the Municipality of Negotino and the town of Negotino through traditional costumes, household items and agricultural objects. The municipality’s winemaking tradition has also been known since antiquity and forms part of the region’s cultural identity.

The Church of St Athanasius in Negotino was built in 1837 and is considered a typical 19th-century church. After a complete renovation of its exterior and interior, including a new iconostasis and new frescoes, it was reconsecrated in 2017. Its patronal feast is celebrated on 31 January according to the Gregorian calendar, or 18 January according to the Julian calendar.

The Bovin winery was founded in 1998 as the first privately built winery in Macedonia. The Dudin winery produces white and red wines.

The Municipality of Negotino lies in the central Povardarie and the eastern part of the Tikveš Valley, a region characterised by vineyards, fertile land and a long winemaking tradition. The town of Negotino lies on the Vardar River. The Vardar and Dosh nica rivers are designated fishing spots in the municipality; fish found there include catfish, carp, barbel, chub and whitefish.

Choose Negotino as your base

When choosing a holiday apartment, it helps to decide what matters most to you: would you like archaeological history to be the focus, are you especially interested in wine, or would you like to include cultural events in your trip? The Municipality of Negotino has direct access to the A1 motorway and the railway line to Thessaloniki. The Tabanovce–Skopje–Gevgelija railway line also runs through the municipality, with stations at Kukurecani, Krivolak, Negotino and Dubrovo.

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