Stone Town of Kuklica, Kratovo, North Macedonia

The stone town is an area consisting of over 120 naturally formed stone pillars, located in the village of Kuklica, near Kratovo.

There are two main legends surrounding the formation of the strange stone pillars in Kuklica. The most famous legend is that of a man who could not decide which of two women he should marry. So, the man planned to marry each woman on the same day at different times. When the first wedding was in progress, the woman to marry the man second went to see who was getting married on the same day as she. When she saw her future husband marrying another woman, she cursed all in attendance at the wedding and turned them into stone.

Another popular legend is that there was once a forest in the area, but due to battles it was burned down. Then, the area became a wasteland. The temperatures were very low and when the army passed through the wasteland, all of the soldiers turned into rocks.

According to the local villagers, new figures appear every 5-6 years. There are four places at the Balkans where you can see this phenomenon, three of which are in North Macedonia.

Aside from mystic stories and legends, the earth pyramid in Kuklica was formed as a result of natural erosion.

References:

Wikipedia

Prehistoric and archaeological sites in North Macedonia

User Reviews

evgenija jovanovska (10 months ago)
Legend says it you will love this place. That legend is true. Another one tells of the Stone Dolls below, it tells the story of a wedding where the guests, including the bride and the groom were turned into stone. Of course, there’s a scientific explanation behind it, but all is written within a guide you can grab at the entrance. If you catch it later in the evening, it often offers a beautiful sunset above, especially if you sit on higher ground. Oh, and for any adventurists, this place has a Geocache! Have fun finding it!

Stoјan Nikolovski (11 months ago)
The Stone Dolls or Kuklica (Куклуца) are located in a valley which in the past was a volcanic crater. They are naturally formed through an erosion process, which lasted over 10,000 years. The legend says it is a cursed wedding turning the bride, the groom, and all guests into "stone dolls". If you need a guide, it is offered. Also, there is a nice restaurant nearby, offering traditional food, nice wine and rakija.

Nick (2 years ago)
Just several oddly shaped stones. Possible to get there only by car. There’s only one bus a day from Skopje

tizz! (2 years ago)
we walked 3.5km there and 3.5km back because the bus couldnt go any further but i definitely recommend going with a car the walk KILLED me when we got there it was pretty, great story and view we walked around a bit then went back

Tim Verschraegen (2 years ago)
Beautiful place, with very friendly host. The statues are formed by erosion, but there's a nice legend about this place. If you stay till after dark, sometimes you can still hear the wedding bells...

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