GOSTI VAR? VAR VAR!
Poured by
Radmila Stepanovska
Gostivar is a city with rich history and culture. City that is situated at Vrutok, the river-head of Vardar, which is the biggest river in our country. The city in which I grew up and cannot breathe without. It is surrounded by two of the most beautiful mountains, Shar Planina and Suva Gora.
I can speak long enough to explain the life in Gostivar. It is the city with the richest culture of multiethnicity, a city where everyone is friend with everyone and can easily talks about everything. In the ottoman times, Gostivar was the city where all traders were taking rest before they continued their trip to Western Macedonia. There was only one An (Turkish name for a hostel) where people could rest, eat and continue their trip. In that period, Turkish was the official language, and when visitors were entering the city, they used to ask: “Gosti var?” which means “Do you want guests” in Turkish. The answer was: “Var var” which means: “Yes, we do, we do”. Certainly nobody can claim about the origin of the name of a geographical term, at least to us, and almost for every name there are different versions that have been passed from generation to generation, but one of the legends says that , that is how, Gostivar got its name. According to another legend, the name dates back before the Ottoman period, but this can be a subject of some other story. Later on, in the city were made conditions for keeping livestock and goods and in time Gostivar became a significant city for merchants, place where they traded their goods in this small town. Even today, Gostivar is an “Esnaf City” which is Turkish terminology for Trading Town.
The river coast has its own story and every person from Gostivar tell that story on its own way. This coast has many great stories by the people from Gostivar, and most of them are love stories. The coast is even today one of the favorite spots for couples and people who enjoy in long walks by the river. The beautiful smell of the linden trees and freshly cut grass gives the sensation of falling in love. The peace and serenity that we all need; we find it there.
The coast is also a regular destination for athletes. Еarly in the morning hours, one can see them run and exercise. The stadium which is located on the quay is another inspiration for the people to do sports more. The quay is full of benches for those who want to rest and slowly continue their journey to the river-head. And there, you will see the beautiful scenery of rich forest, clean air, bubbling spring and the fish whose glare at the sunlight looks wonderful. The places where you can sit down and taste the wonderful fish and local specialties are numerous. Restaurant “Burimi”, located at the river-head is a place where you can taste fish cooked in many ways, and the choice is great. Fish restaurant “Joco Prom” is located in the beautiful scenery of the village Vrutok.
Because of its multi-ethnicity Gostivar has rich culinary culture. If you ever visited Gostivar, you know the taste of Baklava in “Record” – the oldest sweet shop in town that has existed for more than 60 years, the taste of famous Trileche, the ice cream for which people are waiting for a long time in the hot summer days, the Burek of “Akchaj”, which is the tastiest pastry not only according to people of Gostivar but also to all passengers who want to taste something local, the traditionally Kjunefe – a Turkish dessert made of Kadaif, unsalted butter and cheese (cow fat), Toptajnjca and the well known barbecue.
Here are the local places to go out: I warmly recommend cafes and bars in the city center, “Mekicite od Straza”, “Baby blue” “Royal Garden”, “White House Restaurant” and the restaurant “Sajgija” which is authentic for its folkloric interior and traditionally prepared food, such as grill with peppers in garlic sauce. Burger places like “M”, “Amigo,” “Mal Chardak” pleases the gourmet tastes of my citizens, restaurant “De Gallery”, “Evropa Garden”, “Hilton”. But that’s not all, the Brewery “Pub” is the only place of its kind in the city one should visit.
The nightlife of the city has something for everyone. The night club “Hard Rock” is regularly filled with young people who enjoy the sounds of good music from both local bands and bands who come from other cities and neighboring countries.
That’s my Gostivar. Come and visit us at any time of the year. Each season has its own beauty. Come and enjoy the beauty of the city and the surrounding area and of course the hospitality of the people of Gostivar which is widely known.
