The origins of the name Struga come from the Old Church Slavonic language. There are three theories regarding the name, all of which are supported by the local inhabitants of the Struga region.
The first theory is that the name of the town originated from the geographic location of the town. Located at the foot of an open valley and subject to a windy climate, it was suggested that the name originates from the old Macedonian term: струже ветер.
The second theory says that the name of the city origins from the straga, meaning a cross.
The third theory comes from the wordstr'g which means water branch.
The ancient name of the city is Enchalon, the ancient Greek word for eel.
Struga is located in an open valley on Lake Ohrid. The Black Drin river starts at the lake and divides the city.
Demographics
As of the 2002 census, the city of Struga has 16,559 inhabitants and the ethnic composition was the following:
Macedonians, 8,901
Albanians, 5,293
Turks, 907
Vlachs, 550
others, 908
The mother tongues of the city's residents were the following:
Macedonian, 9,665
Albanian, 5,615
Turkish, 823
Aromanian, 271
others, 185
The religious composition of the city was the following:
Orthodox Christians, 9,197
Muslims, 7,075
others, 287
Until the last few decades of the 20th century Albanian Tosk, in particular the geographically central variety of the dialect dominated among speakers of Albanian in Struga. The local Romani population of Struga speaks and sings in the southern Tosk Albanian dialect, as does the local Turkish population. Aromanians in Struga also speak Tosk Albanian.
Culture
Struga is also a place of important cultural significance in North Macedonia, as it is the birthplace of the poets Konstantin and Dimitar Miladinov. The main event of the cultural life in Struga is the world's largest poetry gathering, Struga Poetry Evenings, whose laureates have included several Nobel Prize for Literature winners such as
and many others since 1966. There are several cultural monuments in Struga and in its vicinity such as
the Monastery of Kališta, a few kilometers away from the town center, lying on the shore of Lake Ohrid. It is believed that it dates from the 16th century, with frescoes from the 14th and the 15th centuries.
Another rock church is present in the neighbouring village of Radožda with frescoes from the 13th and 14th centuries.
Much of the town's income is through internal tourism. Struga's location on Lake Ohrid makes it a slightly quieter and more peaceful experience than the more bustling Ohrid. When visiting this quiet town of North Macedonia, there are a few other places that show the beauty and culture, like the clay chamber pots at the house of the Miladinovci Brothers, the old bazaar, the century old churches and mosques. Before the evenings you can enjoy on 3 kinds of beaches called "Male beach", "Female beach" and Galeb, located just before the estuary of the river Crn Drim in its own flow, and between the two previous beaches. Just in front of the "Male beach", at the estuary of the river Crn Drim it is located the biggest 5 star Hotel Drim in Struga. Out of the town there is another tourist place near the lake called Biser, also a hotel. Every August the Struga Poetry Evenings are held at the "Poetry Bridge" and are attended by poets, writers and artists from across the world. ;Churches
