Kuklica (Куклица) – Valley of the Dolls
Kuklica, located near to Kratovo (Кратово) is home to these gigantic figures, over a hundred in total and ranging in height from 2 to 9 meters. These rock formations are commonly referred to as Stone Dolls (Камени Кукли, Kameni Kukli). There are three different theories behind the formation of these figures.
1). These are soldiers that became trapped in a wasteland and left to die.
2). The figures were initially formed by tectonic erosion over 10 million years ago and then nature did the rest over the years. Don’t let the fact that Macedonia has three tectonic lakes, Ohrid, Prespa & Dojran push you to accept this theory.
3). These are remnants of a cursed Wedding Party. This legend starts with a boy from the village of Kuklica who was in love with two girls and had asked them both to marry him. One day, one of the girls happened upon a wedding, and then she saw her groom getting married to the other girl. The scorned lover cursed the wedding procession and they were all turned into stone. The romantic side of me likes this version.
Kuklica, also known as, the Wedding party, the Valley of Dolls, or Stone Town is off the beaten path and well worth the effort to get there whether by hiking or by four-wheel drive. Since our first visit in 2001, improvements have been made to make the area more accessible.
Google Map