Stobi Things to Do

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The Magnae Thermae, or Large Bath was discovered in 1931.

It dates from the 5th-6th century AD and had a central floor heating system including several marble baths and walls with niches where a number of marble statues were placed.

The reconstructed bath was in use until the late 6th century.

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By the end of the 4th century AD this building belonged to Polycharmos, the founder of the synagogues that were located north of the building.

The building is located at the Via Principalis Inferior street.

Later, the Central Basilica was build on the remnants of these synagogues.

Subsequently, the Palace of Polycharmos became the residence of the church authorities.

Some huge vessels/vases were standing at this location as well.

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The Central Basilica and Synagogue is located south of the Civil Basilica at the Via Principalis Inferior street.

The Central Basilica is a christian building that was built in the late 4th or early 5th century AD on the remnants of an older Jewish temple (synagogue) that dates back to 4th century.

The floor of the synagogue was discovered 1.5 meters under the level of the Central Basilica. In turn, this synagogue was built on an older synagogue from the 3rd century, created by the father of the Synagogue of Stobi, Tiberius Claudius Polycharmos.

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The Civil Basilica is located directly southern of the North Nasilica, and discovered in 1937.

Between the North Basilca and the Civil Basilica the Little Bath can be found. It has a pool and a double room.

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In Roman times Stobi was the largest city in the northern part of the province of Macedonia. The city was probably built in the Hellenistic period, during the 3rd-2nd century B.B. at the earliest.

After the discovery of several inscriptions, at the beginning of the 20th century, it was suggested that here were the remains of the ancient city of Stobi. But until WWI there were no indications of the existence of monumental buildings. The military trenches prompted the first excavations on the site by the German and Bulgarian armies, but systematic archaeological began only in 1924.

Today it is possible to se the remains of many buildings, such as the theatre, the casino, the prison and more. There is also a museum on the site. Here you can see a collection of finds from several phases of the life of the city, from the Hellenistic through the Early Roman period to the Late Antique.

You can easily spend several hours at the site if you want to study the entire site. On the site there is also a shop where you can buy a guidebook or souvenirs and a café if you need something to drink.

It is possible to get a guided tour by one of the staff members, who will tell you a lot about the place. In our case way too much. After half an hour we had only seen one building so we decided to walk around by ourselves. Otherwise it would literally have taken all day.
As I had a person by my side to interpret I actually don't know whether they could make the tour around the site in English or other languages.

Both Heraclea and Stobi are known for their mosaics. And now you need to add the ones recently uncovered at Plaoshnik near Ohrid. There are more recent attempts to record and protect the mosaics, which will help preserve the legacy for future generations.

In Stobi you will find the archeological remains of an ancient civilization (3rd century BC). There is an amphitheater, and the remains of many buildings, several of which have lovely tile mosaics. The inspiration for the picure on the 10 denar note comes from one of the mosaics here. Can you find it ?

(note: for freeze protection purposes the mosaics are covered with pebbles in winter - starting in October and ending in ??)

This picture shows the entrance you use to get to the seats.
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Roman Stobi dates from 197 BC, but the site dates even before the Roman rule. Artifacts ranging from the Neolithic to Iron Age, have also been found at or near Stobi.