Retrospect

And the warmer main pool

Part II of Sascha's soaking trip to North Macedonia sees him visit another easy to access hot spring from the capital of Skopje.

Sascha:

'A trip to the hot spring of Banja Strnovac can be easily combined with Katlanovo hot spring if you are with a car. 

However, the Strnovac hot spring is much less beautiful than that of Katlanovo; the main impression that remains is of the garbage around the pool. 

Pictures from the internet show the hot spring in a better shape: somebody had in the past had the good idea to create a beautiful place for recreation but now it was more or less abandoned. However, it still seems to be quite popular with locals.

To get there, first head to the town of Kumanovo, there’s a nice church to visit here. At the end of the town (close to the school) the village road crosses the main road. Follow the former village road that heads out to the countryside. In fact, Google maps shows the hot spring but not the road to get there. After 1 or 2 kilometers the road becomes dirt, but no need for a high clearance car. Soon after, you will see the two pools and the spring building.

A sign mentions that the thermal water is 39.5°C hot, so no need to measure. Take your flipflops with you because of the mud and the garbage. 

In retrospective, I would say, this hot spring is rather for locals or if you are really interested to discover hot springs, otherwise it is not worth to go there. 

Some impressions [including lead photo]:

The spring building. According to internet comments, there are gases inside, that should not be inhaled.

 The second colder pool'.

Legends

Probably one of the better finds on info regarding the Strnovac soak is that in German from ARD-Wien (7 Dec. 2019). Concerning the recent history:

'In der Zeit des Kommunismus war hier bereits eine heiße Quelle bekannt, die von den Menschen zur Linderung körperlicher Leiden aufgesucht wurde. Man wollte das Wasser dann auch für die Landwirtschaft nutzen und führte eine Tiefenbohrung durch. Allerdings wurde dieses Projekt durch den Zerfall Jugoslawiens nie fertig umgesetzt. Es blieb die Quelle, und diese wurde weiterhin von Einheimischen zur Kur genutzt. So auch vor etwa 20 Jahren von der Frau eines Gastarbeiters aus Deutschland. Nach zwei Wochen Behandlung mit dem Heilwasser von Strnovac war die Frau wieder gesund – so die Legende. Der dankbare Ehemann ließ daraufhin den Pool errichten'.

The website igeografija has more info. And in English:

'Near the village. Strnovac in the municipality of Staro Nagoricane, only 17 km from the city of Kumanovo, next to the riverbed of the river Pchinja has a thermo-mineral spring-well, from which comes hot water with a temperature of 40 ° C and a flow of 35 liters per second. The water comes from a depth of 300 meters, has a large fortress and a significant amount of iron, sulfur and hydrocarbon. The water from the well is trapped and flows into two pools that are used as a bath.

...

Despite the excellent characteristics of the water and the beauties of the surrounding area, today this site is almost not tidy and suitable for tourists'.

It also has a whole list of suggestions to enhance the facilities so as to make it more worthy (read less attractive as a wild hot spring).

Macedonian sdk.mk (20 Aug. 2018) has an article also illuminating the pipe dream of development. Some translated snippets:

'The thermal mineral water in the spa Strnovac, Municipality of Staro Nagoricane, will never get a concessionaire, although for decades it has been promised that this natural source will be used for the development of spa tourism in the region.

...

If this was in Slovenia or Germany, they would make a paradise on earth. The state would have earned money and money. Ours can not even find someone to manage it. Nothing is valued in our country, that's why we came here. "This swimming pool would not have existed had it not been made by a gastra byte from Cvetishince, who was satisfied with the healing of the water", says a pensioner who was in the pool with his wife, and he is a returnee from abroad.

...

The last call in 2016 announced the urbanization of 5 hectares of land, which will be sold at a starting price of one euro for the construction of hotels, spas and wellness centers, but everything remained promising.

...

The benefits of the healing water are used by 200 to 300 visitors a day, mostly on weekends and in the evening.

...

When asked if they come to the bathroom to consult a doctor, everyone was unanimous that they are here on their own.

"Your body is a doctor here. "If you like the spa, you immediately feel better and the water relaxes you, if not the first time you enter, you will faint or get sick and you will not have to look for anything else here," said another swimmer from Belgrade, who says he comes to the spa regularly while staying. with his family in Kumanovo'.

Finally, it's again referring to Fromrustoroadtrip who report on a visit to this hot spring and give this a 3.25 star rating (out of 5). That's in contrast to Katlanovo, which scores a full star higher.