Kosel, a Macedonian village located 7km north from Ohrid, inhabited with about 600 people. The place resembles dozens of villages in the region, but in the one respect is special. Here, there is the only one active volcano in the Balkans – Duvalo. Going there to check how this place looks like, I imagined a big crater releasing loads of smoke, but on the spot it turned out that this is only small hill and several small holes in the ground, 50 cm diameter and 30 cm deep. Nevertheless, it’s enough to guarantee unbelievable stench of rotten eggs. How the people can live there?
On the place I found a lot of dead animals – foxes, hedgehogs, birds and snakes. Well, it’s not a surprise because the stink is unbearable.
The last time when hot water was found here was in 1973 in the depth of 80 m - 35ºC, and 400 m deep - 95ºC. Volcanic fumes kill local animals but the volcano has simultaneously curing attributes. People suffering from various skin illnesses come here and apply mixture from sulphur and volcanic mud on the ill places on their bodies. However, staying next to one of the craters more than 15 minutes can end with suffocation.
Below, the material of Macedonian television and photoreportage.
