Katerina Traykova Nurdžieva

Katerina Trajkova Nurdžieva (Macedonian: Катерина Трајкова Нурџиева Bulgarian: Катерина Трайкова Нурджиева) is a former fighter in the National Liberation War of Macedonia and a Macedonian national activist. She was the secretary of Metodija Andonov-Cento. Her father was a first cousin of Goce Delchev leader of Internal Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Organization so Delchev is her first cousin once removed. She now is an honorary citizen of the town Delčevo in the Republic of Macedonia that was named after her distant cousin. She considers herself and is known for being a Macedonian, but in Bulgaria she is considered a Bulgarian.

Nurdžieva was born in Gorna Dzhumaja (today Blagoevgrad) in Bulgaria in 1922. She finished school in 1943 and was sent as Bulgarian teacher in Štip. Because she was involved in a Communist conspiracy, she was detained and imprisoned in Štip and then deported on the Aegean island of Thassos, then under Bulgarian control.

In 1944, she participated in the battles for the liberation of Macedonia, with the Twelfth Macedonian Brigade "Goce Delchev". Afterwards she worked again as a teacher, and was later transferred to the Macedonian General Headquarters in Skopje. After a while she became Secretary of Metodija Andonov-Cento, by personal recommendation of Pavel Shatev.

After the death of Andonov-Cento she was forced by the new Macedonian authorities to move back to Bulgaria. Nurdžieva got married there and had two daughters. In 1972 her husband died while her daughters moved, one to Ruse and one to Razlog. Today, Nurdžieva still lives in Blagoevgrad. The Republic of Macedonia granted her a monthly pension. Because of her health problems she is treated in Macedonia.

"To be loyal to Macedonia and to give everything of ourselves in the name we shall have our country ..."

"In 1946 we wanted our rights. Now after all this years I am glad that justice has come. I am glad that I came to the city where I served with Cento. A former friend of my father was Pavel Shatev, with whom in 1944 I (had) found myself in the 12th Macedonian brigade"