Kumanovo

For other uses, see Kumanovo (Pirot).
Kumanovo
Куманово

Main Square of Kumanovo

Flag
Seal
Kumanovo

Location in the Republic of Macedonia

Coordinates: 42°08′09″N 21°43′05″E / 42.13583°N 21.71806°E / 42.13583; 21.71806Coordinates: 42°08′09″N 21°43′05″E / 42.13583°N 21.71806°E / 42.13583; 21.71806
Country  Macedonia
Municipality Kumanovo Municipality
Government
 • Mayor Zoran Damjanovski (SDSM)
Area
 • City 509.48 km2 (196.71 sq mi)
Elevation +340 m (1,120 ft)
Population (2002)
 • City 70,842
 • Density 207.04/km2 (536.2/sq mi)
 • Metro 105 484
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
Postal codes 1300
Area code(s) +389 (0)31
Car plates KU
Patron saints St. George[1]
Website Official Page

Kumanovo (Macedonian: Куманово [kuˈmanɔvɔ]; also known by other alternative names) is a city in the Republic of Macedonia and is the seat of Kumanovo Municipality which is the largest municipality in the country. Municipal institutions include a city council, mayor and other administrative bodies.

Etymology

The name of the city in Macedonian is Куманово (Kumanovo). In Albanian, the city is called Kumanova or Kumanovë, while in Serbian and Bulgarian it's called the same as in Macedonian. The name Kumanovo derives from the name of the Cumans, a western branch of Kipchaks, the tribe that invaded in the area in the early 12th century.[2]

The Municipal Building in Kumanovo (built as an Ottoman police station)

Geography

Kumanovo is situated in the northeastern part of the Macedonia, near the capital city of Skopje. The coordinates of the city are approximately 42°05'N and 21°40'E. Kumanovo lies 340 metres (1,115 feet) above sea level and is surrounded by the Karadag part of Skopska Crna Gora mountain on its western side, Gradištanska mountain on its southern side, and Mangovica and German mountain on the Eastern side. Kumanovo has a temperate climate. Skopje airport also serves Kumanovo.

Neighbourhoods

Military installations

Military base Boro Menkov[3] is one of the military installation of ARM in Kumanovo. The base was established by JNA. MB Hristijan Todorovski Karposh is the second base in Kumanovo, it was also established by the JNA and was inherited by the ARM. Today part of the installation is converted into a University[4] and another part was inherited by the Ministry of Interior.[5] There was an idea of turning the base into an economic industrial zone.[6] In Kumanovo's Elezov kamen area there is also a Military Warehouse Base that operates today.

History

Prehistory

Kokino artefacts.

The area boasts several prehistoric settlements, among which are the Kostoperska karpa, the Bronze Age Gradiste near the village of Pelince, the Neolithic site of Mlado Nagoričane, the Iron Age tumulus Groblje at Vojnik, the Roman Necropolis Drezga of Lopate, and the Roman Settlement Vicianus at village of Klečovce.

Middle Ages

The first written mentioning of the individual modern villages of the Kumanovo region originate in the 14th century. These are, for the most part, found in Serbian charters: of King Stefan Milutin, Emperor Stefan Dušan, Sevastokrator Dejan, Jevdokija Dejanović, and Dejan's sons, Jovan and Konstantin. In this time, the Kumanovo region (old Žegligovo) received its geographical location and certain settlement picture.[7]

According to a charter of the monastery of Arhiljevica dated 1355, sevastokrator Dejan held a large province (oblast) east of Skopska Crna Gora. It included the old župe (counties) of Žegligovo and Preševo (modern Kumanovo region with Sredorek and Kozjačija).[8]

Ottoman period

One of the most influential people in Kumanovo Ikonom Dimitrije 1796-1880

The town was first mentioned in 17-th century.[9] Evliya Çelebi described it in 1660–61: "The colony of Kumanovo is situated on the territory of the Skopje sanjak and represents one county. The city is embellished with many rivers and 600 tile-roofs houses. The mosque in the downtown is beautiful, there are tekke, madrassa, hammam, a number of shops and water mills; and the climate is pleasant and agreeable. There are many vineyards and gardens".

Commemoration plaque at Skopje dedicated to Karposh's Rebellion.

In 1689, Karposh, a brigand commander in the region of Dospat (present-day Bulgaria), who served as an Ottoman Christian auxiliary force commander, took advantage of the weakening of the Ottomans and discontent that arose concerning higher Ottoman taxation policies, and organized a revolt while Austria staged an attack on the Ottomans. Karposh's Rebellion quickly spread, resulting in the liberation of Kratovo, Kriva Palanka, Kumanovo, Kačanik and other towns. Then, together with the Austrian army led by Emperor Leopold I, the local Christian population fought to liberate Skopje and Štip. Later changes in the military and political situation in the Balkans had crucial downwards effect on the revolt. The Austrian army was forced to withdraw and the reinforced Ottomans attacked the rebels, taking Kriva Palanka, the rebel stronghold, and then attacked Kumanovo and its newly constructed fortress, where they capturedKarposh and put him to death on the Stone Bridge across the Vardar.

Kumanovo became an urban settlement and administrative center of the region at the end of the 16th century or the beginning of the 17th century. Following the turbulent events (notably, the Karpoš Uprising in 1689) the city experienced a period of stagnation, and by the end of 18th century Kumanovo epitomized an Ottoman provincial town.

The Kumanovo Uprising, led by Serb district chiefs of Kumanovo and surrounding districts, was active from January 20 to May 20, 1878 (4 months). The chiefs swore oath in the local church and appealed to Prince Milan IV of Serbia to aid the uprising, and they pledged their devotion and loyalty, and union with Serbia. The rebels were finally defeated by brigadier-general Hafuz Pasha.

IMRO Kumanovo Seals

The Skopje Revolutionary district of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO) decided in 1894 that it would organize a committee in Kumanovo, which was later established in the house of Jordan Jovčev. Notable IMRO activists from Kumanovo include Jordan Ivanov, Jordan Jovčev, Metodij Stojanov, Zaharij Gjorev and Mihail Šumanov.

View of Kumanovo, c. 1913

First Balkan War

In October 1912, during the First Balkan War, Serbian forces under the command of General Radomir Putnik won a decisive victory over the Ottomans north of the town. The two-day Battle of Kumanovo ended Ottoman authority in Vardar Macedonia and prepared the way for the region's integration into Yugoslavia. Macedonia was split in three among Serbia, Greece and Bulgaria after the Treaty of Bucharest in 1913.

World War II

Second World War memorial - Kosturnica

The anti-fascist insurrection of Macedonians and the struggle for national and social liberation began in Kumanovo and Prilep on October 11, 1941. On 11 October 1941, in Kumanovo and Prilep started the antifashist struggle of the Macedonian people. The struggle ended with victory and formation of the Macedonian federative state in the Yugoslav Federation (SFRY). One of the famous partizans from Kumanovo was Hristijan Todorovski-Karpoš shown on the picture. After 1945 Kumanovo experienced fast economic, administrative and cultural development.

Modern history

It developed economically in the late 19th century (agriculture, handcrafts and trade). Still, industrial development occurred only at the end of the Second World War. The rapid economic, administrative and cultural expansion of Kumanovo began in 1945. Today, it is a modern city with approximately 100,000 inhabitants. It was also the site of the June 9, 1999 Agreement signed between FR Yugoslav Generals and the NATO Generals about bringing in a NATO peacekeeping contingent in Kosovo called, the Kosovo Force, or KFOR (Kumanovo Agreement).[10]

2001 Albanian insurgency and Inter-community relations

A
Macedonian Armed forces in July 2001 near Kumanovo
Activity of the Multi-Kulti.

The Albanian insurgency in Macedonia first started in the mountains outskirts of Tetovo and then spread in May 2001 to the region of Kumanovo mostly to the north. The armed conflict in Kumanovo mainly resulted in a division of the educational system along ethnical lines. All the Albanian-language students left the schools and demanded new schools to be opened. Following this process there is a visible separation in the town affecting the inter-community relations. The Law on Local Self-Government, Article 44 (Sl.besnik br.5/2002), envisages the establishment of the Commission for Inter-community Relations (CICR). CICR is a consultative body in the Council of the Municipality of Kumanovo and is formed by 12 representatives of the Macedonian, Albanian, Roma, Serbian, Turkish and Vlach ethnic groups. CICR aims to develop and improve relations between the ethnic communities and to ensure active participation of minorities in decision-making on issues that have ethnic nature and are found in the agenda of the Council of the Municipality of Kumanovo. Other organizations active in bridging the community divide include the Center for Intercultural Dialogue (CID), Roma community center DROM, the local Red Cross and others. One of the most effective systems for supporting the inter-community divide is through the youth centers MultiKulti managed by CID Kumanovo. These centers offer space for youngsters to meet, and apart from learning about each other, they also get youth work support.

2015 clashes

Main article: Kumanovo shootings

During a police raid on 9 May 2015, a shootout erupted between Macedonian police forces and an armed group.[11] Eight Macedonian policemen and 14 armed men were killed, while 37 officers were wounded and hospitalized.[12] The attack ended on 10 May 2015 in an operation by the police and armed forces. Thirty men were arrested and charged with terrorism by Macedonian authorities.[13]

Economy

The town's metal-processing, tobacco, agriculture, footwear and textile industries have made it an economic, trading and cultural center of approximately 135,529 people. Agriculture and trade developed mainly in the 19th century, but the city's modern look was established after the Second World War. In 2013 Macedonian Government published companies with highest revenue. Four companies from Kumanovo are on this list. on 72nd place is KVALITET-PROM DOOEL with 24.643.312 euros, 130th place is DETOIL DOO with 14.912.153 euros, on 142nd place is EKSTRA MEIN DOOEL with 13.231.496 euros, and 151st place is 11 OKTOMVRI AD with 12.878.225 euros revenue. The most profitable company in that same year was PROSTOR DOO with 1.458.759,85 euros profit before taxes.

Infrastructure

Railway

A railway connection exists between Skopje with Serbia via Kumanovo. In 2013 rehabilitation of railway section between Kumanovo and village Beljakovce will start which is part of Railway Corridor VIII that will connect Macedonia and Bulgaria.

Roads

License plate of Kumanovo

A 40 kilometre (25 miles) highway exists between Skopje and Kumanovo, going near Kumanovo in the north and crossing the border with Serbia. On the section Kumanovo-Miladinovski there is a Pay tool. Section of the Pan-European Corridor X was put into use in 2010 connecting Kumanovo to the border crossing Tabanovce. The 7.6 kilometres (4.7 miles) highway was built for 4 years and at a cost of 15.5 million Euros. Another important road goes from Kumanovo to Kriva Palanka and then to the border with Bulgaria.

Air Travel

Skopje "Alexander the Great" Airport is 20 km (12 mi) south of Kumanovo. The E-75 motorway is accessible from Kumanovo. Sofia Airport is 190 km (118 mi) from the city and Thessaloniki International Airport is 240 km (149 mi). Near Kumanovo is Adzi Tepe Airport which is without a paved runway.

Culture

Kumanovo female folk dress

Monuments and landmarks

Kumanovo has several monuments dating back to the prehistoric period. The most important ones are: Gradište, an archaeological place of interest that is situated near the village of Pelince and dates from the Bronze Age. Near the village of Mlado Nagoričane is another interesting site dating from the period of Neolith. Near the village of Lopate is the Drezga place that represents a Roman necropolis.

A
Kokino

One of the most important sites located near the Kumanovo is the 4,000-year-old megalithic astronomical observatory of Kokino, located 30 km (19 mi) northeast of Kumanovo and discovered in 2001. It is ranked fourth on the list of old observatories by NASA. Sculpture of Batko Gjorgjija located in the center of the city, Monument Four Poles also located in the center of the city on the main square, Memorial Ossuary and House Museum of Hristijan Todorovski Karpoš. The oldest and biggest church in the town is the St. Nicholas. There are icons from the 13th century in the church. The church represents a masterwork of Andreja Damjanov, an important Macedonian renaissance architect. Church Holy Trinity built in 1902, Church of St. George, Church of St. Petka in the village of Mlado Nagoričane, the Karpino Monastery, the Ascension of Holy Mother in the village of Matejče, Eski Mosque built in 1751, Monument Zebrnjak, Kumanovska Banja in the village of Proevce and Sports Hall Sokolana. Other landmarks are: statue of Woman Fighter, buildings: Zanatski dom and Kasapski Krug and ASNOM memorial center in the village Pelince.

Cultural organizations

The oldest folklore assemble in the Macedonia, KUD "Panče Pešev" is placed in Kumanovo. This year the assemble is celebrating 80 years of existence. It has represented Kumanovo and Macedonia on many international folklore festivals in Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Turkey, Croatia, Romania, Hungary, Poland, France, etc. The president is Mr. Miroslav Krstevski.

Kumanovo has a library " Tane Georgievski Library", cultural center Trajko Prokopiev, museum and theatre. Several painting colonies and exhibitions take place every year in Kumanovo or in nearby villages. Kumanovo is distinguished by its jazz festival which features bands from all over the world. In 2002 the Macedonian bands Foltin and Dragan Dautovski Quartet, as well as bands from Croatia, Hungary, Netherlands, Slovenia, Serbia and Montenegro participated in the festival and in 2005 bands from as far as the Netherlands and Norway participated.

Every year Kumanovo has a "Days of Comedy" festival, sponsored by the Macedonian Ministry of Culture, featuring comedies from several Macedonian theatres and also from neighbouring Serbia and Bulgaria.

Kumanovo municipality was organizing the manifestation "City of Culture 2006".

Demographics

Historical

The following is a table of historical visits to Kumanovo, along with the number of houses recorded by the visitor.

Name of traveler Year of visiting Kumanovo number of houses/population
Pukvil 1800 300 houses
Gomera 1810 800 population
Dupničanin 1835 5,000 population
Bue 1838 3-4,000 polulation
Bue 1854 3,000 population
Papadopulos 1856 200 houses
Reports 1859 4,500 population
Han 1862 3,200 population
Hadzi Vasiljevič 1865 650 houses
Timaev 1865 4,200 population
Harački's List 1868 721 houses
Bjankoni 1885 7,000 population
Novakovič 1886 8,000 population
Petrov 1886 8,000 population
Sal-Name 1887 900 houses
Veselinovič 1887 5,000 population
Gopčevič 1889 5,700 population
Petrov 1896 2,100 houses
Knčev 1900 14,530 population
Župančič 1903 14,530 population
Hadzi Vasiljevič 1907 15,000 population

Table below showing historic demographic development according to Yugoslav and Macedonian census data:

City of Kumanovo population according to ethnic group 1948-2002[14]
Ethnic
group		 census 1948 census 1953 census 1961 census 1971 census 1981 census 1994 census 2002
Number % Number % Number % Number % Number % Number % Number %
Macedonians .. .. 14,351 61.5 20,323 66.1 28,789 62.1 36,812 60.5 40,634 62.3 42,840 60.5
Albanians .. .. 951 4.0 1,893 6.2 7,827 16.9 12,997 21.4 15,612 23.9 18,277 25.8
Serbs .. .. 1,790 7.7 2,808 9.1 3,759 8.1 4,252 7.0 5,097 7.8 4,727 6.7
Roma .. .. 1,861 8.0 .. .. 3,013 6.5 4,415 7.3 2,987 4.6 4,042 5.7
Turks .. .. 3,858 16.5 2,512 8.2 1,791 3.9 936 1.5 241 0.4 256 0.4
Vlachs .. .. 12 0.1 .. .. .. .. 44 0.1 85 0.1 108 0.2
Bosniaks .. .. 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 14 0.0
Others .. .. 516 2.2 3,226 10.5 1,184 2.6 1,386 2.3 577 0.9 578 0.8
Total 20,242 23,339 30,762 46,363 60,842 65,233 70,842

Present-day

The population of the city of Kumanovo according to the 2002 census numbers 77,561, the majority of which are ethnic Macedonians 62.4% (48,416), with a significant minority of ethnic Albanians 23.7% (18,369) and ethnic Serbs 7.4% (5,746).[15]

The most common mother tongues in the city were the following:

  • Macedonian, 45,306 (64.0%)
  • Albanian, 18,283 (25.8%)
  • Romani, 4,007 (5.7%)
  • Serbian, 2,399 (3.4%)
  • Turkish, 215 (0.3%)
  • others, 632 (0.9%)

The religious composition of the city was the following:

People

Vasil Iljoski

In 2009 marking the 490 years of the first mentioning of the name Kumanovo and 65 years of the liberation of Kumanovo, the Municipality of Kumanovo organized a cultural and artistic program in which they honored the Five impressive people from Kumanovo in the 20th century:

Sport

RKK logo
KKK logo
Main article: Sports in Kumanovo

FK Milano Kumanovo, FK Kumanovo and now dissolved FK Bashkimi are the main football teams from the city. A new club, FK Bashkimi was formed in 2011. Milano plays its games at Milano Arena.

Macedonian National Football Team played friendly match with Egypt in Kumanovo on the 29th of September 1998. The game took place at Gradski Stadium Kumanovo and the scorers for Macedonian team were Zaharievski Srdjan and Šainovski Dževdat. The match ended 2:2.

RK Kumanovo is the handball club that currently competes in the Macedonian Handball Super League. They won the first ever Macedonian Handball Cup back in 1992-93.

Media

Telecomunication operators

TV Stations

  • K3, Regional, HQ in Kumanovo, (Macedonian)
  • TV Plus (Macedonian)
  • KRT (Macedonian)
  • Festa (Albanian)
  • Hana (Albanian)
  • Nova (Macedonian) (Closed)
  • KTL (Macedonian) (Closed)
  • RTK (Macedonian) (Closed)

Radio stations

Newspapers

Gallery

Diplomatic missions

 Romania Honorary Consulate[16]

International relations

Twin towns — sister cities

Kumanovo is twinned with the following cities and municipalities:[17]

See also

References

  1. ↑ bbcamerica.com Five Facts About Saint George, For Saint George’s Day April 23, 2014
  2. ↑ Macedonia, Bradt Travel Guide, Thammy Evans, Bradt Travel Guides, 2010, ISBN 1-84162-297-4, p. 257.
  3. ↑ about MB Boro Menkov (Macedonian)
  4. ↑ Article about the MB H.T. Karposh (Macedonian)
  5. ↑ Article about the MVR takeover of MB H.T. Karposh (Macedonia)
  6. ↑ Article about the Economic zone Idea (Macedonia)
  7. ↑ Srpsko geografsko društvo 1972, p. 123:
    Ти помени већим делом налазе се у даровним повељама српских давалаца: краља Милутина, цара Сте- фана Душана, севастократа Дејана, Јевдокије Дејановић2', Дејано- вих синова — браће деспота Драгаша и "господина" Константина. Као што се зна, тада је ова област — старо Жеглигово до- била учвршћен географски положај и одрећену насеобинску слику
  8. ↑ Историско друштво НР Србије 1951, p. 20:
    према повељи манастиру богоро- дичимог ваведења у Архиљевици,50 држао као своју баштину пространу област иеточно од Скопске Црне Горе. Она је обухватала старе жупе Прешево и Жеглигово (данас кумановски крај са Средореком, Козјачијом
  9. ↑ Istorija, Sojuz na istoriskite društva na SR Makedonija, Sojuz, 1970q p. 146.
  10. ↑ Reitman, Valerie; Richter, Paul; Dahlburg, John-Thor (23 June 2011). "Yugoslav, NATO Generals Sign Peace Agreement for Kosovo / Alliance will end air campaign when Serbian troops pull out". The San Francisco Chronicle.
  11. ↑ Vladimir Gjuzelov; Ben Brumfield (11 May 2015). "Gun battles in former ethnic flashpoint in Macedonia kill 5 police officers". CNN. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  12. ↑ Atanasovski, Robert (10 May 2015). "NATO, EU urge 'restraint' as Macedonia clashes leave 22 dead". Agence France-Presse. Yahoo News. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  13. ↑ "Macedonia charges 30 alleged ethnic Albanian militants over weekend battle that killed 22". Associated Press. Fox News. 11 May 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  14. ↑ Censuses of population 1948 - 2002
  15. ↑ Macedonian census, language and religion
  16. ↑ mae.ro Consulatul Onorific al României la Kumanovo Retrieved 19.05.2015
  17. ↑ Kumanovo sister cities (Збратимени градови со Општина Куманово)

Sources

  • Srpsko geografsko društvo (1972). Glasnik 52 (in Serbian). Srpsko geografsko društvo. 
  • Историско друштво НР Србије (1951). Историски гласник (in Serbian). Научна књига. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kumanovo.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Kumanovo.
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