Kumanovo


Kumanovo is the second-largest city in North Macedonia after the capital Skopje and the seat of Kumanovo Municipality, the largest municipality in the country. Kumanovo lies 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. The Skopje Airport also serves Kumanovo.
It has many historical sites. One of its most important is the 4,000-year-old megalithic astronomical observatory of Kokino, located northeast of Kumanovo and discovered in 2001. It is ranked fourth on the list of old observatories by NASA.
In 1912, during the First Balkan War, Serbian forces won a decisive victory over the Ottomans north of the town. The two-day Battle of Kumanovo ended Ottoman authority in Vardar Macedonia which contributed to the region's integration into Serbia, and consequently into Yugoslavia. The entire region of Macedonia was split in three between Serbia, Greece and Bulgaria after the Treaty of Bucharest in 1913.
During World War II the communist resistance in Vardar Macedonia began in Kumanovo on 11 October 1941.
The rapid economic, administrative and cultural expansion of Kumanovo began in 1945. The town's metal-processing, tobacco, agriculture, footwear and textile industries made it an economic, trading and cultural center during the time of SFR Yugoslavia.
It was the site of the 1999 Kumanovo Agreement between FR Yugoslavia and NATO about bringing in a NATO peacekeeping contingent in Kosovo.
It is internationally known for a jazz festival hosting bands from all over the world.
WWW kumanovo.gov.mk

Etymology

The name of the city in Macedonian, Serbian and Bulgarian is Kumanovo. The name in Albanian is Kumanovë or Kumanova. Kumanovo is known as Cumanuva in Aromanian. Kumanovo derives from the name of the Cumans, a western branch of Kipchaks, the tribe that settled in the area in the early 12th century.

Geography

Kumanovo is situated in the northern parts of North Macedonia, 30 km northeast of the capital city of Skopje. The coordinates of the city are approximately 42°05'N and 21°40'E. Kumanovo lies above sea level and is surrounded by:
  • Karadag part of Skopska Crna Gora mountain on its western side
  • Gradištanska mountain on its southern side
  • Mangovica and German mountain on the eastern side

Neighbourhoods

  • Goce Delčev
  • Zelen Rid
  • Pero Čičo
  • Karpoš
  • Ajdučka Češma
  • Sokolana
  • Igo Tričkovik
  • Vera Kotorka
  • Bedinje
  • Jane Sandanski
  • Sredorek

Streets

  • Oktomvriska Revolucija
  • Gjorče Petrov
  • Treta Makedonska Udarna Brigada
  • Goce Delčev
  • Narodna Revolucija
  • Nikola Tesla
  • Leninova
  • 11 Oktomvri
  • Moša Pijade
  • Ivo Lola Ribar
  • Srbo Tomovik
  • Tode Mendol
  • Karaorman
  • Pero Čičo
  • Esperanto
  • Bajram Shabani
  • Franc Rozman
  • Strašo Pindjur

Old neighborhoods

Most old neighborhoods consist of shops and very few houses.
Veleška Maalo is an old neighbourhood of Kumanovo. The name comes from the merchants from the town of Veles, who passed through the neighbourhood to sell their products by the rivers Vardar and Pčinja, and the Konjarinja villages Studena, Bara and Krasta. The main street, which today is named Narodna Revolucija, was their shortest way to the center of the city.
Karapsko maalo was located across today's south side of Goce Delčev High School through to the end of Moša Pijade street. The name of the neighborhood came from the Ottomans. Every house in the neighborhood had a yard; neighboring yard were connected with doors, used by anyone chased by the Ottomans. Macedonians, komits and revolutionaries used this scheme to escape to the towns outskirts and the town itself. The Ottomans called it the dark or the secret neighborhood.
Other neighborhoods include:
  • Varoš maalo
  • Endek maalo
  • Muhamedbegovo maalo
  • Ortabunar maalo
  • Bedinsko maalo
  • Novo maalo
  • Lipkovsko maalo
  • Teke maalo
  • Tatar maalo
  • Muandžisko maalo
  • Sokolana maalo
Endek maalo was placed across today's city hall on two banks of the former river of Serava.

Old streets

  • Opančarsko sokače
  • Nagorički sokak
  • Proevski sokak
  • Veleški sokak
  • Romanovski sokak
  • Ukumat sokak
  • Vranjsko Dzade

Military installations

The military base Boro Menkov is one of the military installations of ARM in Kumanovo. The base was established by the JNA.
MB Hristijan Todorovski - Karpoš 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, and another part was inherited by the Ministry of Interior. There was an idea of turning the base into an economic industrial zone.
In Kumanovo's Elezov kamen area there is also a Military Warehouse Base that operates today.

Police station

Kumanovo has a police station, under the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The current police chief is Nikica Petruševski.

Climate

Kumanovo has a humid subtropical climate with warm to hot summers and chilly winters. Precipitation is more or less evenly distributed throughout the year.

History

Prehistory

The area boasts several prehistoric settlements, among which are

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:
In this time, the Kumanovo region received its geographical location and certain settlement picture.
According to a charter of the monastery of Arhiljevica dated 1355, sevastokrator Dejan held a major domain (oblast) east of Skopska Crna Gora. It included the old župe of Žegligovo and Preševo.

Ottoman period

The town was first mentioned in 1530 according to registry of Turkish Devlet Arşivleri as a village in Nogoriçe town, within Kaza of İştip, but was established slightly earlier, in 1519. It was founded by Turkish colonists from Asia Minor and initially was settled by Turks and later by Muslim Albanians. Slavic population entered the town in the late 18th century but its number rose just during early 19th century. 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".
In 1689, Karposh, a brigand commander in the region of Dospat, 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 captured Karposh 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 the city experienced a period of stagnation, and by the end of 18th century Kumanovo epitomized an Ottoman provincial town.
In an 1861 book Austrian diplomat Johann Georg von Hahn stated that the town had 650 dwellings, of which 300 were Muslim and 350 were Christian Bulgarian, in addition to 30 Gypsy in the outskirts, while the total population of the town was 3,500.
The Kumanovo Uprising, led by Serb district chiefs of Kumanovo and surrounding districts, was active from 20 January to 20 May 1878. 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.
The Skopje Revolutionary district of the Macedonian Revolutionary Organization decided in 1894 that it would organize a committee in Kumanovo, which was later established in the house of Jordan Jovčev, member of the local Bulgarian school board. The committee included also the chief Bulgarian teacher in the town Iliya Levkov, the secretary of the Bulgarian metropolitan deputy Traiche Mitev, priest Andon, his son and Bulgarian teacher Psaltir Popandontov, the merchant Zafir Tasev, elder of the Kumanovo Bulgarian community the Bulgarian teacher Zafir Shaklev and Angel Prekodolka. They organized the assassination of Serbian priest Atanasije Petrović.

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 contributed for region's integration into Serbia, and consequently, into Yugoslavia. The entire region of Macedonia was split in three among Serbia, Greece and Bulgaria after the Treaty of Bucharest in 1913.

World War II

The communist resistance in Kumanovo and Prilep began on 11 October 1941. The struggle ended with victory and formation of the Macedonian socialist federated state within the Yugoslav Federation. One of the famous partisans from Kumanovo was Hristijan Todorovski Karpoš. After 1945 Kumanovo experienced fast economic, administrative and cultural development.

Modern history

It developed economically in the late 19th century. 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 9 June 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.

2001 Albanian insurgency and Inter-community relations

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 ethnic 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.

2015 clashes

A group claiming to be the National Liberation Army had claimed responsibility for a grenade attack on Kumanovo's police station in December 2014. During a police raid on 9 May 2015, a shootout erupted between Macedonian police forces and an armed group. Eight Macedonian policemen and 10 ethnic Albanians were killed, while 37 officers were wounded and hospitalized. The attack ended on 10 May 2015 in an operation by the police. Thirty men were arrested and charged with terrorism by Macedonian authorities.

Economy

Agriculture and trade developed mainly in the 19th century. After the Second World War the town's metal-processing, tobacco, agriculture, footwear and textile industries have made it an economic, trading and cultural center during the time of SFR Yugoslavia.

Infrastructure

Railway

A railway connection exists between Skopje with Serbia via Kumanovo.
In 2013, rehabilitation of the railway section between Kumanovo and the village of Beljakovce will commence, which is part of the Railway Corridor VIII that will connect North Macedonia with Sofia, Bulgaria and the Black Sea to the East and Tirana, Albania and the Adriatic Sea to the West.

Roads

A 40 kilometre highway exists between Skopje and Kumanovo, going near Kumanovo in the north and crossing the border with Serbia. On the section Kumanovo-Miladinovci 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 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 International Airport is south of Kumanovo.
The E-75 motorway is accessible from Kumanovo.
Sofia Airport is from the city and Thessaloniki International Airport is.
Near Kumanovo is Adzi Tepe Airport which is without a paved runway.

Culture

Monuments and Landmarks

Kumanovo has several prehistoric monuments dating back to the prehistoric period, including:
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.
Other landmarks are:

Cultural organizations

The oldest folklore assemble in North Macedonia, KUD "Panče Pešev" is placed in Kumanovo. This year the assemble is celebrating 80 years of existence.
Kumanovo has
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 performed, and in 2003 Macedonian jazz pianist Simon Kiselicki performed in his 'Beneventan Trio'. 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

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

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%, with a significant minority of ethnic Albanians 23.7% and ethnic Serbs 7.4%.
The most common mother tongues in the city were the following:
  • Macedonian, 45,306
  • Albanian, 18,283
  • Romani, 4,007
  • Serbian, 2,399
  • Turkish, 215
  • others, 632
The religious composition of the city was the following:

Sport

FK Kumanovo is the main football team from the city and host their games at the Kumanovo Park Stadium. Milano plays its games at Milano Arena. KF Goblen has played in the Macedonian Second Football League and FK Karpoš 93 in the OFS Kumanovo First Division.
Macedonian National Football Team played friendly match with Egypt in Kumanovo on 29 September 1998. The game took place at Gradski Stadium Kumanovo and the scorers for Macedonian team were Srgjan Zaharievski and Dževdet Šainovski. 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.
Also, Kumanovo is recognized as a box school center, with few names emerged as famous in the 20th century, with Ace Rusevski and Redžep Redžepovski as a leading names.

Media

Telecommunication operators

TV Stations

TV Plus Festa Hana Nova KTL RTK K3, Regional, HQ in Kumanovo,

Radio stations

  • Radio Bum
  • Radio Bravo
  • Jehona 103.5 FM
  • City FM

Newspapers

Diplomatic missions

Honorary Consulate

Twin towns – sister cities

Kumanovo is twinned with: