Peštalevo


Peštalevo is a village located in a lowland area in the municipality of Dolneni, North Macedonia.

History and Demographics

The village traditionally contains a Torbeš population that speaks the Macedonian language, descended from three brothers. The three siblings originated from one of the Muslim Slavic villages in the Debar region arriving to Peštalevo in the second half of the 18th century. Torbeši's of Peštalevo are divided into many households split into three groups referred to by patronyms based on their ancestors. Between 1954 - 1960 large scale migration from Peštalevo by Torbeš to Turkey occurred, while Orthodox Macedonians from the Poreče region settled in the village. The village also contains residents originating from the village of Brailovo. Torbeš from Peštalevo refer to the surrounding Christian population as Makedonci and those Orthodox Macedonians refer to them as Turci due to they being Muslims. The village also has an ethnic Albanian population.
According to the 2021 census, the village had a total of 511 inhabitants. Ethnic groups in the village include:
YearMacedonianAlbanianTurksRomaniVlachsSerbsBosniaksOthersTotal
200228014444......1125486
202125411993......13014511