- Kumanovo
Infobox City
official_name = Куманово
Kumanovo
nickname =
motto =
website = http://www.kumanovo.gov.mk
image_caption =
image_
map_caption = Location of the city of Kumanovo (red) within theRepublic of Macedonia
subdivision_name1 =Kumanovo Municipality
leader_title = Mayor
leader_name = Zoran Damjanovski
area_total_sq_mi =
area_total_km2 =
population_as_of = 2002
population_total = 105 484
population_metro =
population_density_km2 =
population_density_sq_mi =
timezone = CET
utc_offset = +1
timezone_DST =
utc_offset_DST =
latd= 42|latm=05|latNS=N|longd=21|longm=40|longEW=E
elevation_m = +340
elevation_ft =
postal_code_type = Postal codes
postal_code = 1300
area_code = 389 031
blank_name =Patron saints
blank_info =St. George
footnotes =Kumanovo ( _mk. Куманово) is thе third largest city in the
Republic of Macedonia afterSkopje andBitola , and is the seat of theKumanovo municipality which is the largest municipality in the country. Municipal institutions include a city council, mayor and other administrative bodies.Name
Kumanovo is believed to derive from the
Cumans ,tribe who settled the area in the 12th-13th century.fact|date=August 2008 The name of the city in other languages is: Albanian and Turkish, "Kumanova"; and Serbian and Bulgarian, "Куманово".Geography
Kumanovo is situated in the northeastern part of the
Republic of Macedonia , near the capital city ofSkopje . The coordinates of the city are approximately 42°05'N and 21°40'E. Kumanovo lies 340 m above sea level and is surrounded by the Karadag part ofSkopska Crna Gora mountain on its western side,Gradishtanska planina mountain on its southern side, andMangovica and German mountain on the eastern side. Kumanovo has atemperate climate. Skopje airport also serves Kumanovo.Demographics
The population of
Kumanovo municipality according to the 2002 census numbers 105,484, the majority of which are ethnic Macedonians (63.746), with a significant minority of ethnic Albanians (27.290) and Serbs (9062). [ [http://www.stat.gov.mk/pdf/kniga_13.pdf 2002 Macedonian Census results] ]History
Prehistory
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 Nagorichane, the Iron Age tumulus Groblje at Vojnik, the Roman Necropolis Drezga of Lopate, and the Roman Settlement "Vicianus" at Klechovce.
Early History
The city was first mentioned in 1519 in a document housed in a Turkish archive in
Istanbul .Fact|date=July 2008 The most comprehensive and relevant information on Kumanovo is provided byEvliya Çelebi in 1660/1661: :"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. Themosque in the downtown is beautiful, there are teke,madrassa ,hammam , a number of shops and water mills; and the climate is pleasant and agreeable. There are many vineyards and gardens".Fact|date=July 2008Kumanovo 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 Karposh Uprising in 1689) the city experienced a period of stagnation, and by the end of 18th century Kumanovo epitomized an Ottoman provincial town.
A great rebel leader named Karpoš was born in a village near Kumanovo called Vojnik. Initially, he was a vassal of Turks, but when the Ottoman empire began to weaken in 1689 and discontent rose concerning new higher taxation policies, Karpoš became a turning point in the battle versus the Turks. In that period
Austria staged an attack on theOttoman Empire . Then the Karpoš seized upon the situation and the uprising quickly spread to the rebels freeing Kratovo,Kriva Palanka , Kumanovo,Kačanik and in other towns. Then, together with the Austrian army, lead by Emperor Leopold I, they fought to liberateSkopje andŠtip .Later there was a change in the military and political situation in the Balkans, which had a crucial effect on the rebellion. The Austrian army was forced to withdraw and powerful Turkish forces, reinforced by
Tatar detachments belonging to the Crimean KhanSelim I Giray , attacked the rebels. After fierce battles the Turks took Kriva Palanka, the rebel stronghold, and then attacked Kumanovo and its newly-constructed fortress. Karpoš was captured, removed to Skopje, and put to death on the Stone Bridge across theVardar .In October of 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-dayBattle of Kumanovo ended Ottoman authority inVardar Macedonia and prepared the way for the region's integration intoYugoslavia . [cite book| last = Hall| first = Richard C.| title = The Balkan Wars 1912-1913: prelude to the First World War| publisher = Routledge| date = 2000| location = New York| pages = pp. 47-9| isbn = 0415229472 ]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.The
anti-fascist insurrection of Macedonians and the struggle for national and social liberation began in Kumanovo andPrilep onOctober 11 ,1941 .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 .Roads
A 40 kilometre highway exists between Skopje and Kumanovo, going near Kumanovo in the north and crossing the border with
Serbia . A railway also connects Skopje with Kumanovo andSerbia . Another important road goes from Kumanovo toKriva Palanka and then to the border withBulgaria .Culture
The Kumanovo area has several important monuments, including the Church of St. George in the village of Staro Nagorichane, the monastery of Karpino, the
Ascension of Holy Mother in the village of Matejce, the Church of St. Petka in the village of Mlado Nagorichane, the Church of theHoly Trinity , built in 1902, and the Eski mosque, built in 1751.The oldest and biggest church in the town is the Church of
St. Nikolas . There are icons from the XIII century in the church. The church represents a masterwork ofAndreja Damjanov , an important Macedonian renaissance architect.Kumanovo has several monuments dating back to the prehistoric period. The most important ones are: Gradishte, an archaeological place of interest that is situated near the village of Pelince and dates from the
Bronze Age . Near the village of Mlado Nagorichane is another interesting site dating from the period ofNeolith . Near the village of Lopate is the Drezga place that represents a Roman necropolis.However, one of the most important sites located near the Kumanovo is the 4,000 year old megalithic astronomical observatory of
Kokino , located 30 km northeast of Kumanovo and discovered in 2001. It is ranked fourth on the list of old observatories byNASA .The oldest folklore assemble in the
Republic of Macedonia ,KUD "Pance Pesev" 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 inSerbia ,Montenegro ,Bulgaria ,Turkey ,Croatia ,Romania ,Hungary ,Poland ,France , etc. The president is Mr. Miroslav Krstevski.Kumanovo has a library, cultural center, museum and national 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 andDragan Dautovski Quartet , as well as bands from Croatia,Hungary ,Netherlands ,Slovenia ,Serbia andMontenegro participated in the festival and in 2005 bands from as far as theNetherlands andNorway 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 andBulgaria .Kumanovo municipality was organizing the manifestation “City of culture 2006”.
ister Cities
*
Varazdin ;Croatia
*Bijeljina ;Bosnia and Herzegovina
*Plovdiv ;Bulgaria ee also
*
List of people from Kumanovo References
External links
* [http://faq.macedonia.org/travel/cities/kumanovo.html Kumanovo FAQ]
* [http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=10539 Kokino megalithic observatory]
* [http://www.mymacedonia.net/kokino/kokino.htm Kokino ancient observatory]
* [http://www.culture.in.mk/story.asp?id=4472 Kumanovo jazz festival]
* [http://www.kumanova.com.mk Web Site of Kumanovo]
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