It has many historical sites. One of the most important sites 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.
The rapid economic, administrative and cultural expansion of Kumanovo began in 1945. It was 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 (Kumanovo Agreement). 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. It is internationally known for a jazz festival hosting bands from all over the world.
Etymology
The name of the city in Macedonian, Serbian and Bulgarian is Kumanovo (Куманово). The name in Albanian is Kumanovë or Kumanova. Kumanovo is known as Cumanuva in Aromanian.[2]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.[3][4][5]
The Municipal Building in Kumanovo (built as an Ottoman police station)
Geography
Kumanovo is situated in the northeastern part of North 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
Most old neighborhoods consist of shops and very few houses.
Veleshka Maalo (or Veleshko 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 Pchinja, 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 Delchev High School through to the end of Mosha 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.
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 and
Vranjsko Dzade.
Military installations
The military base Boro Menkov[7] is one of the military installations of ARM in Kumanovo. The base was established by the 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,[8] and another part was inherited by the Ministry of Interior.[9] There was an idea of turning the base into an economic industrial zone.[10]
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 Petrushevski.[11]
History
Prehistory
The area boasts several prehistoric settlements, among which are
the Kostoperska Karpa,
the Bronze Age Gradiste near the village of Pelince,
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:
The town was mentioned in 1530 according to registry of Turkish Devlet Arşivleri as a village in Nogoriçe town, within Kaza of İştip. 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.[14]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".[15]
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 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 (including 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.
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.[16]
The Kumanovo Uprising, led by Serb district chiefs of Kumanovo and surrounding districts, was active from 20 January to 20 May 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, member of the local Bulgarian school board.[17] The committee included also the chief Bulgarian teacher in the town Iliya Levkov,[18] the secretary of the Bulgarian metropolitan deputy Traiche Mitev,[19] priest Andon, his son and Bulgarian teacher Psaltir Popandontov,[20] the merchant Zafir Tasev, elder of the Kumanovo Bulgarian community[21] the Bulgarian teacher Zafir Shaklev[22] and Angel Prekodolka. They organized the assassination of Serbian priest Atanasije Petrovic.[23]
The communist resistance in Kumanovo and Prilep began on 11 October 1941. The struggle ended with victory and formation of the Macedonian federated state within 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 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 (Kumanovo Agreement).[24]
2001 Albanian insurgency and Inter-community relations
Macedonian Armed forces in July 2001 near Kumanovo
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.
A group claiming to be the National Liberation Army had claimed responsibility for a grenade attack on Kumanovo's police station in December 2014.[25][26] During a police raid on 9 May 2015, a shootout erupted between Macedonian police forces and an armed group.[27] Eight Macedonian policemen and 10 ethnic Albanians were killed, while 37 officers were wounded and hospitalized.[28][29][30][31][32] The attack ended on 10 May 2015 in an operation by the police. Thirty men were arrested and charged with terrorism by Macedonian authorities.[33]
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.[citation needed]
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
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-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 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.
Kumanovo has several prehistoric monuments dating back to the prehistoric period, including:
Gradište, an archaeological site from the Bronze Age near the village of Pelince
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.
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. Kokino
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.
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:
City of Kumanovo population according to ethnic group 1948-2021[34]
Persons for whom data are taken from administrative sources
6,128
8.2
Total
20,242
23,339
30,762
46,363
60,842
65,233
70,842
75,051
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).[35]
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:
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.
^Victor Spinei (2009) The Romanians and the Turkic Nomads North of the Danube Delta from the Tenth to the Mid-Thirteenth Century, Brill, ISBN9789047428800, p. 317.
^Mykola Melnyk (2022) Byzantium and the Pechenegs. The Historiography of the Problem. Brill, ISBN9789004505223, p. 180.
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
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
^Rozita Dimova, Ethno-Baroque: Materiality, Aesthetics and Conflict in Modern-Day Macedonia, Berghahn Books, 2013, ISBN1782380418, p. 97.
^Македонските градови во турско време, Зоран Сенев, Киро Герасимов, Кочани, 2004, стр.50
^Николов, Борис Й. Вътрешна македоно-одринска революционна организация : Войводи и ръководители (1893-1934) Биографично-библиографски справочник. София, Издателство "Звезди", 2001. ISBN954-9514-28-5, с. 67.
^ЦДА, ф. 246, оп.1, а.е. 211, л. 26. Списък на градските екзархийски учители в Скопската епархия през учебната 1901 – 1902 год. с означение заплатата им, бележки по тяхната деятелност и мнение какво да се прави с всекиго през идущата 1902/3 уч. година.
^ Николай Тодоров, Освободителната борба на българите в Македония и Одринско, 1902-1904, Наука и изкуство, 1978, стр. 209.
^Пелтеков, Александър Г. Революционни дейци от Македония и Одринско. Второ допълнено издание. София, Орбел, 2014, ISBN9789544961022, с. 368.
^Матовъ, Д. Кратка разправия по етнографията на Македония. Периодическо списание XXXIV. София, Българско книжовно дружество, 1889. с. 682 - 683.
^Настевъ, Хр. I-ия випускъ на Скопското българско мъѫко педагогическо училище. Илюстрация Илиндень XII (3) (113). София, Издание на Илинденската организация, мартъ 1940. с. 13.
^В. Илић, Српска четничка акција 1903-1912, Београд 2006, с. 48.
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