Gostivar , is a city in the
Republic of MacedoniaMacedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country in the central Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
, located in the upper
PologPolog also known as the Polog Valley , is located in the north-western part of the Republic of Macedonia. It is divided into Upper and Lower Polog. Tetovo and Gostivar are the largest populated towns in this valley....
valley region. It is one of the largest municipalities in the country with a population of 81,042, and the town also covers . Gostivar has good road and railway connections with the other cities in the region, such as
TetovoTetovo is a city in the northwestern part of Macedonia, built on the foothills of Šar Mountain and divided by the Pena River.The city covers an area of at above sea level, with a population of 86,580 citizens in the municipality.. It is home to the State University of Tetovo and South East...
,
SkopjeSkopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia, with more than a quarter of the population of the country, as well as its political, cultural, economic, and academic centre. It was known in the Roman period under the name Scupi. The city developed rapidly after World War II,...
,
KičevoKičevo is a city in the western part of the Republic of Macedonia, located in a valley in the south-eastern slopes of Mount Bistra, between the cities of Ohrid and Gostivar. The capital Skopje is 112 km away. The city of Kičevo is the seat of Kičevo Municipality.-Population:The municipality of...
,
OhridOhrid is a city on the eastern shore of Lake Ohrid in the Republic of Macedonia. It has about 42,000 inhabitants, making it the seventh largest city in the country. The city is the seat of Ohrid Municipality. Ohrid is notable for having once 365 churches, one for each day of the year and has been...
, and
DebarDebar is a city in the western part of the Republic of Macedonia, near the border with Albania, on the road from Struga to Gostivar. It is the seat of Debar Municipality.-Geography:...
. A modern freeway was built in 1995, from Gostivar to Tetovo, long. Gostivar is the seat of
Gostivar MunicipalityGostivar is a municipality in western Republic of Macedonia. Gostivar is also the name of the town where the municipal seat is found...
.
Geography
Gostivar is situated on the foothills of one of the most important mountains in the region: the
Šar MountainThe Šar Mountains is a mountain range in the Balkans that extends from southern Kosovo and the northwest of the Republic of Macedonia to northeastern Albania.-Etymology:...
s. Near to Gostivar is the village of Vrutok, where the
VardarThe Vardar or Axios is the longest and major river in the Republic of Macedonia and also a major river of Greece. It is long, and drains an area of around ....
river begins at an altitude of from the base of the Šar Mountains. Vardar River extends through Gostivar, cutting it in half, passes through the capital Skopje, goes through the country, enters
GreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula....
and finally reaches the
Aegean SeaThe Aegean Sea is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey respectively. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus...
.
Population
According to the 2002 census, Gostivar Municipality has a population of 81,042 inhabitants. Albanians make up 54% of the population, 32% are Macedonians, 9.8% Turks, Roma 2.7%, and others.
History
It is known that there was a town called Draudak (built in 170BC) near or on the current place of Gostivar.
Early mentions of the town was made by the
RomanThe Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean. The term is used to describe the Roman state during and after the time of the first emperor,...
historianAn historian is an individual who studies and writes about history, and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all events in time...
LivyTitus Livius , known as Livy in English, was a Roman historian who wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, Ab Urbe Condita Libri, "Chapters from the Foundation of the City," covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome well before the traditional foundation in 753 BC...
. He records how during the
Third Macedonian WarThe Third Macedonian War was a war fought between Rome and King Perseus of Macedon. In 179 BC King Philip V of Macedon died and his talented and ambitious son, Perseus, took his throne. Perseus married Laodike, daughter of King Seleucus IV Keraunos of Asia, and increased the size of his army...
the King of
MacedonMacedonia or Macedon was an ancient kingdom, centered in the northeastern part of the Greek peninsula, bordered by Epirus to the west, Paionia to the north, the region of Thrace to the east and Thessaly to the south...
PerseusPerseus , the legendary founder of Mycenae and of the Perseid dynasty there, was the first of the mythic heroes of Greek mythology whose exploits in defeating various archaic monsters provided the founding myths in the cult of the Twelve Olympians...
at the head of 10000 men, after taking Uskana (Kicevo), attacked Drau-Dak, today Gostivar.
Economy
Gostivar is a merchant city. From the second half of the 19th century, many merchants started moving in and opening stores. There is also a market day, Tuesday. Merchants from
KruševoKruševo also spelt Krushevo, is a town in the Republic of Macedonia. It is the highest town in Macedonia, situated at an altitude of over 4,000 feet above sea level...
,
KičevoKičevo is a city in the western part of the Republic of Macedonia, located in a valley in the south-eastern slopes of Mount Bistra, between the cities of Ohrid and Gostivar. The capital Skopje is 112 km away. The city of Kičevo is the seat of Kičevo Municipality.-Population:The municipality of...
,
TetovoTetovo is a city in the northwestern part of Macedonia, built on the foothills of Šar Mountain and divided by the Pena River.The city covers an area of at above sea level, with a population of 86,580 citizens in the municipality.. It is home to the State University of Tetovo and South East...
and
VelesVeles refers to:* Veles , Slavic deity* Veles , a city in the Republic of Macedonia* Veles municipality, a municipality in the Republic of Macedonia* Veles , a Polish black metal band which was formed in 1992...
were the founders of the Gostivar merchant centre at that time. But today they have become electricians, mechanics workers. Today Gostivar is a modern city.
An important fact is that those 20,000
ex-patAn expatriate is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing or legal residence...
citizens who live abroad are the main source of income in the municipality economy. It is calculated that each year in the period between June and August, approximately 500 000
euroThe euro is the official currency of 16 of the 27 Member States of the European Union . The states, known collectively as the Eurozone, are Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain...
s are brought into the city when many of them return to the city.
Tourism
As you leave Gostivar, on the way to Kičevo and Ohrid, in the Vrutok village is the gorge of the biggest river in Macedonia,
VardarThe Vardar or Axios is the longest and major river in the Republic of Macedonia and also a major river of Greece. It is long, and drains an area of around ....
, that is long and flows into the Aegean Sea, at
ThessalonikiThessaloniki , Thessalonica, or Salonica is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the Greek region of Macedonia. It is honorarily called the Συμπρωτεύουσα Symprotevousa of Greece, as it was once called the συμβασιλεύουσα symvasilevousa of the Byzantine Empire...
. Gostivar is one of the biggest settlements in the Polog valley. The Polog valley can be observed from the high lands of
MavrovoMavrovo is a region in the northwest of the Republic of Macedonia. It is home to Mavrovo National Park and a winter sports center. Some of the villages and smaller hamlets include: Mavrovo, Nikiforovo, Leunovo, and Mavrovi Anovi...
and
GalicnikGaličnik is a mountain village in the Republic of Macedonia and along with Lazaropole is one of the two biggest Miyak villages in the region. Galičnik has well preserved traditional architecture, including an amphitheater in the village square and is famous by its countryside and nature reserve...
, seeing the villages scattered through the valley like some kind of beautiful mosaic.
Some from Gostivar is located one of the best ski resorts in Macedonia: "Zare Lazarevski" in the
MavrovoMavrovo is a region in the northwest of the Republic of Macedonia. It is home to Mavrovo National Park and a winter sports center. Some of the villages and smaller hamlets include: Mavrovo, Nikiforovo, Leunovo, and Mavrovi Anovi...
National Park. Mavrovo is an interesting tourist attraction with unique natural beauties. This tourist centre is believed to be one of the most beautiful tourist attractions in Macedonia. It is a place of many natural beauties, magnificent vistas, a crystal clear lake, high mountain hills from where you can see panoramas of
BistraBistra may refer to:* in Bulgaria:** Bistra, Silistra Province - a village in the Silistra Province** Bistra, Targovishte Province - a village in the Targovishte Province* in Croatia:** Bistra, Zagreb County in Croatia* in Republic of Macedonia:...
and its nearby village suburbs. Mavrovo attracts tourists during all seasons, but it is more attractive in winter when it is all covered with deep snow. This mountain is very rich with flora and fauna.
The whole tourist complex manages with 1200 beds and over 1000 villas, with many hotels, restaurants and shops. The Mavrovo region hosts ski tournaments and other sport recreations. The peaks on the northern part of the Bistra mountain: Rusino Brdo, Sultanica and Sandaktas, have good conditions for winter sport activities. The popularity of Mavrovo is growing every year with the attraction of many tourists.
Šar Mountain is one of the most important Alpine mountain ranges in Macedonia together with neighbouring
Mount KorabMount Korab is the highest mountain of the Republic of Macedonia and Albania, its peak forming a frontier between the two countries. The Korab mountain is adjacent to the Šar Mountains. There are three other peaks in Albania reaching a height of more than two of them rising to and .The mountain...
and Bistra mountains. The range is long and wide and is covered with snow from November till March or April every year. Its highest peak,
Titov VrvTitov Vrv is the highest peak in the Šar mountain at 2748 m. It is located about 13mi northwest of the Macedonian city of Tetovo. The summit was named after former Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito. Its original name was Golem Turčin . Every year, on the last weekend of May, the mountain club...
, is situated on above sea level.
From the diverse fauna, the
ŠarplaninacThe Šarplaninac or Sharplaninec, also known as Yugoslav Shepherd Dog , is an ancient livestock guarding dog breed from the mountain region of former southeastern Yugoslavia now the south of Kosovo and the north of Republic of Macedonia.The Šarplaninac was first registered by the Fédération...
dog is worth mentioning, as it has earned a fine reputation among pet dog lovers. These dogs are used by the
sheep-herdersA shepherd is a person who tends to, feeds or guards sheep, especially in flocks. The word may also refer to one who provides religious guidance, as a pastor.- Origins :...
of Šar Mountain (
Šar Planina in Serbian and Macedonian), to guide and protect their
sheepDomestic sheep are quadrupedal, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates. Although the name "sheep" applies to many species, in everyday usage it almost always refers to Ovis aries...
herds.
BearBears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
s, wild
boarWild boar is a species of pig, including at least 16 subspecies, and part of the biological family Suidae. It is the wild ancestor of the domestic pig, an animal with which it freely hybridises. Wild boar are native across much of Central Europe, the Mediterranean Region and much of Asia as far...
and
deerDeer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. They include for example Moose, Red Deer, Reindeer, Roe and Chital. Animals from related families within the order Artiodactyla are often also considered to be deer – these include muntjac and water deer...
exist in these lands. Due to its rich
vegetationVegetation is a general term for the plant life of a region; it refers to the ground cover provided by plants. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular taxa, life forms, structure, spatial extent, or any other specific botanical or geographic characteristics. It is broader...
and
wildlifeWildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals, and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
, as well as its preserved and unpolluted environment, it represents a real
meccaMecca , sometimes spelled Makkah is the holiest meeting site of the Islamic religion. The city is modern, cosmopolitan and whilst being closed to non-Muslims is nonetheless ethnically diverse.Islamic tradition attributes the beginning of Mecca to Ishmael's descendants...
for tourist resorts and sports facilities, where medical herbs can be picked, and even
huntHunting is the practice of pursuing living animals for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
activities arranged.
At summer time, Šar Mountain can be described as an ocean of
grassGrasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns...
. In fact, Šar Mountain is considered the largest compact area covered with
pasturePasture is land with low-growing vegetation cover used for grazing of livestock as part of a farm, or in ranching or other unenclosed pastoral systems. Prior to the advent of factory farming, pasture was the primary source of food for grazing animals such as cattle and horses...
s on the
European ContinentEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
. This provides excellent opportunities for
animal husbandryAnimal husbandry, also called animal science, stockbreeding or simple husbandry, is the agricultural practice of breeding and raising livestock. It has been practiced for thousands of years, since the first domestication of animals....
. High quality
dairyA dairy is a facility for the extraction and processing of animal milk—mostly from cows or goats, but also from buffalo, sheep, horses or camels —for human consumption. Typically it is a farm or section of a farm that is concerned with the production of milk, butter and...
products, mainly
cheeseCheese is a food consisting of proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. It is produced by coagulation of the milk protein casein. Typically, the milk is acidified and addition of the enzyme rennet causes coagulation. The solids are separated and pressed into...
and
fetaFeta is a brined curd cheese traditionally made in Feta is a brined curd cheese traditionally made in Feta is a brined curd cheese traditionally made in (Greece. A sheep's milk cheese, varying amounts of goats’ milk may be added, as long as goat milk makes up less than 30% of the total...
cheese, are made in the many
sheepfoldsA pen is an enclosure for holding livestock. The term describes multiple types of enclosures that may confine one or many animals. Construction and terminology varies depending on region of the world, purpose, animal species to be confined, local materials used, and cultural tradition...
on Šar and the adjacent mountains. The best known kinds of feta cheese are Shara and
GalicnikGaličnik is a mountain village in the Republic of Macedonia and along with Lazaropole is one of the two biggest Miyak villages in the region. Galičnik has well preserved traditional architecture, including an amphitheater in the village square and is famous by its countryside and nature reserve...
. The Šar Mountain, along with the adjacent mountains, is rich in wide-ranging vegetation, which provides possibilities to gather medical herbs and to produce healthy food.
Located in the northwestern part of Macedonia, Popova Shapka is one of the most popular winter ski resorts in the country. It is situated on the beautiful Šar Mountain, above the sea level, just from the capital Skopje. Popova Shapka offers excellent ski environment and hotel accommodations.
Visitors not only from the Republic of Macedonia, but also from many other countries, return season after season here to relax, have fun, and experience adventure. Popova Shapka has been a host to both the
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
an and Balkan Ski Championships. Not far from the resort, there are many small picturesquely
glacial lakeA glacial lake is a lake with origins in a melted glacier. Roughly, 10,000 years ago glaciers began to retreat, near the end of the Ice Age....
s scattered around on the mountain. There are two ways to get to Popova Shapka: by car, and by rope-railway with a starting location in Tetovo. The rope-railway is long and it takes about 36 minutes to reach the top.
External links