Kočani is a town away from
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,...
, situated in the Eastern part of 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...
, with population of 28 330. The town of Kočani is the seat of
Kočani MunicipalityKočani is a municipality in eastern Republic of Macedonia. Kočani is also the name of the town where the municipal seat is found. This municipality is part of Eastern statistical region.-Geography:...
.
The town spreads across the Northern side of the Kočani valley, along the banks of the Kočani river, right where it leaves the mountain slopes and flows through the valley. North of the town there is the
OsogovoOsogovo or Osogovska Planina is a mountain and ski resort between southwestern Bulgaria and northeastern Republic of Macedonia,...
mountain and away to the south the valley is closed by the mountain Plačkovica .
Kočani is a town away from
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,...
, situated in the Eastern part of 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...
, with population of 28 330. The town of Kočani is the seat of
Kočani MunicipalityKočani is a municipality in eastern Republic of Macedonia. Kočani is also the name of the town where the municipal seat is found. This municipality is part of Eastern statistical region.-Geography:...
.
Geography and population
The town spreads across the Northern side of the Kočani valley, along the banks of the Kočani river, right where it leaves the mountain slopes and flows through the valley. North of the town there is the
OsogovoOsogovo or Osogovska Planina is a mountain and ski resort between southwestern Bulgaria and northeastern Republic of Macedonia,...
mountain and away to the south the valley is closed by the mountain Plačkovica . The town is 350 - 450 m (1,150-1,375 ft) above sea level.
Kočani spreads over an area of and has population of 28,330 inhabitants which makes it the third regional center in the Eastern part of the country:
- 1948 - 6,657 inhabitants
- 1994 - 26,364 inhabitants
- 2002 - 28,330 inhabitants
Ethnic structure
- Macedonian
The Macedonians also referred to as Macedonian Slavs are a South Slavic people who are primarily associated with the Republic of Macedonia. They speak the Macedonian language, a South Slavic language...
: 90.3%
- Roma: 5.0%
- Turks
The Turkish people , also known as the "Turks" are defined mainly as citizens of the Republic of Turkey. An early historic text provided the definition of being a Turk as "any individual within the Republic of Turkey; whatever his/her faith or racial/ethnic background; who speaks Turkish, grows up...
: 3.0%
- Vlach: 0.5%
- Serbs: 0.2%
- Other: 1.0%
Religious denomination
- Orthodox
The Orthodox Church, also officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to in English speaking countries as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the world's second largest Christian communion, estimated to number 225 million members...
: 96%
- Muslims: 3%
- Catholic: 0.3%
- Other: 0.7%
Climate
The climate is mild-continental, influenced by altered Mediterranean climate which penetrates along the river
BregalnicaBregalnica is the second largest river in the Republic of Macedonia. It starts as a spring near the mountain city of Delčevo and it passes near the cities of Makedonska Kamenica, Kočani, Vinica and Štip, before joining the river Vardar on its way to the Aegean Sea...
. The average temperature is with rainfall.
History
Kočani was first mentioned in a charter from 1337 in which Despot Jovan Oliver donated the church of St. Dimitrija to Kočani.
Archaeological finds in the town itself have revealed remains of a settlement here in the Roman and Byzantine periods. Early in the 15th century it fell under Turkish rule. The travel chronicler Evliya Chelebi, who visited it in 1662, recorded that it had 600 households, a mosque, a mezjid, an inn and 15 shops. During the 18th and in the early 19th century, the town growth rate stagnated. It was only around 1878 that the population began to rise, at which time it had about 450 - 500 households. The town has two feudal residences in the shape of towers believed to date from the 16th - 17th century.
Monuments
Numerous cultural and historical monuments, from ancient times to the Middle Ages, can be found in the vicinity of Kočani. One of them is an archeological site of Dolno Gradishte from the late antic period.
Monastery complexes in the nearby villages Morodvis and Panteley are world famous both for their architecture and unique frescoes.
Features
Today Kočani is a modern town with planned infrastructure, avenues, many modern buildings and blocks of flats, a shopping centre, a park and a newly built industrial zone. All this is carefully planned and structured, according to modern standards of living and esthetics. New suburbs are mainly built to the east where the town almost reaches the first houses of Orizari and to the West spreading over the industrial zone.
Town partnerships
Kočani maintains partnership links with the following places:
KazanlakKazanlak is a Bulgarian town located in the middle of the plain of the same name, at the foot of the Balkan mountain range, at the eastern end of the Rose Valley. Kazanlak is the 10th biggest industrial center in Bulgaria, with a population of 79,464 people as of 2007...
,
BulgariaBulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a country in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe. Bulgaria borders five other countries: Romania to the north , Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia to the west, and Greece and Turkey to the south...
SzigetszentmiklósSzigetszentmiklósis a city in Pest county in Hungary with approximately 26,662 inhabitants.- Name :* Sziget – island: Szigetszentmiklós is a town in the Csepel Island* Szent Miklós – Saint Nicholas, who is the patron saint of Szigetszentmiklós...
,
HungaryHungary , in English officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in the Carpathian Basin of Central Europe, bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia. Its capital is Budapest. Hungary is a member of OECD, NATO, EU, V4 and is a Schengen state...
YenifoçaYenifoça is a town with own municipality in Foça district, in Turkey's İzmir Province....
,
TurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey
, is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in Western Asia and Thrace in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe...
KriževciKriževci is a town in central Croatia with a population of 22,324 , the oldest town in its county, the Koprivnica-Križevci county.-History:...
,
CroatiaCroatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a country in southeast Europe, at the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean Sea. Its capital is Zagreb...
Pereyaslav, Ukraina
Novi KnezevacNovi Kneževac is a town and municipality in the North Banat District of Vojvodina, Serbia...
,
SerbiaSerbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a country located in both Central and Southeastern Europe. Its territory covers the southern part of the Pannonian Plain and central part of the Balkans...
Notable people
- Aleksandar Aleksiev, theatrologist
- Boris Stojcev, theatrologist and publicist
- Branko Pendovski, writer
- Blagoja Popov, politician
- Blagoj Popov, mathematician
- Kiril Dzmbov, nuclear physicist
- Konstantin Apostolov, specialist of microbiology
- Kočani Orkestar
Kočani Orkestar also credited under the names: Kocani Orkestar, Kocani Orchestra, Kochani Orkestar and Kochani Orchestra is a Romani brass band from Kočani, Republic of Macedonia led byNaat Veliov....
, musicians
- Malina Popivanova, revolutionary
- Mile Hadzi Vasilev, lawyer
- Stefan Popivanov, revolutionary
- Stevo Teodosievski
Stevo Teodosievski was born in 1924 in Kocani. He was known macedonian artist, music educator and humanist.Winner of many awards and honors:* October award of Yugoslavia* silver and gold medal from the President of Yugoslavia, Josip Broz Tito...
, musician
External links