Kumanovo ( ; , ; also known by other alternative names) is the second-largest city in North Macedonia after the capital Skopje and the seat of Kumanovo Municipality, the largest municipality in the country. Kumanovo lies above sea level and is surrounded by the Karadag part of Skopska Crna Gora mountain on its western side, Gradištanska mountain on its southern side, and Mangovica and German mountain on the eastern side. The Skopje Airport also serves Kumanovo.
It has many historical sites. One of its most important is the 4,000-year-old megalithic astronomical observatory of Kokino, located northeast of Kumanovo and discovered in 2001. It is ranked fourth on the list of old observatories by NASA.
In 1912, during the First Balkan War, Serbian forces won a decisive victory over the Ottomans north of the town. The two-day Battle of Kumanovo ended Ottoman authority in Vardar Macedonia which contributed to the region's integration into Serbia, and consequently into Yugoslavia. The entire region of Macedonia was split in three between Serbia, Greece and Bulgaria after the Treaty of Bucharest in 1913.
During World War II, the communist resistance in Vardar Macedonia began in Kumanovo on 11 October 1941. The rapid economic, administrative and cultural expansion of Kumanovo began in 1945. The town's metal-processing, tobacco, agriculture, footwear and textile industries made it an economic, trading and cultural center during the time of SFR Yugoslavia.
It was the site of the 1999 Kumanovo Agreement between FR Yugoslavia and NATO about bringing in a NATO peacekeeping contingent in Kosovo.
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 in Aromanian.The War of Numbers and its First Victim: The Aromanians in Macedonia (End of 19th – Beginning of 20th century) 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.Здружение на професори по географија на Северна Македонија „Проф. Д-р Љубе Миленковски“- Скопје, Филип Ѓошевски, Куманичево - едно исчезнато село во Кумановскиот крај.Victor Spinei (2009) The Romanians and the Turkic Nomads North of the Danube Delta from the Tenth to the Mid-Thirteenth Century, Brill, , p. 317.Mykola Melnyk (2022) Byzantium and the Pechenegs. The Historiography of the Problem. Brill, , p. 180.
Geography Kumanovo is situated in the northern parts of North Macedonia, 30 km (18 mi) northeast of the capital city of Skopje. The coordinates of the city are approximately 42°05'N and 21°40'E. Kumanovo lies above sea level and is surrounded by: Karadag part of Skopska Crna Gora mountain on its western side Gradištanska mountain on its southern side Mangovica and German mountain on the eastern side Veleška Maalo (or Veleško 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 Pčinja, 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 Delčev High School through to the end of Moša 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.
Military installations The military base Boro Menkovabout MB Boro Menkov (Macedonian) is one of the military installations of ARM in Kumanovo. The base was established by the JNA.
MB Hristijan Todorovski - Karpoš 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,Article about the MB H.T. Karposh (Macedonian) and another part was inherited by the Ministry of Interior.Article about the MVR takeover of MB H.T. Karposh (Macedonia) There was an idea of turning the base into an economic industrial zone.Article about the Economic zone Idea (Macedonia)
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 Petruševski.
Climate Kumanovo has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfa) with warm to hot summers and chilly winters. Precipitation is more or less evenly distributed throughout the year.
History
Prehistory The Kumanovo area has been inhabited for thousands of years. The Kostoperska Karpa, a large basaltic megalithic site, dates back to the Chalcolithic age. Kostoperska Karpa is found along an ancient route from Skopje to Sofia.
In the nearby town of Gradište, ancient ritualistic Hellenistic sites dating to the Macedonian Empire have been found. This includes a ritual dining complex. The complex contained bones from wild boars, goats, and other animals. These are believed to suggest ritual feasting was done at the site. Pottery, including pithoi, have also been found, such as one depicting Demeter.
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, such as those of King Stefan Milutin, Emperor Stefan Dušan, Sevastokrator Dejan, Jevdokija Dejanović and Dejan's sons, Jovan and Konstantin.
In this time, the Kumanovo region (old Žegligovo) received its geographical location and certain settlement picture.Srpsko geografsko društvo 1972, p. 123:
According to a charter of the monastery of Arhiljevica dated 1355, sevastokrator Dejan held a major domain (oblast) east of Skopska Crna Gora. It included the old župe (counties) of Žegligovo and Preševo (modern Kumanovo region with Sredorek and Kozjačija).Историско друштво НР Србије 1951, p. 20:
Ottoman period The town was first mentioned in 1530 according to registry of Turkish Devlet Arşivleri as a village in Nogoriçe town, within Kaza of İştip, but was established slightly earlier, in 1519. 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.Rozita Dimova, Ethno-Baroque: Materiality, Aesthetics and Conflict in Modern-Day Macedonia, Berghahn Books, 2013, , p. 97. 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-roof 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".Македонските градови во турско време, Зоран Сенев, Киро Герасимов, Кочани, 2004, стр.50
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, Kaçanik 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.Johann Georg von Hahn: Reise von Belgrad nach Salonik. Viena: 1861
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.
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.Николов, Борис Й. Вътрешна македоно-одринска революционна организация : Войводи и ръководители (1893-1934) Биографично-библиографски справочник. София, Издателство "Звезди", 2001. , с. 67. The committee included also the chief Bulgarian teacher in the town Iliya Levkov,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. the secretary of the Bulgarian metropolitan deputy Traiche Mitev, Николай Тодоров, Освободителната борба на българите в Македония и Одринско, 1902-1904, Наука и изкуство, 1978, стр. 209. priest Andon, his son and Bulgarian teacher Psaltir Popandontov,Пелтеков, Александър Г. Революционни дейци от Македония и Одринско. Второ допълнено издание. София, Орбел, 2014, , с. 368. the merchant Zafir Tasev, elder of the Kumanovo Bulgarian communityМатовъ, Д. Кратка разправия по етнографията на Македония. Периодическо списание XXXIV. София, Българско книжовно дружество, 1889. с. 682 - 683. the Bulgarian teacher Zafir ShaklevНастевъ, Хр. I-ия випускъ на Скопското българско мъѫко педагогическо училище. Илюстрация Илиндень XII (3) (113). София, Издание на Илинденската организация, мартъ 1940. с. 13. and Angel Prekodolka. They organized the assassination of Serbian priest Atanasije Petrović.В. Илић, Српска четничка акција 1903-1912, Београд 2006, с. 48.
First Balkan War
In October 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-day Battle of Kumanovo ended Ottoman authority in Vardar Macedonia and contributed for region's integration into Serbia, and consequently, into Yugoslavia. The entire region of Macedonia was split in three among Serbia, Greece and Bulgaria after the Treaty of Bucharest in 1913.
World War II
The communist resistance in Kumanovo and Prilep began on 11 October 1941. The struggle ended with victory and formation of the Macedonian socialist federated state within the Yugoslav Federation (SFRY). One of the famous partisans from Kumanovo was Hristijan Todorovski Karpoš. After 1945 Kumanovo experienced fast economic, administrative and cultural development.
Modern history