Gostivar
Encyclopedia
Gostivar is a city in the Republic of Macedonia
, located in the upper Polog
valley region. It is one of the largest municipalities in the country with a population of 81,042, and the town also covers 1.341 square kilometres (331.4 acre). Gostivar has good road and railway connections with the other cities in the region, such as Tetovo
, Skopje
, Kičevo
, Ohrid
, and Debar
. A modern freeway was built in 1995, from Gostivar to Tetovo, 24 km (15 mi) long. Gostivar is the seat of Gostivar Municipality
.
s. Near to Gostivar is the village of Vrutok
, where the Vardar
river begins at an altitude of 683 metres (2,241 ft) 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 Greece
and finally reaches the Aegean Sea
.
Early mentions of the town was made by the Roman
historian
Livy
. He records how during the Third Macedonian War
the King of Macedon
Perseus
at the head of 10000 men, after taking Uskana (Kicevo), attacked Drau-Dak, today Gostivar.
, Kičevo
, Tetovo
and Veles
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-pat
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 euro
s are brought into the city when many of them return to the city.
, that is 388 km (241 mi) long and flows into the Aegean Sea, at Thessaloniki
. Gostivar is one of the biggest settlements in the Polog valley. The Polog valley can be observed from the high lands of Mavrovo
and Galicnik
, seeing the villages scattered through the valley like some kind of beautiful mosaic.
Some 26 km (16 mi) from Gostivar is located one of the best ski resorts in Macedonia: "Zare Lazarevski" in the Mavrovo
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 Bistra
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 Korab
and Bistra mountains. The range is 80 km (50 mi) long and 12 km (7 mi) wide and is covered with snow from November till March or April every year. Its highest peak, Titov Vrv
, is situated on 2760 metres (9,055 ft) above sea level. Picturesque village of Pozarane is one of the most famous and most beautiful in the region.
From the diverse fauna, the Šarplaninac
dog is worth mentioning, as it has earned a fine reputation among pet dog lovers. These dogs are used by the sheep-herders
of Šar Mountain (Šar Planina in Serbian and Macedonian), to guide and protect their sheep
herds. Bear
s, wild boar
and deer
exist in these lands. Due to its rich vegetation
and wildlife
, as well as its preserved and unpolluted environment, it represents a real mecca
for tourist resorts and sports facilities, where medical herbs can be picked, and even hunt
activities arranged.
At summer time, Šar Mountain can be described as an ocean of grass
. In fact, Šar Mountain is considered the largest compact area covered with pasture
s on the European Continent
. This provides excellent opportunities for animal husbandry
. High quality dairy
products, mainly cheese
and feta
cheese, are made in the many sheepfolds
on Šar and the adjacent mountains. The best known kinds of feta cheese are Shara and Galicnik
. 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, 1780 metres (5,840 ft) above the sea level, just 35 kilometres (22 mi) 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 Europe
an and Balkan Ski Championships. Not far from the resort, there are many small picturesquely glacial lake
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 6 km (4 mi) long and it takes about 36 minutes to reach the top.
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
, located in the upper Polog
Polog
Polog also known as the Polog Valley , is located in the north-western part of the Republic of Macedonia near the border with Serbia.It is divided into Upper and Lower Polog...
valley region. It is one of the largest municipalities in the country with a population of 81,042, and the town also covers 1.341 square kilometres (331.4 acre). Gostivar has good road and railway connections with the other cities in the region, such as Tetovo
Tetovo
Tetovo 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. Tetovo is home to the State University of Tetovo and South East...
, Skopje
Skopje
Skopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre...
, Kičevo
Kicevo
Kičevo 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...
, Ohrid
Ohrid
Ohrid 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 had 365 churches, one for each day of the year and has...
, and Debar
Debar
Debar 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, 24 km (15 mi) long. Gostivar is the seat of Gostivar Municipality
Gostivar municipality
Gostivar is a municipality in western Republic of Macedonia. Gostivar is also the name of the town where the municipal seat is found. Gostivar Municipality is part of the Polog Statistical Region.-Geography:...
.
Geography
Gostivar is situated on the foothills of one of the most important mountains in the region: the Šar MountainŠar Mountain
The Šar Mountains , formerly known as the Shar Dagh , 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
Vrutok
Vrutok is a small village settled on the slopes of Mount Bistra by the Korab mountains, near the town of Gostivar in the western part of Republic of Macedonia. The village has around 1,200 inhabitants, of which 400 are Macedonian and 800 Albanian. Its importance belongs to the water streams where...
, where the Vardar
Vardar
The 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 . The maximum depth of river is ....
river begins at an altitude of 683 metres (2,241 ft) 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 Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and finally reaches the Aegean Sea
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea[p] 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. 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 roughly two-thirds of the population, 20% are Macedonians, nearly 10% are Turks, Roma are 3.8%, 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 Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past 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 history in time. If the individual is...
Livy
Livy
Titus 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 War
Third Macedonian War
The 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 Macedon
Macedon
Macedonia or Macedon was an ancient kingdom, centered in the northeastern part of the Greek peninsula, bordered by Epirus to the west, Paeonia to the north, the region of Thrace to the east and Thessaly to the south....
Perseus
Perseus
Perseus ,Perseos and Perseas are not used in English. the legendary founder of Mycenae and of the Perseid dynasty of Danaans there, was the first of the mythic heroes of Greek mythology whose exploits in defeating various archaic monsters provided the founding myths 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
Kruševo also spelled 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. The town of Kruševo is the seat of Kruševo Municipality.-History:...
, Kičevo
Kicevo
Kičevo 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...
, Tetovo
Tetovo
Tetovo 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. Tetovo is home to the State University of Tetovo and South East...
and Veles
Veles (city)
Veles is a city in the center of the Republic of Macedonia on the Vardar river. The city of Veles is the seat of Veles Municipality.-Name:The city's name was Vylosa in Ancient Greek and before the Balkan Wars, it was a township with the name Köprülü in the Üsküp sandjak, Ottoman empire for 600...
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-pat
Expatriate
An expatriate is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing...
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 euro
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
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, VardarVardar
The 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 . The maximum depth of river is ....
, that is 388 km (241 mi) long and flows into the Aegean Sea, at Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
. Gostivar is one of the biggest settlements in the Polog valley. The Polog valley can be observed from the high lands of Mavrovo
Mavrovo
Mavrovo 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 Galicnik
Galicnik
Galičnik is a mountain village in the Republic of Macedonia and along with Lazaropole is one of the two biggest and oldest Mijak villages in the region. Galičnik has well preserved traditional architecture, including an amphitheater in the village square and is famous for its surrounding...
, seeing the villages scattered through the valley like some kind of beautiful mosaic.
Some 26 km (16 mi) from Gostivar is located one of the best ski resorts in Macedonia: "Zare Lazarevski" in the Mavrovo
Mavrovo
Mavrovo 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 Bistra
Bistra
Bistra may refer to:* Bistra, Silistra Province, a village in Silistra Province, Bulgaria* Bistra, Targovishte Province, a village in Targovishte Province, Bulgaria* Bistra, Croatia, a village in Zagreb County, Croatia...
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 Korab
Mount Korab
Mount Korab is the highest mountain of the Republic of Macedonia and Albania, its peak forming a frontier between the two countries...
and Bistra mountains. The range is 80 km (50 mi) long and 12 km (7 mi) wide and is covered with snow from November till March or April every year. Its highest peak, Titov Vrv
Titov Vrv
Titov Vrv is the highest peak in the Šar mountain at 2748 m. It is located about 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 2760 metres (9,055 ft) above sea level. Picturesque village of Pozarane is one of the most famous and most beautiful in the region.
From the diverse fauna, the Šarplaninac
Šarplaninac
The Šarplaninac or Šarplaninec , also known as Sharplaninac/Sharplaninec, Illyrian Shepherd Dog or Yugoslav Shepherd Dog-Šarplanina is a dog breed of the livestock guardian type originally from Serbia and Macedonia.- Appearance :The...
dog is worth mentioning, as it has earned a fine reputation among pet dog lovers. These dogs are used by the sheep-herders
Shepherd
A shepherd is a person who tends, feeds or guards flocks of sheep.- Origins :Shepherding is one of the oldest occupations, beginning some 6,000 years ago in Asia Minor. Sheep were kept for their milk, meat and especially their wool...
of Šar Mountain (Šar Planina in Serbian and Macedonian), to guide and protect their sheep
Domestic sheep
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 the genus Ovis, in everyday usage it almost always refers to Ovis aries...
herds. Bear
Bear
Bears 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 boar
Boar
Wild boar, also wild pig, is a species of the pig genus Sus, part of the biological family Suidae. The species includes many subspecies. It is the wild ancestor of the domestic pig, an animal with which it freely hybridises...
and deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
exist in these lands. Due to its rich vegetation
Vegetation
Vegetation 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 wildlife
Wildlife
Wildlife 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 mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
for tourist resorts and sports facilities, where medical herbs can be picked, and even hunt
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, 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 grass
Grass
Grasses, 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 pasture
Pasture
Pasture is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep or swine. The vegetation of tended pasture, forage, consists mainly of grasses, with an interspersion of legumes and other forbs...
s on the European Continent
Europe
Europe 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 watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. This provides excellent opportunities for animal husbandry
Animal husbandry
Animal husbandry is the agricultural practice of breeding and raising livestock.- History :Animal husbandry has been practiced for thousands of years, since the first domestication of animals....
. High quality dairy
Dairy
A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting of animal milk—mostly from cows or goats, but also from buffalo, sheep, horses or camels —for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on a dedicated dairy farm or section of a multi-purpose farm that is concerned...
products, mainly cheese
Cheese
Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
and feta
Feta
Feta is a brined curd cheese traditionally made in Greece. Feta is an aged crumbly cheese, commonly produced in blocks, and has a slightly grainy texture. It is used as a table cheese, as well as in salads Feta is a brined curd cheese traditionally made in Greece. Feta is an aged crumbly cheese,...
cheese, are made in the many sheepfolds
Pen (enclosure)
A 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 Galicnik
Galicnik
Galičnik is a mountain village in the Republic of Macedonia and along with Lazaropole is one of the two biggest and oldest Mijak villages in the region. Galičnik has well preserved traditional architecture, including an amphitheater in the village square and is famous for its surrounding...
. 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, 1780 metres (5,840 ft) above the sea level, just 35 kilometres (22 mi) 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 Europe
Europe
Europe 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 watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an and Balkan Ski Championships. Not far from the resort, there are many small picturesquely glacial lake
Glacial lake
A glacial lake is a lake with origins in a melted glacier. Near the end of the last glacial period, roughly 10,000 years ago, glaciers began to retreat. A retreating glacier often left behind large deposits of ice in hollows between drumlins or hills. As the ice age ended, these melted to create...
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 6 km (4 mi) long and it takes about 36 minutes to reach the top.
Notable people
- Rudi GusnićRudi GusnićRudi Gusnić is a Serbian football manager and former player.-Career:...
, footballer - Vojsava TripaldaVojsava TripaldaVojsava Tripalda was a 15th century Balkanian princess, according to some authors from a family of Polog.She is best known as the wife of Gjon Kastrioti and mother of the Albanian national hero George Kastrioti Skanderbeg...
, mother of SkanderbegSkanderbegGeorge Kastrioti Skanderbeg or Gjergj Kastrioti Skënderbeu , widely known as Skanderbeg , was a 15th-century Albanian lord. He was appointed as the governor of the Sanjak of Dibra by the Ottomans in 1440... - Xhem HasaXhem HasaXhemail Hasani , aka Xhemë "Xhemo" Hasa–Gostivari, was in charge of the Balli Kombëtar activities in western Macedonia.-Early life:...
, leader of Balli KombetarBalli KombëtarBalli Kombëtar was an Albanian nationalist, anti-communist and anti-monarchy organization established in October 1939. It was led by Ali Këlcyra and Mit’hat Frashëri...