Valandovo
Encyclopedia
Valandovo is a city in southeastern
Republic of Macedonia
.
The city is the seat of Valandovo Municipality
.
) dating from Roman
times, and the life in the Middle Ages
is marked by Marco’s Tower. In the vicinity of the town there are also two very important archeological sites – The Isar Marvinci and the knowledge experts have on the existence of the ancient city Idomenae
. Also, very interesting and important discoveries are the ancient mosaics of Valandovo, the necropolis discovered near Dedeli dating from the Iron Age, the monastery and the church dedicated to St. George, etc. On the hill Isar, at the village of Marvinci near the town of Valandovo, there is a community from the early antique period that belonged to the southern Macedon
ian area called Amphacsitida. The many layers of this community speak of permanence with no significant interruptions, where time managed to save the earliest traces of its existence. The hill is 40 to 45 meters high and is located over the mouth of Anska River, flowing into the Vardar
river. The Acropolis
of the town was strengthened by defence bulwarks. Most of the architectural findings show the existence of profane living objects, while the last phase shows the possible existence of a ceramic workshop. The construction method in the earlier primitive stages, is very different from the latest stages. According to the archeological findings, the town was first ruined in the 3rd century BC, in time of the Celtic invasion in 279 BC. The excavated construction material shows the cultural and economic development of the town throughout centuries of its survival. In the 5th and 4th century BC, stock was imported from Corinth
and Ionia
, in Asia Minor
. Ceramic from the Iron Age was found in the tombs and Greek amphorae from the classical and late Hellenic
period. Apart from the imported ceramics from the big manufacturing centers, there are also local ceramic products with native tradition and often simulating Greek
forms. During the Hellenic
era, the connections with the neighbouring leading cultural centres in Macedonia: Pela, Beroia, Amphipolis
and Thessalonica were strengthened. Ceramic plastic, jewels and coins were made in the pattern of these developed centres.
The antique town on the Isar secured its economic development through agriculture, cattle raising and mining. The numerous mines in the region, as well as the pottery craft continued as a tradition in the Roman period.
and pomegranate
s, as well as other early-spring vegetables and fruits.
The ethnic structure of the population living in the Valandovo is:
The chief organisers of the festival faced some problems and difficulties from the humble beginnings but nevertheless they never gave up on their idea. The festival was quickly accepted by audiences.
In 1989, a summer festival stage with 1,200 seats was built and all performances from 1985 – 89 were broadcast on television and so seen by 30,000 people. Valandovo musical production has issued 35 audio-cassettes, records and video-cassettes.
In 1993, the festival was held in Sydney
, Australia
.
The FOLK FEST has been admitted to FIDOV – the World Federation of Festival Organisations, with its head office in Los Angeles
, USA. This membership enables a worldwide presentation of both Macedonia and the festival. The festival has also received several awards, among others one by Deutsche Welle
, a German radio station, for special achievements among our immigrants.
Southeastern statistical region
The Southeastern Statistical Region is one of eight arbitrary statistical regions in the Republic of Macedonia. Southeastern, located in the southeastern part of the country, borders Greece and Bulgaria...
Republic of Macedonia
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...
.
The city is the seat of Valandovo Municipality
Valandovo municipality
Valandovo is a municipality in southern Republic of Macedonia. Valandovo is also the name of the town where the municipal seat is found. Valandovo Municipality is part of Southeastern Statistical Region.-Geography:...
.
Ancient History
Evidence of life can be found beginning in the 10th-7th centuries B.C. There is a settlement known as Mal Konstantinopol (Small ConstantinopleConstantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
) dating from Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
times, and the life in the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
is marked by Marco’s Tower. In the vicinity of the town there are also two very important archeological sites – The Isar Marvinci and the knowledge experts have on the existence of the ancient city Idomenae
Idomenae
Idomenae was an ancient Paeonian town and now an archaeological site located near the village of Marvinci, near Valandovo, modern Republic of Macedonia. Idomenae dates from the 7th century B.C....
. Also, very interesting and important discoveries are the ancient mosaics of Valandovo, the necropolis discovered near Dedeli dating from the Iron Age, the monastery and the church dedicated to St. George, etc. On the hill Isar, at the village of Marvinci near the town of Valandovo, there is a community from the early antique period that belonged to the southern 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....
ian area called Amphacsitida. The many layers of this community speak of permanence with no significant interruptions, where time managed to save the earliest traces of its existence. The hill is 40 to 45 meters high and is located over the mouth of Anska River, flowing into 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. The Acropolis
Acropolis
Acropolis means "high city" in Greek, literally city on the extremity and is usually translated into English as Citadel . For purposes of defense, early people naturally chose elevated ground to build a new settlement, frequently a hill with precipitous sides...
of the town was strengthened by defence bulwarks. Most of the architectural findings show the existence of profane living objects, while the last phase shows the possible existence of a ceramic workshop. The construction method in the earlier primitive stages, is very different from the latest stages. According to the archeological findings, the town was first ruined in the 3rd century BC, in time of the Celtic invasion in 279 BC. The excavated construction material shows the cultural and economic development of the town throughout centuries of its survival. In the 5th and 4th century BC, stock was imported from Corinth
Corinth
Corinth is a city and former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Corinth, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit...
and Ionia
Ionia
Ionia is an ancient region of central coastal Anatolia in present-day Turkey, the region nearest İzmir, which was historically Smyrna. It consisted of the northernmost territories of the Ionian League of Greek settlements...
, in Asia Minor
Asia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
. Ceramic from the Iron Age was found in the tombs and Greek amphorae from the classical and late Hellenic
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
period. Apart from the imported ceramics from the big manufacturing centers, there are also local ceramic products with native tradition and often simulating Greek
Greek art
Greek art began in the Cycladic and Minoan prehistorical civilization, and gave birth to Western classical art in the ancient period...
forms. During the Hellenic
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
era, the connections with the neighbouring leading cultural centres in Macedonia: Pela, Beroia, Amphipolis
Amphipolis
Amphipolis was an ancient Greek city in the region once inhabited by the Edoni people in the present-day region of Central Macedonia. It was built on a raised plateau overlooking the east bank of the river Strymon where it emerged from Lake Cercinitis, about 3 m. from the Aegean Sea. Founded in...
and Thessalonica were strengthened. Ceramic plastic, jewels and coins were made in the pattern of these developed centres.
The antique town on the Isar secured its economic development through agriculture, cattle raising and mining. The numerous mines in the region, as well as the pottery craft continued as a tradition in the Roman period.
Geography and climate
Having an ideal Mediterranean climate, the town and its surroundings give the impression of a large garden abundant with the well-known and tasty Valandovo figsFIGS
FIGS is an acronym for French, Italian, German, Spanish. These are usually the first four languages chosen to localize products into when a company enters the European market....
and pomegranate
Pomegranate
The pomegranate , Punica granatum, is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub or small tree growing between five and eight meters tall.Native to the area of modern day Iran, the pomegranate has been cultivated in the Caucasus since ancient times. From there it spread to Asian areas such as the Caucasus as...
s, as well as other early-spring vegetables and fruits.
Population and ethnicities
According to the census performed in 2002, the population of the municipality of Valandovo is 11,890 inhabitants.The ethnic structure of the population living in the Valandovo is:
- MacedoniansMacedonians (ethnic group)The Macedonians also referred to as Macedonian Slavs: "... the term Slavomacedonian was introduced and was accepted by the community itself, which at the time had a much more widespread non-Greek Macedonian ethnic consciousness...
: 9,830 (82.67%) - TurksTurkish peopleTurkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
: 1,333 (11.21%) - Roma: 32 (0.27%)
- SerbsSerbsThe Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
: 639 (5.37%) - BosniaksBosniaksThe Bosniaks or Bosniacs are a South Slavic ethnic group, living mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a smaller minority also present in other lands of the Balkan Peninsula especially in Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia...
: 1 - VlachsVlachsVlach is a blanket term covering several modern Latin peoples descending from the Latinised population in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe. English variations on the name include: Walla, Wlachs, Wallachs, Vlahs, Olahs or Ulahs...
: 1 - Others: 52 (0.45%)
Music festival
Valandovo is known for its annual music festival in which the best folk singers from Macedonia take part. The first festival started as a result of the continuity of the rich and long musical tradition of this region. It was held in 1985 and became a new tradition promoted from its very beginning. For over 20 years now, the festival has presented valuable music and has gained great national significance.The chief organisers of the festival faced some problems and difficulties from the humble beginnings but nevertheless they never gave up on their idea. The festival was quickly accepted by audiences.
In 1989, a summer festival stage with 1,200 seats was built and all performances from 1985 – 89 were broadcast on television and so seen by 30,000 people. Valandovo musical production has issued 35 audio-cassettes, records and video-cassettes.
In 1993, the festival was held in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
The FOLK FEST has been admitted to FIDOV – the World Federation of Festival Organisations, with its head office in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, USA. This membership enables a worldwide presentation of both Macedonia and the festival. The festival has also received several awards, among others one by Deutsche Welle
Deutsche Welle
Deutsche Welle or DW, is Germany's international broadcaster. The service is aimed at the overseas market. It broadcasts news and information on shortwave, Internet and satellite radio on 98.7 DZFE in 30 languages . It has a satellite television service , that is available in four languages, and...
, a German radio station, for special achievements among our immigrants.
Notable natives
- Gjorge Ivanov, President of Macedonia
- Nano RužinNano RužinNano Ružin is a Macedonian professor of political and social sciences, Ex-Macedonian Ambassador to Nato, and was the presidential candidate of the Liberal Democratic Party for the Macedonian presidential election in 2009, the first round of which took place on 22 March 2009.-Biography:Ružin...
, 2009 Republic of Macedonia presidential candidate - Petar Gošev, Governor of the National Bank of the Republic of MacedoniaNational Bank of the Republic of MacedoniaThe National Bank of the Republic of Macedonia is the central bank of the Republic of Macedonia, located in the capital city, Skopje.The current Governor of the NBRM is Dimitar Bogov, since May 21, 2011.-Functions:...
- Blagica Kaleva, folk singer