Kavadarci ( ) is a town in the Tikveš region of

North Macedonia North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...

. In the heart of North Macedonia's

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...

country, it is home to the largest

winery A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the cultivation and production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feat ...

Southeast Europe Southeast Europe or Southeastern Europe is a geographical sub-region of Europe, consisting primarily of the region of the Balkans, as well as adjacent regions and Archipelago, archipelagos. There are overlapping and conflicting definitions of t ...

, named after the Tikveš plain. The town of Kavadarci is the seat of Kavadarci Municipality. Situated near Kavadarci is North Macedonia's largest artificial lake, Lake Tikveš.

History

Classical period

In the Tikveš region around Kavadarci, many artefacts and structures have been discovered dating back to prehistoric times. Bronze and ceramic artefacts were discovered at an archaeological site in the nearby town of

Stobi Stobi or Stoboi (; ; ; ), was an ancient town of Paeonia (kingdom), Paeonia, later conquered by Macedon, and finally turned into the capital of the Ancient Rome, Roman province of Macedonia Salutaris. It is located near Gradsko, North Macedonia ...

() dating to the 6th and 7th century BC. This town is said to have been established during the Hellenic period; being on the main road of Via Egnatia that led from the

Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...

to the

Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans and Anatolia, and covers an area of some . In the north, the Aegean is connected to the Marmara Sea, which in turn con ...

meant it became an important military, economic and cultural hub. The establishment of a mint during the Roman period aided in its prosperity and achieving the status of

municipium In ancient Rome, the Latin term (: ) referred to a town or city. Etymologically, the was a social contract among ('duty holders'), or citizens of the town. The duties () were a communal obligation assumed by the in exchange for the privileges ...

, denars and coins reading “Municipium Stobensium” were also produced in this area. Numerous buildings and monuments of this era such as a theatre have been discovered. A

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

community is said to have existed in

during the 3rd century, however, its

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

was torn down in the 4th century and a

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...

was built in its place. In the late 5th and early 6th century, the town was devastated in the great Avaro-Slavonic invasions.

which was previously the centre of this region was replaced by the new village of Dukena.

Ottoman Empire

Much change took place during the occupation of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

in the 14th century; the occupying Ottomans destroyed all existing villages replacing them with oriental architecture. Villagers from Rashtani and Dukena fleeing from the Ottomans settled in a new area, bringing with them many families that exist in Kavadarci today. From this settlement a new village emerged. During the 17th century this growing village attracted much attention and spurred a large migration of people from the surrounding hills and villages, establishing the new town called Kavadarci. Kavadarci was under the jurisdiction of Bitola's area Pashaluk (Ottoman military territorial unit controlled by a Pasha). With the Turkish majority, many beys residences and several mosques were built throughout the town. By this time Kavadarci had been firmly established as the new centre of the Tikveš region. During the period of

Bulgarian National Revival The Bulgarian Revival (, ''Balgarsko vazrazhdane'' or simply: Възраждане, ''Vazrazhdane'', and ), sometimes called the Bulgarian National Revival, was a period of socio-economic development and national integration among Bulgarian pe ...

, a Bulgarian church municipality functioned in the town. After the forming of the Bulgarian Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Committee by Dame Gruev in 1894 and the Ilinden-Preobrazhenie Uprising many revolutionary troops operated in the Tikveš area, working with the aim of

autonomy for Macedonia and Adrianople regions Autonomy for the region of Macedonia and Adrianople Thrace within the Ottoman Empire was a concept that arose in the late 19th century and was popular until ca. 1920. The plan was developed among Macedonian Bulgarian, Macedonian and Thracian Bu ...

20th century

During this period Kavadarci flourished, becoming a large economic, administrative and political center in the Tikveš area. In June 1913, the Tikveš Uprising took place against the

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

n occupational forces. The resistance fighters freed the majority of the Tikveš region, including the towns of Kavadarci, Negotino, Vataša, and several small villages.

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

n military forces killed approximately 1,200 people and burnt more than 1,000 homes. Most of the Turks fled to Turkey. Recep Vardarlı moved to Turkey and founded Tikveşli ("Came from Tikveş" in Turkish) company, which produces yogurt and ayran, in 1943. The firm was sold to

Danone Danone S.A. () is a French multinational corporation, multinational food-products corporation based in Paris. It was founded in 1919 in Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. It is listed on Euronext Paris, where it is a component of the CAC 40 stock mark ...

in 1998. From 1929 to 1941, Kavadarci was part of the Vardar Banovina of the

Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a country in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 to 1929, it was officially called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, but the term "Yugoslavia" () h ...

. There was strong resistance against the Serbian occupation. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, after the defeat of Yugoslavia by Germany in April 1941 and before the entry of Bulgarian troops in Vardar Macedonia a local Bulgarian Action Committee was formed in Kavadarci. The town was under Bulgarian rule until September 1944. "Between 2011 and 2012, the number of cancer diagnoses in Kavadarci and the surrounding villages rose significantly, from 981 to 1,332. According to the local medical clinic, pediatric cancers are also on the rise." In 2012, "there were 17 children under the age of six diagnosed with cancer."

Municipality of Kavadarci

The Municipality of Kavadarci spreads from the central region of Povardarie to the highlands of Vitačevo () and is located next to the Crna Reka (The Black River) () and the River

Vardar The Vardar (; , , ) or Axios (, ) is the longest river in North Macedonia and a major river in Greece, where it reaches the Aegean Sea at Thessaloniki. It is long, out of which are in Greece, and drains an area of around . The maximum depth of ...

(). Covering a large area in the Tikveš valley with a total ground surface of , it comprises 31 settlements, the largest of these being Vataša ().

Demographics

Media

Two TV, two radio stations and one official web site operate in Kavadarci: They are KTV 41 and TVT, Radio Galaxy FM and Radio Kavadarci FM, and www.kavadar4e.com. All five are privately owned.

Politics

Since 2017, local elections were held on 15 October 2017, on 29 October 2017, and on 17 October 2021. Mitko Janchev won the elections and became the new Mayor of Kavadarci.

Industry

Wine

Kavadarci's most famous export is

, the city being home to the largest

in south-eastern

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. Vineyards in the region cover a total area of , producing up to 85,000 tons of grapes annually. The Tikveš

is one of the oldest wineries in

processing up to 55 million kilograms of grapes to produce approximately 35 million litres of

each year. Of the 38,000 citizens, it is estimated that up to 85% are involved with the growing of grapes. The tradition of

making and

grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began approximately 8,0 ...

growing in the Tikveš region date as far back as the 4th century BC. The industry thrived during medieval times with its production as was common at the time throughout

being made in monasteries. The Tikveš region is in an area with a unique and favourable climate produced by the merging of the Mediterranean from the south and Continental from the north. Combined with arable soil, high with eroded clay content makes this a most favourable area to grow grapes. The combined

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

of Kavadarci and Rosoman use 20% of the

’s total landmass () for the cultivation of grapes. The country is the seventh largest exporter of

to the EU from outside the region. Of the total harvested crop in Kavadarci, 80% are

grapes and 20% are table grapes. The Tikveš

processes up to 55 million km of grapes to produce approximately 35 million litres of

each year. Although the largest and most prolific, Tikveš is by no means the only

in the city: Others include Chekorovi () and Popov (). The combined wineries in the region export up to 26 countries.

Ferronickel smelter

Another important industry is the manufacture of ferronickel in what has become known as the "Nickel Valley". Until 2013, the smelter received at least part of its input ore from the , to which it was connected by the world's longest conveyor belt. The company FENI Industries, with a colourful history of owners that included for a time

Beny Steinmetz Beny Steinmetz (; born 2 April 1956) is an Israeli businessman and entrepreneur, with a focus on the mining, energy, real estate and diamond-mining industries. He has been convicted of corrupt and illegal business practices in multiple countries ...

, Alexander Mashkevich, Patokh Chodiev and Alijan Ibragimov in the Cunico Resources vehicle, produced between 12000 and 16000 tons of ferronickel annually. The smelter was shut down for a time in around 2018 and re-emerged from a court-administered insolvency process as EuroNickel Industries.

Free Economic Zone

In a bid to attract more interest from domestic and foreign investors in 2000 the first

Free Economic Zone A free-trade zone (FTZ) is a class of special economic zone. It is a geographic area where goods may be imported, stored, handled, manufactured, or reconfigured and re- exported under specific customs regulation and generally not subjec ...

(FEZ) of

was founded in Kavadarci. German company DRÄXLMAIER Group was the first investor in the FEZ (Free Economic Zone) with the opening of their first plant in 2012. The plant manufactures electrical system sets for the automotive industry. The factory is the largest employer in the city, with the current employee count reaching above 5000 employees.

Tobacco

Kavadarci is known for its timber and

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

production. Alliance One Macedonia, one of the largest tobacco processing companies in North Macedonia is located in Kavadarci, producing and exporting Macedonian Oriental tobacco to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, and selected EU and

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

n countries.

Main sights

Tikveški Grozdober

In the first week of September of each year a festival called "Tikveški Grozdober" (Тиквешки гроздобер, lit. '' Tikveš

picking'') is held for several days marking the beginning of the

harvest in the Tikveš region and commemorating the liberation of Kavadarci. Such is the importance of this fruit, the city flag is composed of six circles in white and red representing the town's most abundant and important produce. Tikveški Grozdober officially began in 1964. It takes place over several days and is one of the largest cultural manifestations of its kind in the region. The festival includes folk, pop and rock concerts, traditional dancing, seminars, presentations and exhibitions. During this time the city centre houses many temporary restaurants, stalls and shops open to allow visitors to experience the smells and tastes of local delicacies. It culminates in a carnival procession through the main streets of the town.

Lake Tikveš

Lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

Tikveš () is the largest

artificial lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from t ...

. It is located

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...

, southwest of Kavadarci on the Crna Reka, and from the village of Vozarci. The lake was built in 1968 by redirecting river water and building a high dam. It has a surface area of approximately , a length of and width of . The average temperature of the water is , the maximum depth is , and the total volume is approximately . Its two main sources of water are the Crna Reka and the Dragov River. The artificial accumulation is provides water to the local area for businesses such as irrigation and fisheries. It generates electricity through the use of a hydro power plant (HPP), is a site for sports and recreation, and is a popular tourist attraction due to the cultural monuments and rich flora and fauna of the area. The area around Lake Tikveš has been designated a protected zone; this was established and supported as a conservation project for the protection of the wildlife and surrounding environment by a local environmental association ODEK and a public enterprise Tikveško Pole.

Tikveš Strict Natural Reserve

Established in 1997, the Tikveš Strict Natural Reserve is southeast of Kavadarci and covers an area of approximately . Some 23 species of predatory birds are present in the reserve and of these 17 nest in this area. It is said to be one of the most important ornithological sites in

Pološki Monastery and Church of St. Bogorodica of Drenovo

The Pološki Monastery was built in the 14th century by a father and a son from Prespa (), well known for building

monasteries A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which m ...

and churches across Macedonia. The pair set to work with the son building a church in Drenovo () and the father the Pološki Monastery (). After the father had completed construction of the Pološki Monastery he returned to Drenovo. The ossuary monument in Kavadarci

The vanity and arrogance of the son made him claim that the church he built was so beautiful and so well made that even if Saint Ilija came down from the heavens he would not be able to destroy it. At that moment a lightning bolt appeared out of the blue sky: Saint Ilija angered by this claim split the new church in half. It is said that if the break is repaired, each year on the day of Ilinden (), August 2 (St. Elijah's Day) the church will split in the exactly same place. The church within the Pološki

Monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

is dedicated to Sveti Gorgija (Saint George) and is on the southwestern shore of Lake Tikveš that is accessible only by boat. Its

fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

paintings are completely preserved and can be dated to the 14th century; the only exception being those in the

narthex The narthex is an architectural element typical of Early Christian art and architecture, early Christian and Byzantine architecture, Byzantine basilicas and Church architecture, churches consisting of the entrance or Vestibule (architecture), ve ...

that was built during the 17th century. The most recent and last restoration to the building took place during the 19th century. The

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

is well known for its collections of unique

icon An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic Church, Catholic, and Lutheranism, Lutheran churches. The most common subjects include Jesus, Mary, mother of ...

wood carving Wood carving (or woodcarving) is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculpture, ...

s and especially for its

art that differ from others of the same period due to its unusual compositions.

Marko’s Tower

Marko's Tower is a stone edifice located in the centre of Kavadarci; it was erected during the 18th century. The square structure stands at approximately with five stories. Its walls are thick, with three windows on the fourth and fifth floor. The only entrance is by the door on the second floor, accessible via a stone staircase. On the south wall of the fourth floor remains an opening that was used for defence; the opening on the fifth floor was to dispose of dirty water.

Ivan Mazov-Klime House of Culture

The Ivan Mazov-Klime House of Culture was founded in 1952 and formed an ensemble in 1953. The Tikveš Folk Ensemble is composed of 115 members and performs choreographed folk songs and dances throughout the country and abroad.

City Museum and Gallery

Built in 1973 and opened to the public in 1976, the City

Museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...

houses many historical,

archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

and cultural exhibits. The gallery showcases work from local and international artists, organising five to eight exhibitions each year.

Sport

Kavadarci is the home of several sports teams. The best known are: *a professional football club named GFK Tikveš *a basketball team formerly known as KK Feni Industries, since 2019 known as KK EuroNickel 2005 *a handball club named GRK Tikveš GFK Tikveš play their home matches at Gradski Stadion Kavadarci, while KK Euronickel and GRK Tikveš use the multi-purpose indoor Jasmin Sports Hall.

Climate

Kavadarci has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

: ''Cfa'').

People from Kavadarci

Notable people from Kavadarci include: * Andon Dončevski, former football coach * Petar Angelov, handball player * Stojan Andov, politician * Strašo Pindžur, communist revolutionary * Todor Gečevski, basketball player * Vanče Šikov, footballer * Vrbica Stefanov, former basketball player * Zafir Hadžimanov, singer and composer * Petar Mazev, academic painter * Tome Hadzi-Vasilev, footballer, ex director of FK Tikves

Twin towns – sister cities

Kavadarci is twinned with: * Boljevac, Serbia * Bucha, Ukraine *

Dobrich Dobrich ( ; ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, 9th most populated city in Bulgaria, the administrative centre of Dobrich Province and the capital of the region of Southern Dobrudzha. It is located in the northeastern part of the cou ...

, Bulgaria *

Gornji Milanovac Gornji Milanovac ( sr-Cyrl, Гoрњи Милановац, ) is a town and municipality located in the Moravica District of central Serbia. The population of the town is 23,109, while the population of the municipality is 38,985 (2022 census data). ...

, Serbia *

Kemalpaşa Kemalpaşa is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of İzmir Province, Turkey. Its area is 681 km2, and its population is 114,250 (2022). Kemalpaşa town is from the historical and traditional center of İzmir, (Konak, İzmir, Ko ...

, Turkey *

Kovin Kovin (, ) is a town and municipality located in the South Banat District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The town has a population of 11,623, while the municipality has 28,141 inhabitants (2022 census). Other names In Rom ...

, Serbia *

Makarska Makarska () is a town on the Adriatic coastline of Croatia, about southeast of Split (city), Split and northwest of Dubrovnik, in the Split-Dalmatia County. Makarska is a prominent regional tourist center, located on a horseshoe-shaped bay bet ...

, Croatia * Năsăud, Romania * Panagyurishte, Bulgaria *

Pernik Pernik ( ) is List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, a town in western Bulgaria (about south-west of Sofia) with a population of 70,285 . Pernik is the most populated town in western Bulgaria after Sofia. It is the main town of Pernik Province an ...

, Bulgaria * Pleven, Bulgaria * Rožaje, Montenegro

Notes

External links

Official Municipality of Kavadarci websiteMacedonian Cultural & Information Centre

Official Tikveš Winery Website
{{commons category, Kavadarci Cities in North Macedonia Nickel smelters Smelters of Yugoslavia Smelters of North Macedonia Metallurgical industry of North Macedonia

History

Classical period

Ottoman Empire

20th century

Municipality of Kavadarci

Demographics

Media

Politics

Industry

Wine

Ferronickel smelter

Free Economic Zone

Tobacco

Main sights

Tikveški Grozdober

Lake Tikveš

Tikveš Strict Natural Reserve

Pološki Monastery and Church of St. Bogorodica of Drenovo

Marko’s Tower

Ivan Mazov-Klime House of Culture

City Museum and Gallery

Sport

Climate

People from Kavadarci

Twin towns – sister cities

See also

Notes

External links