Kočani

Place in Eastern, North Macedonia

Kočani

Кочани (Macedonian)

From the top, View of Kočani, St. George's Church, Freedom Monument

Flag

Seal

Motto(s):

City of rice and geothermal water

Kočani

Location within North Macedonia

Coordinates: 41°55′16″N 22°24′41″E﻿ / ﻿41.92111°N 22.41139°E﻿ / 41.92111; 22.41139
Country|  North Macedonia
Region|  Eastern
Municipality|  Kočani
Geoname| 789403
Founded| 1337[2]
Council| VMRO-DPMNE \- 9, SDSM \- 8, Levica \- 1, Independent - 1
Area

• Total

| 18.6 km2 (7.2 sq mi)
Highest elevation

| 420 m (1,380 ft)
Lowest elevation

| 350 m (1,150 ft)
Population

(2021)

• Total

| 24,632[1]
Time zone| UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)| UTC+2 (CEST)
Area code| (++389) 33
Car plates| KO
Official language| Macedonian
Geothermal water temperature| 78°C
Settlements| 28
Climate| Cfa
Website| www.kocani.gov.mk

Kočani (Macedonian: Кочани [ˈkɔtʃani] ⓘ) is a town in the eastern part of North Macedonia, situated around 100 kilometres (62 mi) east from Skopje. It has a population of 24,632 as of 2021[1] and is the seat of the Kočani Municipality.

## Geography and population

[edit]

The town spreads across the Northern side of the Kočani valley, along the banks of the Kočani river, where it leaves the mountain slopes and flows through the valley. North of the town there is the Osogovo mountain (2,252 m or 7,388 ft) and 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) to the south the valley is closed by the mountain Plačkovica (1,754 m or 5,755 ft). The town is 350–450 m (1,150–1,480 ft) above sea level.

Kočani spreads over an area of 18.6 square kilometres (7.2 sq mi) 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
* 2021 – 24,632 inhabitants[3]

## Demographics

[edit]

### Ethnic structure

[edit]

According to the 1903 Austrian consular reports on ethnic composition of the kazas of the Sanjak of Skopje in 1903, the kaza of Kočani was populated by a total of 39,406 inhabitants, of whom 16,524 (41.93%) were Bulgarian Exarchists, 11,600 (29.44%) Ottoman Muslim, 7,800 (19.79%) Albanians, 1,680 (4.26%) Aromanians, 1,090 (2.77%) Patriarchists and 712 (1.8%) Romanis.[4]

According to the 2002 census, the ethnic composition of the city is as follows:

* Macedonian: 90.3%
* Roma: 5.0%
* Turks: 3.0%
* Vlachs: 0.5%
* Serbs: 0.2%
* Other: 1.0%

As of 2021, the city of Kočani has 24,632 inhabitants and the ethnic composition was the following:[5]

* Macedonians: 20,229 (82.1%)
* Romani: 1,892 (7.7%)
* Aromanians: 169 (<1%)
* Turks: 138 (<1%)
* Serbs: 36 (<1%)
* Albanians: 12 (<1%)
* Bosniaks: 11 (<1%)
* Others: 118 (<1%)
* Unknown: 2,027 (8.2%)

### Religious denomination

[edit]

* Orthodox: 96% [citation needed]
* Muslims: 3% [citation needed]
* Catholic: 0.3%
* Other: 0.7%

## Climate

[edit]

The climate is humid subtropical (Köppen: Cfa), influenced by altered Mediterranean climate which penetrates along the river Bregalnica. The average temperature is 12.9 °C (55.2 °F) with 538 mm (21.2 in) rainfall.

## City Council

[edit]

Following the 2021 local elections, the City Council is constituted as follows:[6]

Party / List | Seats |

|
|

VMRO-DPMNE | 9
SDSM | 8
The Left | 1
Independent politicians | 1
Total | 19

## History

[edit]

Kočani at night Kočani in 1942 Postcard of Kočani, from 1930s

Due to its favourable geographic location, together with excellent natural climate characteristics, Kočani was inhabited as early as the ancient times first by the Paionians, Meds and Thracians. Later on, in the 6th century the Slavs inhabited parts of the region. More precisely, in the 7th century members of the Slavic tribe Smolyani colonized the Kočani valley and built a fortification. The founders of the Slavic education, brothers Kiril and Metodij (Cyril and Methodius), stayed in the valley from the year 845 to 855 and in the Bregalnica area (Morodvis) started to preach Christianity in Slavic language.[citation needed]

Although the settlement existed long before that, 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 Ottoman rule. The travel chronicler Evliya Çelebi, who visited it in 1662, recorded that it had 600 households, a mosque, a mezjid, an inn and 15 handicraft stores. 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.

At least 59 people were killed and 152 were injured after a fire broke out in the Pulse nightclub during a concert on 16 March 2025.[7][8]

## Monuments

[edit]

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, and two medieval towers at the city center.

Monastery complexes in the nearby villages Morodvis and Panteley are world-famous both for their architecture and unique frescoes.

## Features

[edit]

St. George Orthodox church in Kočani Freedom Monument in Kočani

The Ploughman's Tale

Excerpt of speech by a woman from Kočani Valley in the local Štip – Kočani dialect

* * *

Problems playing this file? See media help.

The town green, especially along the river bed and banks of the Kočani river, is the pride of the local people. The town is very clean and neat, for which it has proudly held the prestigious title of the cleanest town in North Macedonia.[9]

Today Kočani is a modern town with planned infrastructure, avenues, many modern buildings and blocks of flats, a hospital, 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.

## Education

[edit]

The City of Kočani is served by four primary schools:

* Nikola Karev Primary School
* Saints Cyril and Methodius Primary School
* Rade Kratovče Primary School
* Malina Popivanova Primary School

There are also two secondary schools:

* Ljupčo Santov Gymnasium (specializing in economics)
* Gjošo Vikentev (specializing in electronics and machining)

There is also a primary school specializing in music:

* Risto Jurukov Primary School for Music

The city also maintains a municipal library "Iskra" ("spark").

## Sports

[edit]

Local football club FK Osogovo has played several seasons in the Macedonian First Football League.

## Town partnerships

[edit]

Kočani maintains partnership links with the following places:

* Kazanlak, Bulgaria
* Szigetszentmiklós, Hungary
* Yenifoça, Turkey
* Križevci, Croatia
* Pereyaslav, Ukraine
* Kranj, Slovenia
* Novi Kneževac, Serbia
* Gosport, England

## Notable people

[edit]

* Kočani Orkestar, musicians
* Kiril F. Dzmbov, nuclear physicist, member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts and of MANU
* Rade Kratovče, revolutionary
* Pavle Krošarev, pilot, (the first Macedonian civil-aviation pilot to achieve the rank of an airline captain)
* Branko Pendovski, writer, president of the Writers' Association of Macedonia
* Malina Popivanova, revolutionary
* Blagoja Popov, politician, Chairman of the Executive Council (Prime Minister) of Macedonia 1974–1982
* Blagoj S. Popov, mathematician and first dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics of the University of Skopje, member of MANU
* Ljupčo Santov, revolutionary
* Stevo Teodosievski, musician
* Boyka Vaptsarova bg, public figure, wife of Bulgarian poet Nikola Vaptsarov
* Jordan Pop-Jordanov, engineer and physicist, member of the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts
* Blagica Jovanova, engineer and Ph.D. in computer science, scientist, visiting professor in Universities in Paris and Macedonia, member and contributor of MPEG standards
* Simeon Kango Ivanov, musician
* Gošo Vikentiev, commander in the XIV Macedonian Youth National Liberation Brigade in the attack to liberate Kočani from the Axis powers during World War II

## See also

[edit]

* Coat of arms of Kočani Municipality

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Total resident population, households and dwellings in the Republic of North Macedonia, by settlement, Census 2021". MAKSTAT database. State Statistical Office of the Republic of North Macedonia. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
2. ^ ""Kočani" (history)" (in Macedonian). Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 24 November 2007.
3. ^ "Kočani (Municipality, North Macedonia) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
4. ^ Demeter, Gábor; Csaplár-Degovics, Krisztián (2018). A Study in the Theory and Practice of Destabilization: Violence and Strategies of Survival in Ottoman Macedonia (1903–1913). The Isis Press. p. 38.
5. ^ "Archived". makstat.stat.gov.mk. Archived from the original on 25 December 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
6. ^ "Совет на Општина Кочани (City Council)". kocani.gov.mk (in Macedonian). Retrieved 21 December 2023.
7. ^ "Death toll from North Macedonia nightclub fire rises to 59". BBC News. 16 March 2025. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
8. ^ "Arrest warrants issued for four people after nightclub fire in North Macedonia kills 59". Sky News.
9. ^ "Куманово е втор град во државата по зелени површини". KumanovoNews. Retrieved 21 April 2020.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kočani.

* Local Government Of The City Of Kočani, North Macedonia
* Old photographs of Kočani
* Blog about Kocani, Rural tourism

* v
* t
* e

Villages in the Kočani Municipality

Seat:|

* Kočani

Village(s):|

* Beli
* Bezikovo
* Crvena Niva
* Dolni Podlog
* Dolno Gradče
* Glavovica
* Gorni Podlog
* Gorno Gradče
* Grdovci
* Jastrebnik
* Kostin Dol
* Leški
* Mojanci
* Nebojani
* Nivičani
* Novo Selo
* Orizari
* Pantelej
* Pašaďikovo
* Polaki
* Preseka
* Pribačevo
* Pripor
* Rajčani
* Rečani
* Trkanje
* Vraninci

* v
* t
* e

Kočani

Geography|

* Eastern statistical region
* Osogovo
* Plačkovica
* Kočani Valley

Landmarks|

* Dolno Gradište
* Kočani medieval towers
* Morodvis

Sports|

* FK Osogovo Kočani
* Stadion Nikola Mantov
* ŽFK Kočani

Culture|

* Kočani Orkestar
* Štip-Kočani dialect

People|

* List of people from Kočani

* v
* t
* e

Cities of North Macedonia by population

50,000+|

* Bitola
* Kumanovo
* Prilep
* Skopje
* Tetovo

Coat of arms of North Macedonia

10,000+|

* Debar
* Delčevo
* Gevgelija
* Gostivar
* Kavadarci
* Kičevo
* Kočani
* Kriva Palanka
* Negotino
* Ohrid
* Probištip
* Radoviš
* Struga
* Strumica
* Sveti Nikole
* Štip
* Veles
* Vinica

2,000+|

* Berovo
* Bogdanci
* Demir Hisar
* Demir Kapija
* Kratovo
* Kruševo
* Makedonska Kamenica
* Makedonski Brod
* Pehčevo
* Resen
* Valandovo

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* Germany
* United States

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