Gevgelija ( mk, Гевгелија; ) is a town with a population of 15,685 located in the very southeast of the
North Macedonia
North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...
along the banks of the
Vardar River, situated at the country's main border with
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
(Bogorodica-
Evzoni), the point which links the motorway from
Skopje
Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre.
The territory of Skopje has been inhabited since at least 4000 BC; r ...
and three regional capitals,
Belgrade
Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
,
Zagreb
Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...
, and
Sofia
Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...
with
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area, and the capi ...
in
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
. The town is the seat of
Gevgelija municipality.
Name
In
Macedonian
Macedonian most often refers to someone or something from or related to Macedonia.
Macedonian(s) may specifically refer to:
People Modern
* Macedonians (ethnic group), a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group primarily associated with North M ...
the town is called ''Gevgelija'' (Гевгелија). It is known as ''Gevgeli'' (Гевгели) in
Bulgarian
Bulgarian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria
* Bulgarians, a South Slavic ethnic group
* Bulgarian language, a Slavic language
* Bulgarian alphabet
* A citizen of Bulgaria, see Demographics of Bulgaria
* Bul ...
, ''Gevgeli'' in
Turkish
Turkish may refer to:
*a Turkic language spoken by the Turks
* of or about Turkey
** Turkish language
*** Turkish alphabet
** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
*** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey
*** Turkish communities and mi ...
, ''Đevđelija'' (Ђевђелија, ) in
Serbian
Serbian may refer to:
* someone or something related to Serbia, a country in Southeastern Europe
* someone or something related to the Serbs, a South Slavic people
* Serbian language
* Serbian names
See also
*
*
* Old Serbian (disambiguat ...
and ''Yevyelí'' (Γευγελή) in
Greek. Furthermore, in
Megleno-Romanian, the city is known as .
Gevgelija is known as the "Balkan Las Vegas".
History
In the late 19th and early 20th century, Gevgelija was part of the
Salonica Vilayet
The Vilayet of Salonica ( ota, ولايت سلانيك, Vilâyet-i Selânik) was a first-level administrative division (vilayet) of the Ottoman Empire from 1867 to 1912. In the late 19th century it reportedly had an area of .[Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...]
. According to the statistics of the
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
geographer Alexandre Synvet, the town had a total Christian population of 290 families (1.740 people) in 1878, consisting of 35
Bulgarian Christian ones and 255
Greek Christian families.
[Synvet, A.]
Les Grecs de l'Empire ottoman: Etude statistique et ethnographique
Constantinople ("L Orient illustre") 1878, p. 50, ΑΡΒ 1366 The town had also 4 Greek schools.
According to Geographers Dimitri Mishev and D. M. Brancoff, in 1905 the town had a population of 4,375 Christians, consisting of 2.240
Patriarchist Bulgarians
Bulgarians ( bg, българи, Bǎlgari, ) are a nation and South Slavic ethnic group native to Bulgaria and the rest of Southeast Europe.
Etymology
Bulgarians derive their ethnonym from the Bulgars. Their name is not completely understo ...
(
Grecomans
Grecoman or Graecoman (Greek: Γραικομάνοι, ''Grekománoi'', Bulgarian: Гъркомани, ''Garkomani'', Macedonian: Гркомани, ''Grkomani'', Romanian: ''Grecomani'', Albanian: ''Grekomanë'', Aromanian: ''Gricumanji'') is a ...
), 1.840
Exarchist Bulgarians, 80
Serbian Patriarchist Bulgarians (
Serbomans
Serbomans (Serbo-Croatian and mk, србомани, srbomani; bg, сърбомани, sarbomani; ro, sârbomani) is a Bulgarian pejorative term used by Bulgarian nationalists for inhabitants in the region of Macedonia that claimed Serbian ethnic ...
), 8
Uniat Bulgarians, 90
Roma people, 72 Vlachs (
Megleno-Romanians
The Megleno-Romanians, also known as Meglenites ( ruq, Miglinits), Moglenite Vlachs or simply Vlachs ( ruq, Vlaș), are a small Eastern Romance people, originally inhabiting seven villages in the Moglena region spanning the Pella and Kilkis reg ...
), 30
Albanians
The Albanians (; sq, Shqiptarët ) are an ethnic group and nation native to the Balkan Peninsula who share a common Albanian ancestry, culture, history and language. They primarily live in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Se ...
and 15
Greeks
The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, oth ...
.
[Dimitri Mishev and D. M. Brancoff]
''La Macédoine et sa Population Chrétienne''
p. 194
From 1929 to 1941, Gevgelija was part of the
Vardar Banovina
The Vardar Banovina, or Vardar Banate ( mk, Вардарска бановина, Vardarska banovina; sr, Вардарска бановина, translit=Vardarska Banovina; al, Banovina e Vardarit, italics=no), was a province (banate) of the King ...
of the
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Kraljevina Jugoslavija, Краљевина Југославија; sl, Kraljevina Jugoslavija) was a state in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 unt ...
.
Transport
The town is served by
Gevgelija railway station
Gevgelija railway station (''Железничка Станица Гевгелија'') is the main railway station in Gevgelija, North Macedonia. It is located outside the city and is served by international intercity trains to Thessaloniki, Sko ...
, located outside the city limits.
Demographics
According to the 2002 census, the town of Gevgelija had 15,685 residents, most of whom were
ethnic Macedonians.
[Macedonian census, language and religion](_blank)
/ref>
Geography
Located between the mountains Kožuf
Kožuf Mountain or Tzena / Zona ( el, Τζένα/Tzena, Ζώνα/Zona, mk, ) is a mountain situated in the southern part of North Macedonia and northern part of Greece. Associated village names are Konopište, Kavadarci and Gevgelija. is a min ...
and Pajak only from Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area, and the capi ...
and from Skopje
Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre.
The territory of Skopje has been inhabited since at least 4000 BC; r ...
, the town acts as a rail depot between the two countries, making it a central location in its region. Its position in the south of the country gives it a warm Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...
(''Csa'' classification), making it the optimal location in North Macedonia for cultivation of fruits and vegetables such as figs, lemons, and grapes. The town is also a centre for raising silkworms
The domestic silk moth (''Bombyx mori''), is an insect from the moth family Bombycidae. It is the closest relative of ''Bombyx mandarina'', the wild silk moth. The silkworm is the larva or caterpillar of a silk moth. It is an economically imp ...
, an integral part of the country's silk trade. Alongside its agriculture, Gevgelija's economy consists of a light industry sector. Tourism is growing, with a spa located in a nearby village.
Climate
Gevgelija has a hot-summer mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
: ''Csa'').
Sports
Local football club FK Kožuf
FK Kožuf ( mk, ФК Кожуф) is a football club from Gevgelija, North Macedonia. They are currently competing in the Macedonian Second League.
History
The club was founded in 1922.
They played in the Macedonian First League back in 1994– ...
have played in the Macedonian First Football League.
International relations
Twin towns – Sister cities
Gevgelija is twinned with:
Notable people
Gallery
Gevgelija, panorama na razglednica, 1930ti.jpg, Postcard of Gevgelija, 1930s
Gevgelija, skolo na razglednica od 1930ti.jpg, Postcard of Gevgelija, Primary School in 1930s
Izgradba na most kaj Malosiste Gevgelisko, 1950te.jpg, The construction of the bridge near Malosiste, Gevgelija. The bridge connects the motorway Ljubljana-Gevgelija (1950s).
See also
*Vardarski Rid View of forum
Vardarski Rid is an archaeological site in Gevgelija, North Macedonia of a town dating from Early Antiquity. Archaeological excavations reveal the architectural layout of the monumental stoa, an acropolis, and other segments from the ...
References
External links
Gevgelija Photo Essay
– Photos of Gevgelija
Official website of the municipality of Gevgelija
– Website with detailed information and history of Gevgelija
{{Authority control
Cities in North Macedonia
Greece–North Macedonia border crossings
Gevgelija Municipality