Velmej ( mk, Велмеј) is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

in the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

Debarca Debarca or Drembica () is a historical region in western North Macedonia, north of Ohrid and south-west of Kičevo. Its territory is now divided between Debarca Municipality and Kičevo Municipality. History A region known as Drembica, Deb'r ...

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 ...

. It used to be part of the former municipality of

Belčišta Belčišta ( mk, Белчишта) is a village in the municipality of Debarca, North Macedonia. It used to be municipality of its own. It is the municipality center of Debarca municipality. Demographics According to the 2002 census, the village ...

Location

Velmej is located at Dolna

region, 13 km. east from the Ohrid- Kicevo high road. On the western slopes of mountain Ilinska Bigla, from the north and the east side, the village is surrounded with the mountain massifs of Ilinska Bigla, (to the east is Kilaec peakat 1068 m, to the north is Čuki at 1303 m) and in the west and south sides is the

Velmej field Velmej ( mk, Велмеј) is a village in the Municipalities of North Macedonia, municipality of Debarca Municipality, Debarca, North Macedonia. It used to be part of the former municipality of Belčišta. Location Velmej is located at Dolna ...

. The village's altitude is 860 m. The area of the village Velmej takes 39.3 km² or 10% of the territory of

. The closest airport to Velmej is OHD- Ohrid, located 18.7 km southwest of Velmej. Other nearby airports include SKP-

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 ...

95.0 km to the northeast and TIA-

Tirana Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...

Rinas 99.7 km to the west. Places near Velmej,

Macedonia Macedonia most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a traditional geographic reg ...

: 3.2 km to Grko Pole, 3.5 km to Sošani, 4.1 km to Lešani, 4.1 km to Gorno Sredoreče, 4.7 km to Dolno Sredoreče, 6.3 km to Kuratica, 5.4 km to Ozdoleni, 6.3 km to Slatino, 5.8 km to Brežani, 6.0 km to

, 6.2 km to Zlesti, 7.6 km to

Izdeglavje Izdeglavje ( mk, Издеглавје) is a village in the municipality of Debarca, North Macedonia. It used to be part of the former municipality of Belčišta. History Izdeglavje is home to three medieval archaeological sites: Manastirište, ...

, 8.5 km to Sirula, 10.1 km to Arbinovo, 10.7 km to Plakje.

History

During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, in 1943, Karaorman Mountain, about 30 km. from Ohrid, covered with dense vegetation and abounding in game, particularly the region around

on its eastern slopes, became the centre of partisan activity. The first free territory in Western Macedonia was established there. The region of Debarca was especially favorable for the development of partisan warfare, in which the local population engaged in large numbers. The first National Liberation Committees were set up in Debarca on liberated territory in the spring of 1943. Their task was to organize life throughout the free territory. The Debarca District National Liberation Committee devoted special attention to education. The first schools with classes on the

Macedonian language Macedonian (; , , ) is an Eastern South Slavic language. It is part of the Indo-European language family, and is one of the Slavic languages, which are part of a larger Balto-Slavic branch. Spoken as a first language by around two million ...

were opened in October and November 1943 in Velmej, Vrbjani, Belciste, Botun and other Ohrid villages.

Demographics

According to the 2002 census, the village had a total of 511 inhabitants. Ethnic groups in the village include:Macedonian Census (2002)
''Book 5 - Total population according to the Ethnic Affiliation, Mother Tongue and Religion''
The State Statistical Office, Skopje, 2002, p. 67. * Macedonians 511

Economy

55.3% of the surface area of Velmej is forest and mountains, 22.4% is farmland, and 22.3% is in the moorland.

Culture

In the Ohrid region there are several Neolithic settlements: Dolno Trnovo in Ohrid and Zlastrana in the village of Gorno Sredorece (

), as well as the Kutlina site in the village of Velmej (

), which dates back to the Eneolithic period. At the centre of Velmej is a high bell tower of St Nikolas church. There is another church, St. George which looks down on northwards part of the village. Also, an impressive fountain called ”Istok” (East) which disposes large amount of water running through 18 sources is situated at the western part of the village. That is the place where the traditional wedding ceremony called ”Bringing water by the bride” happens. Nowadays, there is a water system through the village, built in 1982, but “Istok” still brings together the inhabitants of Velmej. Near the fountain is a tablet of fallen fighters of People's Liberation War and Ilinden rebellion.

Notable people

Zoran Stavreski Zoran Stavreski (born 29 October 1964 in Ohrid) is Macedonian politician and formerly Deputy Prime Minister in charge of Finance. Education Graduated from the Faculty of Economics of the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje in 1987. In ...

- minister of finance of the Government Republic of Macedonia * Ljube Trpeski - ex-governor of

National Bank of the Republic of Macedonia The National Bank of the Republic of North Macedonia ( mk, Народна банка на Република Северна Македонија, translit=Narodna Banka na Republika Severna Makedonija, NBRSM) is the central bank of North Macedoni ...

* Ilija Iloski - ex-Director of Customs Administration of the Republic of Macedonia, ex-member of Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia - Chief Operating Officer, Director of KMB - Komercijalna Banka Skopje

References

{{Debarca Municipality Villages in Debarca Municipality