Macedonians in the United Kingdom refers to people from

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 Yugoslavia. It ...

that have formed communities in or were born in the United Kingdom. The 2011 UK Census recorded a total of 2,983 residents who stated that their country of birth was Macedonia.

History of Macedonians in the United Kingdom

The majority of Macedonians in Britain arrived after the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia permitted emigration to the West in the 1960s and 1970s. Many Macedonians especially from the Demir Hisar, Bitola and

Prilep Prilep ( mk, Прилеп ) is the fourth-largest city in North Macedonia. It has a population of 66,246 and is known as "the city under Marko's Towers" because of its proximity to the towers of Prince Marko. Name The name of Prilep appear ...

regions left for Britain during this period. During the 1980s many professionals left Skopje to work in London for the Socialist Republic of Macedonia and for international organisations stationed there. Following the Breakup of Yugoslavia hundreds of ethnic Macedonians left for Britain. After the

Yugoslav Wars The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related Naimark (2003), p. xvii. ethnic conflicts, wars of independence, and insurgencies that took place in the SFR Yugoslavia from 1991 to 2001. The conflicts both led up to and resulted from ...

in the 1990s many ethnic Macedonians and Albanians from the newly independent Republic of Macedonia left for Britain as refugees. The

2001 UK Census A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194. The 2001 UK census was organised by the Office for National ...

recorded 1,285 people born in Macedonia. The 2011 UK Census recorded 2,882 Macedonian-born residents in England, 32 in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

, 56 in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

, and 13 in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

Organisations

Within the United Kingdom many ethnic Macedonian based organisations have been founded. Most notable is the "Association of Macedonians in the United Kingdom" ( mk, Асоцијација на Македонци во Обинето Кралство, translit=Asociasija na Makedoncite vo Obinetoto Kralstvo). This group has been key in organising events amongst the ethnic Macedonian community in Britain. They have also contributed to the consecration of the

Macedonian Orthodox Church The Macedonian Orthodox Church – Archdiocese of Ohrid (MOC-AO; mk, Македонска православна црква – Охридска архиепископија), or simply the Macedonian Orthodox Church (MOC) or the Archdiocese o ...

in London along with the Embassy of the Republic of Macedonia in London. The most prominent Cultural and Artistic society within the ethnic Macedonians community in the United Kingdom is the ethnic Macedonian Cultural and Artistic Association "Sonce". It was founded in London on 17 November 2003.

Macedonian Orthodox Church

The Macedonian Orthodox Church "St. Archangel Michael & All Angels", was founded by immigrants from Macedonia in 1993. At first it organised liturgy only once a year for Easter, but in 2007 a resident priest was appointed. The following year, 2008, a chapel in

Soho Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was develo ...

in London became the home of the

and liturgies in Macedonian have been offered there at least once a month ever since. There have been plans to construct a Cultural Centre on the site of the Church.Macedonian Church
/ref> In 2010 a Sunday church school for Macedonian was formed with a class of about 15 children. In 2014, three new classes opened, one in London, one in

Littlehampton Littlehampton is a town, seaside resort, and pleasure harbour, and the most populous civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England. It lies on the English Channel on the eastern bank of the mouth of the River Arun. It is south sout ...

, and the third in

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

Notable individuals

References

External links