Kolešino () is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

in the

municipality 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 Novo Selo,

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 ...

. It is located four kilometers from the border with

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

and nine kilometers from

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

. Kolešino is at the base of the Belasica Mountains.

History

According to local lore, Kolešino's name originates from the Battle of Belasica (also known as the Battle of Kleidion or Battle of Belasitsa), as ''kolenje'' means slaughter. The battle occurred on 29 July 1014 between the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

and the

Bulgarian Empire Bulgarian Empire may refer to: * First Bulgarian Empire The First Bulgarian Empire (; was a medieval state that existed in Southeastern Europe between the 7th and 11th centuries AD. It was founded in 680–681 after part of the Bulgars, led b ...

. Kolešino is best known for

Kolešino Falls Kolešino Falls ( Macedonian: Колешински Водопад) is a waterfall located above the village of Kolešino in the Municipality of Novo Selo in the southeastern region of North Macedonia. Flowing from the Baba River, the waterfall i ...

, a

waterfall A waterfall is any point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in seve ...

located just south of the village, elevated in the Belasica Mountains. In the past, Kolešino had a Greek population.

Demographics

According to the 2002 census, the village had a total of 845 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. 146. * Macedonians 838 *

Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian Cultural heritage, ancestry, Culture of Serbia, culture, History of Serbia, history, and Serbian lan ...

3 *Others 4 As of 2021, the village of Kolešino has 632 inhabitants and the ethnic composition was the following: * Macedonians – 609 *

– 1 * others – 4 * Person without Data - 18

People from Kolešino

* Charalambos Boufidis, Greek chieftain of the Macedonian Struggle * Pantelis Papaioannou, Greek chieftain of the Macedonian Struggle

References

Villages in Novo Selo Municipality {{NovoSelo-geo-stub