Kruševo ( ;
[ "Crușuva"]) is a
town
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
in
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 ...
. In
Macedonian the name means the 'place of pear trees'. It is the highest town in North Macedonia and one of the highest in the
Balkans
The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...
, situated at an altitude of over 1350 m (4429 feet) above sea level. The town of Kruševo is the seat of
Kruševo Municipality
Kruševo Municipality ( ; ) is a municipality in the central region of North Macedonia. '' Kruševo'' is also the name of the town where the municipal seat is found. This municipality is part of the Pelagonia Statistical Region.
Geography
The m ...
. It is located in the western part of the country, overlooking the region of
Pelagonia
Pelagonia (; ) is a geographical region of Macedonia named after the ancient kingdom. Ancient Pelagonia roughly corresponded to the present-day municipalities of Bitola, Prilep, Mogila, Novaci, Kruševo, and Krivogaštani in North Macedo ...
, 33 and 53 km from the nearby cities of
Prilep
Prilep ( ) is the List of cities in North Macedonia, fourth-largest city in North Macedonia. According to 2021 census, it had a population of 63,308.
Name
The name of Prilep appeared first as ''Πρίλαπος'' in Greek (''Prilapos'') in 1 ...
and
Bitola
Bitola (; ) is a city in the southwestern part of North Macedonia. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba, Nidže, and Kajmakčalan mountain ranges, north of the Medžitlija-Níki border crossing ...
, respectively.
Etymology
The name Kruševo has semantic development of "pear" that occurs in the
Slavic parallel ''gruša'', ''kruša'' "pear, pear tree" < *''grušiti'', *''krušiti''"to crumble, to break", and also in the
Indo-European
The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the northern Indian subcontinent, most of Europe, and the Iranian plateau with additional native branches found in regions such as Sri Lanka, the Maldives, parts of Central Asia (e. ...
parallel *''peisom'' "pear" < *''peis-''.
The name of the town in other Balkan languages is:
*
*
* () or ()
*
* or
History
Medieval
Initially part of 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 ...
, the area was conquered by the
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 by Asparuh of Bulgaria, Asparuh, moved south to the northe ...
in the 9th century to be conquered again by the Byzantium in the 11th century. The region came shortly under the rule of the short-lived ''
Principality of Prilep'' of
Prince Marko
Marko Mrnjavčević ( sr-Cyrl, Марко Мрњавчевић, ; – 17 May 1395) was the ''de jure'' Serbia in the Middle Ages, Serbian king from 1371 to 1395, while he was the ''de facto'' ruler of territory in western Macedonia (region) ...
(r. 1371 - 1395), a successor state of the
Serbian Empire
The Serbian Empire ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Српско царство, Srpsko carstvo, separator=" / ", ) was a medieval Serbian state that emerged from the Kingdom of Serbia. It was established in 1346 by Dušan the Mighty, who significantly expande ...
(1346–1371) where the father of Župan
Vukašin Mrnjavčević
Vukašin () is an old Slavic name of Serbian origin. It is composed from two words: Vuk (wolf) and sin ( son), so it means sin vuka (son of wolf). In some places in Croatia and Bosnia it can be found as a surname.
The name Vukašin can be foun ...
(co-ruler of King
Stefan Uroš V
Saint Stefan Uroš V ( sr-Cyrl, Стефан Урош V, ; 13362/4 December 1371), known in historiography and folk tradition as Uroš the Weak (), was the Emperor of the Serbs, second Emperor (Tsar#Serbia, Tsar) of the Serbian Empire (1355–13 ...
) held the region. The principality and region came under
Ottoman Turkish
Ottoman Turkish (, ; ) was the standardized register of the Turkish language in the Ottoman Empire (14th to 20th centuries CE). It borrowed extensively, in all aspects, from Arabic and Persian. It was written in the Ottoman Turkish alphabet. ...
rule in 1395.
Ottoman rule
A large part of the Macedonian population in Kruševo originate from
Lazaropole
Lazaropole () is a village in the Municipality of Mavrovo and Rostuša, North Macedonia. Situated on a plateau at Mount Bistra and surrounded by beech and oak forest; at 1,350 m altitude, it is one of the highest settlements in the country.
Dem ...
and descend from
Mijaks, a Macedonian sub-group who settled in the town alongside the Aromanians by the middle of the eighteenth century.
Aromanians settled in Kruševo in addition to Orthodox Albanian refugees often in groups of families and led by a priest fleeing the 18th century
socio-political and economic crises in what is now southern Albania.
[ "Населението на Крушево во време на востанието гб сочинуваат Македонци, Власи и Албанци. Први се доселиле во него Власите кон втората половина од XVIII век, односно по познатите грчки востанија од 1769 година..."] Orthodox Albanians arrived from
Vithkuq
Vithkuq () is a village and a former municipality in the Korçë County, southeastern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Korçë. The population at the 2011 census was 1,519. The municipal uni ...
and the
Opar region while local Kruševo traditions also relate that other families arrived from
Korçë
Korçë (; sq-definite, Korça) is the List of cities and towns in Albania, eighth most populous city of Albania and the seat of Korçë County and Korçë Municipality. The total population of the city is 51,152 and 75,994 of Korçë municipal ...
and the villages of
Polenë,
Dardhë, and
Mborje.
In the 19th century, Kruševo grew as a commercial center with connections throughout the Balkans and beyond. Local merchants such as the Nitsiotas brothers and five other companies were active in
Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
.
Orthodox Albanians
The Albanians are an ethnic group native to the Balkan Peninsula who share a common Albanian ancestry, Albanian culture, culture, Albanian history, history and Albanian language, language. They are the main ethnic group of Albania and Kosovo, ...
from
Moscopole which migrated in the beginning of the 19th century to Kruševo would found the so called ''Ohtul di Arbinesh'' (Hill of the Albanians) neighborhood. This community would soon assimilate into the Aromanian population of the city. In the 1860s a Bulgarian municipality and Bulgarian school were established the city. Subsequently, a Bulgarian girls school was opened and it operated simultaneously with the Greek schools in the town. A Romanian school started functioning in Kruševo in 1876. In the early 20th century, Kruševo was a small town in
Manastir Vilayet
The Vilayet of Manastir () was a first-level administrative division (vilayet) of the Ottoman Empire, created in 1874, dissolved in 1877 and re-established in 1879. The vilayet was occupied during the First Balkan War in 1912 and divided between t ...
with a mixed population of 4,950
Bulgarians
Bulgarians (, ) are a nation and South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Bulgaria and its neighbouring region, who share a common Bulgarian ancestry, culture, history and language. They form the majority of the population in Bulgaria, ...
, 4,000 Vlachs (
Aromanians
The Aromanians () are an Ethnic groups in Europe, ethnic group native to the southern Balkans who speak Aromanian language, Aromanian, an Eastern Romance language. They traditionally live in central and southern Albania, south-western Bulgari ...
) and 400 Christian
Albanians
The Albanians are an ethnic group native to the Balkan Peninsula who share a common Albanian ancestry, Albanian culture, culture, Albanian history, history and Albanian language, language. They are the main ethnic group of Albania and Kosovo, ...
, according to Bulgarian geographer
Vasil Kanchov
Vasil Kanchov (26 July 1862 – 6 February 1902) was a geographer, ethnographer and teacher who served as Minister of Education of Bulgaria.
Early life and education
Vasil Kanchov was born in Vratsa. Upon graduating from High school i ...
's statistics. Due to intermarriage with locals, at the onset of the twentieth century few in the small local Orthodox Albanian community spoke Albanian.
[ p.355. "In many cases, the refugees arrived in organised groups of families with a leader, usually a priest. Right from the start, the Vlachs were accompanied by Arvanites from Vithkuq and the Opar area. Those from Vithkuq preceded those from Opar and occupied the western part of the settlement, forming their own district there. According to local lore, other Arvanite families came from Korçë and the surrounding villages of Polenë, Dardhë, and Mborje. By the early twentieth century, intermarriage meant that very few families spoke Albanian any more."; p. 436. "Mijaks... Quite a large group, from Lazaropole mainly, formed the nucleus of the Slavonic- speaking population of Kruševo, who had settled alongside the Vlachs by the mid-nineteenth century."] A neighbourhood inhabited by Aromanians in Kruševo still bears the name ''
Arbineš'' meaning Albanians in the
Aromanian language
The Aromanian language (, , , , , or , , ), also known as Vlach or Macedo-Romanian, is an Eastern Romance languages, Eastern Romance language, similar to Megleno-Romanian language, Megleno-Romanian, Istro-Romanian language, Istro-Romanian an ...
.
[ "Në vendbanimin Krushevë të Maqedonisë së sotme, ishte regjistruar toponimi si lagje me emrin Arbines, dukshëm e banuar me popullsi arumune, e cila e mban edhe sot e kësaj dite formën arumune Arbines, që rrjedh nga forma e mirëfilltë shqipe Arban."] Per Bulgarian teacher
Nikola Kirov, who was native to the town, most of the Aromanians, as well as the Orthodox Albanians were in fact (
sic
The Latin adverb ''sic'' (; ''thus'', ''so'', and ''in this manner'') inserted after a quotation indicates that the quoted matter has been transcribed or translated as found in the source text, including erroneous, archaic, or unusual spelling ...
) ''
Grecomans''.
During the
Ilinden Uprising in 1903 the rebels proclaimed a short lived
Kruševo Republic. Its leader,
Nikola Karev
Nikola Yanakiev Karev (; ; November 23, 1877 – April 27, 1905) was a Macedonian Bulgarians, Macedonian Bulgarian revolutionary. He was born in Kruševo and died in the village of Rajčani both today in North Macedonia. Karev was a local leader ...
, created a council of Kruševo's notable citizens, with twenty members from each of the town's three major ethnic groups (
Slavs
The Slavs or Slavic people are groups of people who speak Slavic languages. Slavs are geographically distributed throughout the northern parts of Eurasia; they predominantly inhabit Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Southeastern Europe, and ...
, Vlachs, and Orthodox Albanians).
Because the uprising was suppressed, the city was almost completely destroyed by the Ottoman army. One of the most important points in the Ilinden uprising was the declaration of the "
Kruševo Manifesto". It called for all the people of
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 former administr ...
regardless of their nationality and religion to fight together against the Ottoman Empire. In the area there is a monument called Mečkin Kamen (Bear's Stone). This was the place where
Pitu Guli's band (cheta) was trying to defend the town of Kruševo from the Turkish troops coming from Bitola. The band and their leader (
voivode
Voivode ( ), also spelled voivod, voievod or voevod and also known as vaivode ( ), voivoda, vojvoda, vaivada or wojewoda, is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe in use since the Early Mid ...
) are remembered as heroic defenders of Kruševo and the surrounding villages.
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Demographics
As of the 2021 census, the town of Kruševo has 4,104 inhabitants and the ethnic composition was the following:
[Macedonian census, language and religion](_blank)
/ref>
* Macedonians 3,053 (74.4%)
*Aromanians
The Aromanians () are an Ethnic groups in Europe, ethnic group native to the southern Balkans who speak Aromanian language, Aromanian, an Eastern Romance language. They traditionally live in central and southern Albania, south-western Bulgari ...
866 (21.1%)
*Persons from whom data are taken from administrative sources 146 (3.6%)
*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 ...
10 (0.2%)
*Albanians
The Albanians are an ethnic group native to the Balkan Peninsula who share a common Albanian ancestry, Albanian culture, culture, Albanian history, history and Albanian language, language. They are the main ethnic group of Albania and Kosovo, ...
9 (0.2%)
*Bosniaks
The Bosniaks (, Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia (region), Bosnia, today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and who sha ...
1 (0.0%)
*others 19 (0.5%)
The official languages of the town are Macedonian and Aromanian. Kruševo is the only locality where Aromanian has any kind of official status. All other forms of recognition of the language in the world represent general, nationwide recognition in Albania and North Macedonia.
The religious composition of the town was the following:
* Orthodox Christians, 5,275 (99.0%)
* others, 55 (1.0%)
File:Св. Никола, Крушево 01.JPG, Church of St. Nicholas
File:Храм "Св. Никола", Крушево.jpg, Church of St. Nicholas
File:Sv. Troica - Kruševo-01.jpg, Church of Holy Trinity
File:Sv. jovan -- Krusevo.jpg, Church of St. John the Baptist
File:Св. Богородица, Крушево 07.JPG, Church of St. Mother of God
Features
Kruševo is a mountainous town. Situated at an altitude of , Kruševo is the highest town in 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 ...
. Kruševo is known for its 19th-century Ottoman architecture
Ottoman architecture is an architectural style or tradition that developed under the Ottoman Empire over a long period, undergoing some significant changes during its history. It first emerged in northwestern Anatolia in the late 13th century an ...
. The town has old and more recent houses built in the style of old Macedonian architecture.
It is home to Mečkin Kamen, a historical landmark which marks the spot of the uprising of 1903. On 2 August every year, it is one of the two sites of the traditional Macedonian Day of the Republic celebrations, which are attended by leading Macedonian political leaders.
Kruševo is also home to '' Makedonium'' monument, dedicated to the Ilinden Uprising and the Kruševo Republic and many museums of the Ilinden Uprising.
The town's galleries include an exhibit of 19th century icons and a memorial to Macedonian painter Nikola Martinovski who was born in this town.
Because of its elevation, Kruševo is one of North Macedonia's winter sports destinations. Local football club FK Pitu Guli was named after a local revolutionary leader and plays in the Macedonian Second League (East Division).
"Ethno-Town Project"
There is a project called "Kruševo ethno-town", supported by the Ministry of Culture of North Macedonia, which was developed by a small group of enthusiasts. According to that project, Kruševo shall look like a town from the beginning of the 20th century where it was one of the centers of the Ilinden Uprising in 1903, that led to the creation of the so-called Kruševo Republic. People will be dressed like Ottoman soldiers and IMARO revolutionaries. The project aims to make Kruševo a main tourist destination in five years.Macedonian newspaper 'Vreme'
Notable people
*
Toše Proeski
Todor "Toše" Proeski (, ; 25 January 1981 – 16 October 2007) was a Macedonian singer and songwriter. Considered a top act of the local Music of North Macedonia, Macedonian and Balkan music, Balkan music scene, Proeski's music was popular acro ...
, famous singer throughout the Balkans
*
Nikola Karev
Nikola Yanakiev Karev (; ; November 23, 1877 – April 27, 1905) was a Macedonian Bulgarians, Macedonian Bulgarian revolutionary. He was born in Kruševo and died in the village of Rajčani both today in North Macedonia. Karev was a local leader ...
, politician, revolutionary leader
*
Pitu Guli, revolutionary leader
*
Vasil Iljoski, writer
*
Nikola Martinoski
Nikola Martinoski (born Nicolache Martin; , ; 18 August 1903 – 7 February 1973), sometimes spelled Martinovski (, ), was a Socialist Republic of Macedonia, Macedonian Yugoslavia, Yugoslav painter of Aromanians, Aromanian ethnicity. He is consid ...
, painter
*
Taki Hrisik, composer, musical pedagogue
*
Ioryi Mucitano, revolutionary
*
Ilija Najdoski, footballer,
European Cup
The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by top-division European clubs. The competition begins with a round robi ...
champion
*
Taki Fiti, academician, former president of the
Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts
The Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts () is an academic institution in North Macedonia.
History
The Academy of Sciences and Arts was established by the Socialist Republic of Macedonia's assembly on 23 February 1967 as the highest scientifi ...
, politician, minister of finance, author
*
Nicolae Batzaria, writer, Ottoman Minister of Public Works and Commerce
*
Alexandros Svolos, prominent Greek legal expert, president of the Political Committee of National Liberation, a Resistance-based government during the Axis Occupation of Greece.
*
Mencha Karnicheva, revolutionary
*
Nikola Gabrovski, military figure
*
Yiannis Boutaris, businessman, politician, former mayor of
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...
.
Architecture of Kruševo
File:Krushevo, razglednica.jpg, Postcard from Krusevo from 1920s
File:Kruševo - panoramio (4).jpg, Town architecture
File:Krusevo.jpg, Kruševo during winter
File:Kruševo 0018.JPG, A typical house
File:Krushevo - P1100324.JPG, Birth house of Nikola Martinoski
File:Nikola Karev House.jpg, A house where Nikola Karev
Nikola Yanakiev Karev (; ; November 23, 1877 – April 27, 1905) was a Macedonian Bulgarians, Macedonian Bulgarian revolutionary. He was born in Kruševo and died in the village of Rajčani both today in North Macedonia. Karev was a local leader ...
lived
File:Blue house in Kruševo in winter.jpg, A typical house
File:House in Kruševo in winter.jpg, A typical house
File:Крушево архитектура 2015 (5).jpg, A typical house
File:Kruševo 0031.JPG, A typical house
File:Kruševo 0011.JPG, A typical house
File:Toše Proeski Memorial.jpg, Tose Proeski Memorial
File:Kruševo, od 1930ti.jpg, Kruševo during the 1930s.
File:Krusevo panorama.jpg, Mother of God church and a town school.
File:Kruševo.jpg, Nikola Martinoski Gallery.
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Krusevo
Cities in North Macedonia
Ski areas and resorts in North Macedonia
Aromanian settlements in North Macedonia
Kruševo Municipality