| Kičevo Кичево |
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| — Town — | |||
| Kičevo | |||
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Kičevo
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Macedonia | ||
| Municipality | Kičevo municipality | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Blagoja Despotoski | ||
| Area | |||
| • Water | 48 km2 (18.5 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2002) | |||
| • Total | 30,138 | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | |||
| Area code(s) | +389 | ||
| Car plates | OH | ||
Kičevo (Macedonian: Кичево [ˈkitʃɛvɔ] ( listen); Albanian: Kërçovë or Kërçova) is a city in the western part of the Republic of Macedonia, located in a valley in the south-eastern slopes of Mount Bistra, between the cities of Ohrid and Gostivar. The capital Skopje is 112 km away. The city of Kičevo is the seat of Kičevo Municipality.
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The municipality of Kičevo has 30,138 inhabitants. The largest ethnic group is the Macedonians who constitute for 16,140 people (53.55%), followed by the Albanians with 9,202 people (30.53%), and the Turks with about 2,430 (8,06%).
The name of the city in Macedonian and other South Slavic languages is Kičevo (Кичево). Kičevo is first mentioned as Ouskanas (Ούσκανας) during the reign of Perseus of Macedon, during the Third Macedonian War (171-168 BC).
The next written record of the town did not come until 1018, under the name of Kičavis, noted in one of the documents of the Byzantine emperor Basil II. Under the rule of Prince Marko it was known as Katin Grad, because Marko's sister was named Katina.
It is presumed that the present name of the town originates from the name of this settlement populated by the Slavic Brsjaci tribe.
Kičevo was noted in one of the documents of the Byzantine emperor Basil II in 1018, and also mentioned by the Ohrid archbishop Theophilact in the 11th century.
When the region was conquered by the Ottoman Empire, Kičevo was turned into the military and administrative center of the region. Notable monument of that period is a clock tower built in the foothills of the nearby hill called Kichevsko Kale.
The activities of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO) in the region of Kičevo were initiated by the priest Josif from the monastery of Bogorodica Prečista near the city, supported by many teachers from the neighbouring villages. Priest Josif and Pere Toshev formed the first armed detachment in Kičevo in 1878, led by Duko Tasev. On August 2, 1903, the citizens of Kičevo joined the struggle for Macedonian independence, led by Arso Vojvoda and Yordan Piperkata.
In 1919 Kičevo and the whole region were incorporated in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.
During World War II, Kičevo was occupied by forces from Fascist Italy. On September 9, 1943 Albanian and Macedonian partisan units disarmed the Italian garrison and took control of the city.[1]
Monastery of St. Bogorodica Prečista (Monastery of Immaculate Mother of God) is a significant monastery near Kičevo. Dedicated to the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, the feast day of this monastery is "Mala Bogorodica", (Birthday of the Virgin Mary on the 21st of September). The monastery, dedicated to the Annunciation and lodgings for devout monks, represents a medieval monastery that was known under the name Krninski monastery in the past.
Another important monument is the monastery of St. George located in the vicinity of Kičevo.
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