It has many historical sites. One of its most important is the 4,000-year-old megalithic astronomical observatory of Kokino, located Template:Convert northeast of Kumanovo and discovered in 2001. It is ranked fourth on the list of old observatories by NASA.
During World War II the communist resistance in Vardar Macedonia began in Kumanovo on 11 October 1941.
The rapid economic, administrative and cultural expansion of Kumanovo began in 1945. The town's metal-processing, tobacco, agriculture, footwear and textile industries made it an economic, trading and cultural center during the time of SFR Yugoslavia.
Kumanovo is situated in the northern parts of North Macedonia, 30 km (18 mi) northeast of the capital city of Skopje. The coordinates of the city are approximately 42°05'N and 21°40'E. Kumanovo lies Template:Convertabove sea level and is surrounded by:
Most old neighborhoods consist of shops and very few houses.
Veleška Maalo (or Veleško Maalo) is an old neighbourhood of Kumanovo. The name comes from the merchants from the town of Veles, who passed through the neighbourhood to sell their products by the rivers Vardar and Pčinja, and the Konjarinja villages Studena, Bara and Krasta. The main street, which today is named Narodna Revolucija, was their shortest way to the center of the city.
Karapsko maalo was located across today's south side of Goce Delčev High School through to the end of Moša Pijade street. The name of the neighborhood came from the Ottomans. Every house in the neighborhood had a yard; neighboring yard were connected with doors, used by anyone chased by the Ottomans. Macedonians, komits and revolutionaries used this scheme to escape to the towns outskirts and the town itself. The Ottomans called it the dark or the secret neighborhood.
Endek maalo was placed across today's city hall on two banks of the former river of Serava.
Old streets
Opančarsko sokače
Nagorički sokak
Proevski sokak
Veleški sokak
Romanovski sokak
Ukumat sokak
Vranjsko Dzade
Military installations
The military base Boro Menkov<ref>about MB Boro MenkovTemplate:Dead link (Macedonian)</ref> is one of the military installations of ARM in Kumanovo. The base was established by the JNA.
In Kumanovo's Elezov kamen area there is also a Military Warehouse Base that operates today.
Police station
Kumanovo has a police station, under the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The current police chief is Nikica Petruševski.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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the Roman Settlement Vicianus at village of Klečovce
Middle Ages
The first written mentioning of the individual modern villages of the Kumanovo region originate in the 14th century. These are, for the most part, found in Serbian charters:
In this time, the Kumanovo region (old Žegligovo) received its geographical location and certain settlement picture.<ref>Srpsko geografsko društvo 1972, p. 123: <templatestyles src="Template:Blockquote/styles.css" />
Ти помени већим делом налазе се у даровним повељама српских давалаца: краља Милутина, цара Сте- фана Душана, севастократа Дејана, Јевдокије Дејановић2', Дејано- вих синова – браће деспота Драгаша и "господина" Константина. Као што се зна, тада је ова област – старо Жеглигово до- била учвршћен географски положај и одрећену насеобинску слику{{#if:|
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According to a charter of the monastery of Arhiljevica dated 1355, sevastokratorDejan held a major domain (oblast) east of Skopska Crna Gora. It included the old župe (counties) of Žegligovo and Preševo (modern Kumanovo region with Sredorek and Kozjačija).<ref>Историско друштво НР Србије 1951, p. 20: <templatestyles src="Template:Blockquote/styles.css" />
према повељи манастиру богоро- дичимог ваведења у Архиљевици,50 држао као своју баштину пространу област иеточно од Скопске Црне Горе. Она је обухватала старе жупе Прешево и Жеглигово (данас кумановски крај са Средореком, Козјачијом{{#if:|
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Ottoman period
The town was mentioned in 1530 according to registry of Turkish Devlet Arşivleri as a village in Nogoriçe town, within Kaza of İştip. It was founded by Turkish colonists from Asia Minor and initially was settled by Turks and later by Muslim Albanians. Slavic population entered the town in the late 18th century but its number rose just during early 19th century.<ref>Rozita Dimova, Ethno-Baroque: Materiality, Aesthetics and Conflict in Modern-Day Macedonia, Berghahn Books, 2013, Template:ISBN, p. 97.</ref> Evliya Çelebi described it in 1660–61: "The colony of Kumanovo is situated on the territory of the Skopje sanjak and represents one county. The city is embellished with many rivers and 600 tile-roofs houses. The mosque in the downtown is beautiful, there are tekke, madrassa, hammam, a number of shops and water mills; and the climate is pleasant and agreeable. There are many vineyards and gardens".<ref>Македонските градови во турско време, Зоран Сенев, Киро Герасимов, Кочани, 2004, стр.50</ref>
In 1689, Karposh, a brigand commander in the region of Dospat (present-day Bulgaria), who served as an Ottoman Christian auxiliary force commander, took advantage of the weakening of the Ottomans and discontent that arose concerning higher Ottoman taxation policies, and organized a revolt while Austria staged an attack on the Ottomans. Karposh's Rebellion quickly spread, resulting in the liberation of Kratovo, Kriva Palanka, Kumanovo, Kačanik and other towns. Then, together with the Austrian army led by Emperor Leopold I, the local Christian population fought to liberate Skopje and Štip. Later changes in the military and political situation in the Balkans had crucial downwards effect on the revolt. The Austrian army was forced to withdraw and the reinforced Ottomans attacked the rebels, taking Kriva Palanka, the rebel stronghold, and then attacked Kumanovo and its newly constructed fortress, where they captured Karposh and put him to death on the Stone Bridge across the Vardar.
Kumanovo became an urban settlement and administrative center of the region at the end of the 16th century or the beginning of the 17th century. Following the turbulent events (including the Karpoš Uprising in 1689) the city experienced a period of stagnation, and by the end of 18th century Kumanovo epitomized an Ottoman provincial town.
In an 1861 book Austrian diplomat Johann Georg von Hahn stated that the town had 650 dwellings, of which 300 were Muslim and 350 were Christian Bulgarian, in addition to 30 Gypsy in the outskirts, while the total population of the town was 3,500.<ref>Johann Georg von Hahn: Reise von Belgrad nach Salonik. Viena: 1861</ref>
The Kumanovo Uprising, led by Serb district chiefs of Kumanovo and surrounding districts, was active from 20 January to 20 May 1878 (4 months). The chiefs swore oath in the local church and appealed to Prince Milan IV of Serbia to aid the uprising, and they pledged their devotion and loyalty, and union with Serbia. The rebels were finally defeated by brigadier-general Hafuz Pasha.
The Skopje Revolutionary district of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO) decided in 1894 that it would organize a committee in Kumanovo, which was later established in the house of Jordan Jovčev, member of the local Bulgarian school board.<ref>Николов, Борис Й. Вътрешна македоно-одринска революционна организация : Войводи и ръководители (1893-1934) Биографично-библиографски справочник. София, Издателство "Звезди", 2001. Template:ISBN, с. 67.</ref> The committee included also the chief Bulgarian teacher in the town Iliya Levkov,<ref>ЦДА, ф. 246, оп.1, а.е. 211, л. 26. Списък на градските екзархийски учители в Скопската епархия през учебната 1901 – 1902 год. с означение заплатата им, бележки по тяхната деятелност и мнение какво да се прави с всекиго през идущата 1902/3 уч. година.</ref> the secretary of the Bulgarian metropolitan deputy Traiche Mitev,<ref> Николай Тодоров, Освободителната борба на българите в Македония и Одринско, 1902-1904, Наука и изкуство, 1978, стр. 209.</ref> priest Andon, his son and Bulgarian teacher Psaltir Popandontov,<ref>Пелтеков, Александър Г. Революционни дейци от Македония и Одринско. Второ допълнено издание. София, Орбел, 2014, Template:ISBN, с. 368.</ref> the merchant Zafir Tasev, elder of the Kumanovo Bulgarian community<ref>Матовъ, Д. Кратка разправия по етнографията на Македония. Периодическо списание XXXIV. София, Българско книжовно дружество, 1889. с. 682 - 683.</ref> the Bulgarian teacher Zafir Shaklev<ref>Настевъ, Хр. I-ия випускъ на Скопското българско мъѫко педагогическо училище. Илюстрация Илиндень XII (3) (113). София, Издание на Илинденската организация, мартъ 1940. с. 13.</ref> and Angel Prekodolka. They organized the assassination of Serbian priest Atanasije Petrović.<ref>В. Илић, Српска четничка акција 1903-1912, Београд 2006, с. 48.</ref>
It developed economically in the late 19th century (agriculture, handcrafts and trade). Still, industrial development occurred only at the end of the Second World War. The rapid economic, administrative and cultural expansion of Kumanovo began in 1945. Today, it is a modern city with approximately 100,000 inhabitants. It was also the site of the 9 June 1999 Agreement signed between FR Yugoslav Generals and the NATO Generals about bringing in a NATO peacekeeping contingent in Kosovo called, the Kosovo Force, or KFOR (Kumanovo Agreement).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2001 Albanian insurgency and Inter-community relations
AMacedonian Armed forces in July 2001 near Kumanovo
The Albanian insurgency in Macedonia first started in the mountains outskirts of Tetovo and then spread in May 2001 to the region of Kumanovo mostly to the north. The armed conflict in Kumanovo mainly resulted in a division of the educational system along ethnic lines. All the Albanian-language students left the schools and demanded new schools to be opened. Following this process there is a visible separation in the town affecting the inter-community relations.
2015 clashes
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A group claiming to be the National Liberation Army had claimed responsibility for a grenade attack on Kumanovo's police station in December 2014.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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Economy
Agriculture and trade developed mainly in the 19th century.<ref>Македонските градови во турско време, Зоран Сенев, Киро Герасимов, Кочани, 2004, стр.51</ref> After the Second World War the town's metal-processing, tobacco, agriculture, footwear and textile industries have made it an economic, trading and cultural center during the time of SFR Yugoslavia.
Infrastructure
Railway
A railway connection exists between Skopje with Serbia via Kumanovo.
In 2013, rehabilitation of the railway section between Kumanovo and the village of Beljakovce will commence, which is part of the Railway Corridor VIII that will connect North Macedonia with Sofia, Bulgaria and the Black Sea to the East and Tirana, Albania and the Adriatic Sea to the West.
A 40 kilometre (Template:Convert) highway exists between Skopje and Kumanovo, going near Kumanovo in the north and crossing the border with Serbia. On the section Kumanovo-Miladinovci there is a Pay tool.
Section of the Pan-European Corridor X was put into use in 2010 connecting Kumanovo to the border crossing Tabanovce. The Template:Convert highway was built for 4 years and at a cost of 15.5 million Euros.
Another important road goes from Kumanovo to Kriva Palanka and then to the border with Bulgaria.
Kumanovo has several prehistoric monuments dating back to the prehistoric period, including:
Gradište, an archaeological site from the Bronze Age near the village of Pelince
Near the village of Mlado Nagoričane is another interesting site dating from the period of Neolith.
Near the village of Lopate is the Drezga place that represents a Roman necropolis.
One of the most important sites located near the Kumanovo is the 4,000-year-old megalithic astronomical observatory of Kokino, located Template:Convert northeast of Kumanovo and discovered in 2001. It is ranked fourth on the list of old observatories by NASA. AMegalithic Observatory Kokino
The oldest and biggest church in the town is the St. Nicholas. There are icons from the 13th century in the church. The church represents a masterwork of Andreja Damjanov, an important Macedonian renaissance architect.
Several painting colonies and exhibitions take place every year in Kumanovo or in nearby villages.
Kumanovo is distinguished by its jazz festival which features bands from all over the world. In 2002 the Macedonian bands Foltin and Dragan Dautovski Quartet performed, and in 2003 Macedonian jazz pianist Simon Kiselicki performed in his 'Beneventan Trio'. Every year Kumanovo has a "Days of Comedy" festival, sponsored by the Macedonian Ministry of Culture, featuring comedies from several Macedonian theatres and also from neighbouring Serbia and Bulgaria. Kumanovo municipality was organizing the manifestation "City of Culture 2006".
Demographics
Historical
Table below showing historic demographic development according to Yugoslav and Macedonian census data:
Persons for whom data are taken from administrative sources
6,128
8.2
Total
20,242
23,339
30,762
46,363
60,842
65,233
70,842
75,051
Present-day
The population of the city of Kumanovo according to the 2002 census numbers 77,561, the majority of which are ethnic Macedonians 62.4% (48,416), with a significant minority of ethnic Albanians 23.7% (18,369) and ethnic Serbs 7.4% (5,746).<ref name="Statistical Office">Macedonian census, language and religion</ref>
The most common mother tongues in the city were the following:
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Also, Kumanovo is recognized as a box school center, with few names emerged as famous in the 20th century, with Ace Rusevski and Redžep Redžepovski as a leading names.
