Vinica (Republic of Macedonia)
Encyclopedia
Vinica is a town in Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...

, in the eastern region
Eastern statistical region
The Eastern Statistical Region is one of eight arbitrary statistical regions in the Republic of Macedonia. Eastern, located in the eastern part of the country, borders Bulgaria...

 of the country. The town of Vinica is the seat of Vinica Municipality
Vinica municipality
Vinica is a municipality in eastern Republic of Macedonia. Vinica is also the name of the town where the municipal seat is found. Vinica Municipality is part of the Eastern Statistical Region.-Geography:...

.

Etymology

The name Vinica is derived from word Vine (Vino), since the city was formerly noted for its vineyards. On terracota icons found in Viničko Kale
Vinicko Kale
Viničko Kale is an ancient ruin located on the hill above the town of Vinica, Republic of Macedonia. It is located on the left side of the Grdečka River, on a hill about 400 meters above sea level. Viničko Kale was discovered in 1954. In 1978, 5 fragments of terra-cotta icons were discovered in...

, the name of town is noted as Vinea or Vince.

Overview

The town is located under the mountain of Plačkovica
Plackovica
Plačkovica is a mountain in the eastern part of Republic of Macedonia which extends between the cities of Radoviš, and Vinica.The highest peak is Lisec at 1754 m, the length of main valley slopes of the peak Lisec is 34 km. Valley of river Zrnovska splits the mountain in two parts, eastern and...

, in the southeastern part of the Kočani valley
Kočani valley
Kočani valley is located along the river of Bregalnica in eastern part of the Republic of Macedonia, at the latitude of 41° and 55' and longitude 22° and 25'. It covers an area of 1020 km² and extends from both sides of Bregalnica, from west-southwest to east-northeast, with the length of...

. It covers the northern part of the river Bregalnica
Bregalnica
Bregalnica is the second largest river in the Republic of Macedonia. It starts as a spring near the mountain city of Berovo and it passes near the cities of Makedonska Kamenica, Kočani, Vinica and Štip, before joining the river Vardar on its way to the Aegean Sea...

 sinks. There are also several other river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

s that flows thru Vinica, like Vinička, Gradečka and Osojnica. Town is known for its historic Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....

 fortress, Viničko Kale
Vinicko Kale
Viničko Kale is an ancient ruin located on the hill above the town of Vinica, Republic of Macedonia. It is located on the left side of the Grdečka River, on a hill about 400 meters above sea level. Viničko Kale was discovered in 1954. In 1978, 5 fragments of terra-cotta icons were discovered in...

, situated on a hill
Hill
A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills often have a distinct summit, although in areas with scarp/dip topography a hill may refer to a particular section of flat terrain without a massive summit A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills...

 overlooking the modern town.

Neolitic times

The territory of Vinica was inhabited in neolithic times, which is proven by findings on Viničko Kale
Vinicko Kale
Viničko Kale is an ancient ruin located on the hill above the town of Vinica, Republic of Macedonia. It is located on the left side of the Grdečka River, on a hill about 400 meters above sea level. Viničko Kale was discovered in 1954. In 1978, 5 fragments of terra-cotta icons were discovered in...

, from 12 to 6 st. Bc.

Byzantium Empire

The original settlement was a fort from time of Byzantium
Byzantium
Byzantium was an ancient Greek city, founded by Greek colonists from Megara in 667 BC and named after their king Byzas . The name Byzantium is a Latinization of the original name Byzantion...

, when it was a centre of wine production.

Ottoman Empire

The city was nahiye and governed by Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...

 with Kaymakam
Kaymakam
Qaim Maqam or Qaimaqam or Kaymakam is the title used for the governor of a provincial district in the Republic of Turkey, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and in Lebanon; additionally, it was a title used for roughly the same official position in the Ottoman...

 between 14.th century to 20.th century .

Yugoslavia time

Before 1980, on the hill where the fortress was found, there were many vineyards, which were abandoned after excavations.

Culture

In Vinica, there are two primary schools Goce Delčev and Slavčo Stojmenski, one high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....

 and city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...

 library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...

 Vančo Prke which was founded in 1946, there is also a cinema
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....

 and a house of culture, Tošo Arsov, which is centre of all cultural activities. The town has two folk music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...

 groups, Raspeani Viničani and Jana, and one folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...

 group Kitka.

There are several archeological sites in and around Vinica:
  • Vinica, medieval settlement.
  • Pazarište, settlement from Roman
    Roman Empire
    The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....

     times.
  • Vinica fortress
    Vinicko Kale
    Viničko Kale is an ancient ruin located on the hill above the town of Vinica, Republic of Macedonia. It is located on the left side of the Grdečka River, on a hill about 400 meters above sea level. Viničko Kale was discovered in 1954. In 1978, 5 fragments of terra-cotta icons were discovered in...

    , fortified settlement from late ancient times.
  • Gorica, settlement and early Christian basilica
    Basilica
    The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...

     from late ancient times
  • Ila, necropolis
    Necropolis
    A necropolis is a large cemetery or burial ground, usually including structural tombs. The word comes from the Greek νεκρόπολις - nekropolis, literally meaning "city of the dead"...

     from the Iron Age
    Iron Age
    The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...

    .

Economy

One of the major activities in Vinica is agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...

. Farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...

s engaged in the production of rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...

, which is very characteristic of the basin
Depression (geology)
A depression in geology is a landform sunken or depressed below the surrounding area. Depressions may be formed by various mechanisms.Structural or tectonic related:...

 in which Vinica is located. The town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...

 also has industrial activities, among which is the best represented the textile
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...

s and wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...

 furniture
Furniture
Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating and sleeping in beds, to hold objects at a convenient height for work using horizontal surfaces above the ground, or to store things...

 production industry. The major companies are: Viničanka, Vinka, Triko, Treska, Mebel-Vi.
The city has many shops
Retailing
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...

, bars
Bar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...

, restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...

s, one night club, and three major hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...

s, which are offering a broader range of services.

Sport and leisure

The leading sport in town is soccer. Vinica has formed first football club in 1934 under the name Plačkovica
Plackovica
Plačkovica is a mountain in the eastern part of Republic of Macedonia which extends between the cities of Radoviš, and Vinica.The highest peak is Lisec at 1754 m, the length of main valley slopes of the peak Lisec is 34 km. Valley of river Zrnovska splits the mountain in two parts, eastern and...

, which was later renamed in Sloga Vinica, today club name is Filip II - Sloga.
There is also a basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 club Slavčo Stojmenski, a karate
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...

 club Blatec and badmington club Viničani.

Demographics

As of 2002, the municipality had 10,863 inhabitants and the ethnic composition was the following:
  • Macedonians
    Macedonians (ethnic group)
    The Macedonians also referred to as Macedonian Slavs: "... the term Slavomacedonian was introduced and was accepted by the community itself, which at the time had a much more widespread non-Greek Macedonian ethnic consciousness...

      9.706 (89.84%)
  • Roma  809 (7.49%)
  • Turks
    Turkish people
    Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...

      216 (1.99%)
  • Aromanians
    Aromanians
    Aromanians are a Latin people native throughout the southern Balkans, especially in northern Greece, Albania, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, and as an emigrant community in Serbia and Romania . An older term is Macedo-Romanians...

    101 (0.93%)
  • Others 31

External links

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