Things to see and do Kumanovo

Set on a peak 1,005 m above sea level, this Orthodox monastery (Матеички Манастир/Mateički Manastir, Manastiri i Mateçit) is one of the most precious in the country. Alas, it was severely vandalized during the Albanian uprising of 2001. Founded in 1057 by the Byzantine emperor Isaac ^I, the complex was restored by the Serbian kings Stefan Dušan and Stefan Uroš V between 1300 and 1357. Dedicated to the Dormition of the Mother of God (Успение на Пресвета Богородица/Uspenie na Presveta Bogorodica), it was a major monastic center in the ^15th century, before gradually falling into disrepair, until its revival in the 1920s. In the meantime, the lead from the roof was removed in the ^18th century to cover the Sinan Tatar Bey mosque in Kumanovo. But the most significant damage was caused by members of the KLA-M in 2001. Since then, little work has been undertaken. The annex buildings remain in ruins. As for the elegant catholicon (main church), if it seems in a correct state from the outside, it has lost most of its frescoes. Only a cycle of the Dormition of the Mother of God and the portrait of King Dušan with his wife Helena and their son Uroš V are well preserved. The church also preserves a Greek inscription about the foundation in the ^11th century. Located between the Skopska Crna Gora massif (Skopje region) and the Žegligovo valley (Kumanovo region), the monastery is in the municipality of Matejče (Mateç/Mateçi in Albanian), which has a population of about 2,900, almost all of whom are Albanian since the 2001 conflict.

This monument (Спомен Костурница/Spomen Kosturnica) has stood since 1957 on a small hill with a park and a soccer field below. Designed by Serbian sculptor Sreten Stojanović (1898-1960), it consists of a concrete obelisk about 20 m high, a bronze statue of a woman holding up an ear of corn, and a crypt housing the remains of some 300 partisans who died during World War II. The site offers views of the city center and the Banevo Trlo neighborhood, which is mostly populated by Albanians and Roma.

This mosque (Татар Синан Бег Џамија/Tatar Sinan Beg Džamija, Xhamia e Sinan Pashës) is the oldest monument in the city. Named after the Ottoman dignitary who financed it, it was erected between 1520 and 1532. Despite several transformations, it retains its beautiful orange hues due to the stones from the valley of the Žegligovo, partly in neighboring Serbia. Today it is less used than the Great Mosque (Xhamia e Madhe), to the east, which dates from 2022, and the New Mosque (Xhamia e Re), to the southeast, built in 2020 with two minarets.

Dating from 1851, this cathedral (Соборен Срам Свети Никола) is the seat of the Kumanovo-Osogovo Eparchy of the Macedonian Orthodox Church. It was designed by Andreja Damjanov, to whom we owe the Cathedral Church of St. Panteleimon in Veles. The visit is especially worthwhile for the gallery of icons, mostly from the ^19th century, coming from churches and monasteries threatened with theft in the region. Beautiful icons by the great masters Dičo Zograf, Veno Kostov and Yosif Mazhovski.

Located on top of a hill, 485 m above sea level, this monument (Спомен Костурница Зебрњак/Spomen Kosturnica Zebrnjak) has dominated the entire plain northeast of Kumanovo since 1937. It houses the (clearly visible) bones of about 400 Serbian soldiers who died during the Battle of Kumanovo on October 23-24, 1912. This decisive confrontation of the First Balkan War provoked a vast retreat of the Ottomans. The ossuary originally consisted of a stone tower 48.5 m high. This was knocked down by the Bulgarian army in 1942.

This 4,000^m2 pedestrian square (Плоштад Нова Југославија/Ploštad Nova Jugoslavija) is the center of the city. Despite a project to rename it in 2015, it retains its name inherited from socialist Yugoslavia. Here you can find the pleasant Art Paris brewery, the two-towered building of the House of Crafts (1930) or the statue of Batko Gjorgija (2006), a great figure of local folklore. Just to the southeast is the second city esplanade, Maršal-Tito Square.

Founded in 1964, this museum (Музеј Куманово) is housed in a villa dating from 1926. The entrance is through the garden, where medieval stelae with Old Slavic inscriptions are presented. The departments of archaeology and history occupy the first floor: objects from the site of Kokino (near Staro Nagoričane), beautiful collection of pre-Roman jewelry, photos of the revolts of the ^twentieth century, etc. Upstairs, the ethnology department: costumes, jewelry, pottery and everyday objects from the ^19th-20th centuries. We regret the lack of explanations in English.