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 Debar is a
small city of around 10,000 citizens, located in the southeast part of the field of Debar, at an
altitude of 625 meters above the sea level. It's located on 131 km from
the capital
Skopje and from the nearby city
Gostivar, is just 71 away, while from
Struga is 52 km away. The city was referred to for the first time on the
Ptolomeius map in the 2nd century, under the name of Deborus.
In the 11th century, according to the documents of Vasilius 2nd,
the city belonged to the bishopric of the Bishop of
Bitola.
 In 1449, Debar
fell under Turkish power and was named Dibri or Debra. In the 15th
century, the city was known for being the city of rebellions against the
Turkish sultan, but at the same time, for the wealth of the numerous
Turkish Aga and Bey who lived there. At that time, Debar became a
significant urban centre with a developed crafts industry and trading
centre, through which numerous traders and travelers passed. In the city
centre, was the Bazaar with a lot of shops and crafts workshops. The city
streets were narrow and curved, and typically for an Islamic city, it
possessed a high number of inns. Many houses were built in this period and
some of them have been preserved to the present day. The houses are
distinctive in their original architecture and the internal organization
of the rooms equipped with "dolapi" - wardrobes,
"minderlaci" and carved "cardaci" (that is the
enclosed porches on the second floor of a Turkish house), ceilings and
doors. The city was divided into Upper Debar and Lower Debar, in this
period. The most reputed craftsmen, builders and carvers were originate
from Debar. During 19th
century, Debar is known for its rebellions against the Turkish Sultan as
well as its richness. In the first half of the 19th
century, the traveler Ami Bue has observed that Debar had 64 shops and
4,200 residents. By the end of the century, the town had 15,500 residents
but after World War I, this number started to decline.
"Aerial View of Debar"
The ethnical
structure in Debar has changed during the second World War, which in that
period was occupied by the faschist Italians (later Albanians). Then the many Macedonians,
frightened of the terror of the Italian (later Albanian) occupator (known as Šiptar,
Balist), left the city and settled in Skopje (in
the known Debar Maalo - Debar Neighborhood). Today in the entire Debar
district (municipality) live around 17,000 citizens, while in the city
there are no more than 10,000. 62,5% are ethnic Albanians, 21%
Macedonians, 13% Gypsies and the rest of it, Turks and others...
There is a factory "Knauf", that hold's 120 employees. Near the city, there are the strong springs of the spa-resort
Debarska
Banja and the
creation of the artificial lake, has greatly enhanced the attractiveness
of the area. In immediate vicinity of the city, along the course of the
rivers Radika and Crni Drim, travelers may enjoy the vivid scenery.
"The Debar Lake"
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