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Kičevo is settled in the valley of Kičevo
in the south-eastern foothills of Bistra mountain, almost exactly in the
middle on the road between
Ohrid (61 km) and
Gostivar (46 km). From the capital
Skopje is 112 km away. It's location is in the western part of
Macedonia. Kičevo is surrounded by mountains and forests, and is a town that
is attractive not only of its natural beauties, but also its anthropogeneous
and cultural values. Kičevo was first time mentioned as Uskana during the
rule of the ancient Maceodnian kings Perseius and connected with the
Macedonian - Roman Wars, in 170-169 BC. Later it is mentioned in the
year 1018 AD, under the name of Kičavis, noted in one of the documents of
the Byzantine emperor Basil II. It is presumed that the today's name of the
town originates by the name of this settlement populated by the Slavic tribe
Brsjaci.
As Macedonia falls under Turkish rule,
Kičevo was turned into military and administrative center of the Ottoman
Turks. In the foothills of the Kale of Kičevo, there was a clock tower
built. The first roots of the work of the Macedonian Revolutionary Movement,
here in Kičevo started with the priest Yoseph of the monastery St.
Bogorodica Prečista (Holy Virgin Mary Most Innocent) and by many teachers.
Here in 1878, by Pere Toshev was formed the first armed detachment, lead by
Duko Tasev. The Kičevo citizens here in August 2nd, 1903, joined the
struggle for independence of Macedonia, lead by the duke Arso and Yordan
Piperkata. Later in the second world war Kičevo was occupied by the
faschists Italian forces and it was the first city in Macedonia that was
liberated, on September 11th, 1943. Today Kičevo, is one of the most
beatiful cities in Macedonia, and has 25,129 inhabitans (Macedonians,
Albanians, Turks, Serbs, Gypsies).
In the vicinity of the town, on the slopes
of the mountain Vrboj, in the dense forest, the monastery St. Prečista (Holy
Virgin Mary Most Innocent) is located, with its church dedicated to the
Annunciation, and with the pleasantly arranged lodgings where there is
active monks life. The St. Prečista Kičevska is a medieval monastery that
was known under the name Krninski monastery in the past.
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