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Southeastern

Valandovo

Валандово

Coat of arms of Valandovo
Residents · 2021 census
3,671
Old photographs
1
Photographs
18

Mediterranean warmth, orchards and southern landscapes

Valandovo rests in a low, warm basin near the Vardar corridor, between the slopes of Plavush and the wider Belasica country. Its modified Mediterranean climate supports vineyards, figs, pomegranates, persimmons and early vegetables, giving the town and its villages a southern garden character that feels distinct within North Macedonia.

Overview

City overview

Meet Valandovo.

A grounded introduction to the city, its landscape, people, history and wider municipality.

Valandovo rests in a low, warm basin near the Vardar corridor, between the slopes of Plavush and the wider Belasica country. Its modified Mediterranean climate supports vineyards, figs, pomegranates, persimmons and early vegetables, giving the town and its villages a southern garden character that feels distinct within North Macedonia.

The nearby site of Isar-Marvinci carries the landscape's much older history through Iron Age, Hellenistic and Roman-period material. The modern town developed as a local administrative and trading centre, then had to rebuild after the destructive 1931 earthquake, an event still visible in municipal memory and the shape of the twentieth-century settlement.

Valandovo town counted 3,671 residents in 2021 and the municipality 10,508. Macedonian and Turkish language and family traditions meet across the area; the Valandovo Folk Fest brings new songs to a national stage, while Chalakli's Hid-Bah Shen gathering celebrates spring within the municipality's Turkish community.

Twenty-eight villages surround the town. Josifovo, Pirava and Udovo are the largest rural communities, while Marvinci sits beside the ancient Isar site and eleven current settlements recorded no resident population in 2021. The municipality is therefore at once an active farming district, a transport crossroads and a place confronting deep rural change.

Valandovo: a brick-paved pedestrian street with café parasols, shopfronts and a red wooden balcony.

At a glance

Useful facts, in one place.

Settlement and municipality figures are kept distinct wherever sources permit.

Municipality
Valandovo Municipality
City population
3,671
Municipality population
10,508
Population outside the city
6,837
Population year
2021
Municipal area
331 km²
Elevation
110 m
Approx. road distance from Skopje
142 km
Postal code
2460
Climate
Modified Mediterranean climate with hot summers and comparatively mild winters
Sports teams
  • FK Pobeda Valandovo
  • WFC Pobeda Valandovo
Culture
  • Valandovo Folk Fest is the municipality's best-known music event and a stage for newly written folk songs.
  • Hid-Bah Shen in Chalakli celebrates spring through the traditions of the local Turkish community.
  • Warm-climate fruit, vineyards and early vegetables are strong signatures of the local table and economy.
Population snapshot
3,671 city residents and 10,508 municipality residents in the 2021 census; 6,837 lived outside the city settlement.
Average elevation of the Valandovo field
82 m
Average municipal elevation
226 m

Known for

The city's signature.

Landmarks, foods, landscapes and traditions that give Valandovo its character.

  1. Figs, pomegranates and early produce
  2. Folk Fest Valandovo
  3. Isar-Marvinci archaeological site
  4. Wine growing
  5. Legacy of the 1931 Valandovo earthquake

Geography

Geography

Land shapes the city.

Terrain, waterways, climate and transport explain why Valandovo grew where it did.

Valandovo rests at the northern end of the Gevgelija-Valandovo basin, beneath the low slopes of Mount Plavush and near the Vardar corridor. Elevations around town are low by Macedonian standards, and warm air moving inland from the Aegean gives the district a strongly modified Mediterranean climate. The borderland position places Valandovo between the Vardar railway and motorway, the Dojran area and roads east toward Strumica.

The climate turns the countryside into an extended garden. Figs, pomegranates, Japanese persimmons, early vegetables, grapes and tobacco grow around the town, alongside fields and patches of Mediterranean vegetation. The Anska River drains toward the Vardar, while rocky hills mark the transition from fertile basin to upland. Agriculture remains the clearest link between Valandovo's landscape, economy and local cuisine.

History

The preserved legacy narrative

Open the preserved legacy narrative

The earliest evidence of life in the Valandovo area dates from the tenth to the seventh centuries BC. Later remains include a Roman-period settlement known in local tradition as Mal Konstantinopol (Small Constantinople), while Marko's Tower represents the medieval landscape. Two especially important archaeological areas lie near the town: Isar-Marvinci and the remains associated in scholarship and local interpretation with ancient Idomenae. Other notable finds include the Valandovo mosaics, an Iron Age necropolis near Dedeli, and religious sites such as the monastery and church of St George. On Isar hill, beside Marvinci, stood an ancient community in the southern Macedonian district called Amphaxitis. Its many archaeological layers indicate long occupation with no major interruption. The hill rises about 40 to 45 metres above the mouth of the Anska River, where it joins the Vardar.

The town's acropolis was protected by defensive ramparts. Most architectural remains belong to secular residential buildings, while the latest phase may include a pottery workshop. Construction techniques changed substantially between the earlier, simpler phases and the later settlement. Archaeological interpretations suggest that the town first suffered destruction in the third century BC, often linked with the Celtic incursion of 279 BC. Excavated material demonstrates centuries of cultural and economic development. During the fifth and fourth centuries BC, goods were imported from Corinth and Ionia in Asia Minor. Iron Age pottery was found in graves, together with Greek amphorae from the Classical and late Hellenistic periods. Alongside ceramics imported from major production centres, local potters maintained indigenous traditions while frequently imitating Greek forms. In the Hellenistic era, connections intensified with leading Macedonian centres including Pella, Beroea, Amphipolis and Thessalonica. Terracotta figurines, jewellery and coinage followed models from these developed cities. Agriculture, animal husbandry and mining supported the economy of the town on Isar, while regional mining and pottery continued into the Roman period.

Profile sources (23)
  1. valandovo.gov.mk/?page_id=1886
  2. valandovo.gov.mk/?page_id=2069
  3. portal.mdt.gov.mk/post-body-files/proekt-za-podobruvanje-na-opstinskite-uslugi-finansirani-so-zaem-od-megjunarodnata-banka-za-obnova-i-razvoj-file-myTT.pdf
  4. stat.gov.mk/pdf/2022/2.1.22.10Popis-mk-en.pdf
  5. citypopulation.de/en/northmacedonia/jugoistocen/609__valandovo
  6. valandovo.gov.mk/?page_id=2080
  7. valandovo.gov.mk/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/SECAP_Valandovo_MK.pdf
  8. travel2macedonia.com/destinations/valandovo
  9. valandovo.gov.mk/?cat=19
  10. valandovo.gov.mk/?page_id=2162
  11. valandovo.gov.mk/?page_id=162
  12. povardarska-eparhija.org.mk/pe/index.php?Itemid=55&id=364&option=com_content&task=view
  13. ffm.mk/sq/odredeni-dvojkite-za-barazot-za-popolnuva-e-na-vmfl
  14. ffm.mk/media/files/Macedonian-Womens-Football-Strategy-a4.pdf
  15. pretsedatel.gjorgeivanov.mk/en/president/biography.html
  16. macedonianfootball.com/tihomir-kostadinov
  17. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleksandar_Teneked%C5%BEiev
  18. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%BDanko_Savov
  19. martinrizov.com/about
  20. musik-aus-mazedonien.blogspot.com/2015/05/clarinet-wonder-martin-kocev-to-solo-in.html
  21. saatchiart.com/en-ie/account/profile/995629
  22. arm.mil.mk/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/monografija-generali.pdf
  23. makstat.stat.gov.mk/PXWeb/pxweb/en/MakStat/MakStat__Popisi__Popis2021__NaselenieVkupno__PodatociNaselenie/T1501P21.px

Interesting Facts

Interesting facts

Details worth remembering.

Local landmarks, customs, foods and historical details that reward a closer look at Valandovo.

  1. One of the country's warmest farming landscapes

    The modified Mediterranean climate supports grapes, figs, pomegranates, persimmons and early vegetables across the Valandovo field.

  2. The 1931 earthquake reshaped the town

    A powerful earthquake struck the Valandovo area in 1931, destroying or damaging much of the settlement and forcing extensive rebuilding.

  3. Isar-Marvinci preserves a long archaeological sequence

    The fortified site and cemetery near Marvinci have yielded important Iron Age, Hellenistic and Roman-period material from the lower Vardar region.

  4. Folk Fest began in 1985

    Valandovo's festival of newly composed folk songs began in 1985, and a purpose-built festival hall opened in 1989.

  5. Hid-Bah Shen welcomes spring

    Held at Chalakli since the early 1990s, Hid-Bah Shen brings music, dance and community gatherings together around a Turkish spring tradition.

  6. A small municipality on a major corridor

    Valandovo is connected to the E-75 route and lies within easy reach of the crossings and roads toward Greece, Dojran and Strumica.

  7. Saint George overlooks the field

    The monastery above Valandovo occupies a medieval religious site; the present church was rebuilt in 1934 and later expanded as a monastery complex.

  8. Both town and municipality have become smaller

    Census figures show Valandovo town declining from 4,402 residents in 2002 to 3,671 in 2021, while the municipality fell from 11,890 to 10,508.

People

Celebrities

Lives linked to the city.

Writers, musicians, artists, athletes, public figures and historical personalities with a clearly stated connection to Valandovo.

  • Notable person Gjorge Ivanov Valandovo-born political scientist who served as president of Macedonia from 2009 to 2019.
  • Gjorge Ivanov Public life

    Born in Valandovo and educated there before university.

    Law professor and political scientist who served as president of North Macedonia from 2009 to 2019.

    Source
  • Tihomir Kostadinov Sport

    Born in Valandovo.

    Professional midfielder who has represented North Macedonia internationally and played for clubs in several European leagues.

    Source
  • Aleksandar Tenekedzhiev Sport

    Born in Valandovo.

    Professional footballer who has played in the domestic league and abroad.

    Source
  • Zhanko Savov Sport

    Born in Udovo, in Valandovo Municipality.

    Former footballer and coach whose career included leading domestic clubs.

    Source
  • Martin Rizov Music

    Born in Valandovo.

    Concert pianist and educator with performances in North Macedonia and internationally.

    Source
  • Martin Kocev Music

    Born and raised in Valandovo.

    Classical clarinettist whose solo and orchestral work has reached audiences beyond North Macedonia.

    Source
  • Snezana Ilieva Visual art

    Born in Valandovo.

    Visual artist known especially for transparent, light-filled watercolour work.

    Source
  • Save Janev Public service

    Born in Balinci, Valandovo Municipality.

    Army officer who attained the rank of major general in the country's armed forces.

    Source

Villages & Monasteries

Villages

The wider municipality.

Every verified village and rural settlement in the current municipal scope, followed by known monasteries in the surrounding cultural landscape.

28 villages and rural settlements are included.

  • Ajranli A current municipal settlement with no resident population recorded in the 2021 census. Source
  • Arazli A current municipal settlement with no resident population recorded in the 2021 census. Source
  • Bajrambos A small rural settlement with 1 resident recorded in 2021. Source
  • Balinci A substantial farming village with 366 residents recorded in 2021. Source
  • Barakli A current municipal settlement with no resident population recorded in the 2021 census. Source
  • Bashali A current municipal settlement with no resident population recorded in the 2021 census. Source
  • Bashibos A rural settlement with 110 residents recorded in 2021. Source
  • Brajkovci A substantial village with 384 residents recorded in 2021. Source
  • Buluntuli A current municipal settlement with no resident population recorded in the 2021 census. Source
  • Chalakli A Turkish-community village with 412 residents in 2021, known for the Hid-Bah Shen spring festival. Source
  • Chestevo A current municipal settlement with no resident population recorded in the 2021 census. Source
  • Dedeli A rural settlement with 252 residents recorded in 2021. Source
  • Gradec A small village with 3 residents recorded in 2021 and the Saint Athanasius monastery above it. Source
  • Grchishte A village with 176 residents recorded in 2021 and a historical Saints Peter and Paul monastic site. Source
  • Gjuleli A current municipal settlement with no resident population recorded in the 2021 census. Source
  • Josifovo The municipality's largest village in 2021, with 1,651 residents. Source
  • Kazandol A rural settlement with 182 residents recorded in 2021. Source
  • Kochuli A small village with 53 residents recorded in 2021. Source
  • Marvinci A village with 437 residents in 2021 beside the important Isar-Marvinci archaeological site. Source
  • Pirava A major rural community with 1,586 residents recorded in 2021. Source
  • Plavush A current municipal settlement with no resident population recorded in the 2021 census. Source
  • Prsten A small rural settlement with 30 residents recorded in 2021. Source
  • Rabrovo A village with 248 residents recorded in 2021. Source
  • Sobri A rural settlement with 180 residents recorded in 2021. Source
  • Tatarli A current municipal settlement with no resident population recorded in the 2021 census. Source
  • Terzeli A current municipal settlement with no resident population recorded in the 2021 census. Source
  • Udovo One of the municipality's largest villages, with 766 residents recorded in 2021. Source
  • Vejseli A current municipal settlement with no resident population recorded in the 2021 census. Source

Monasteries nearby

Places of continuity.

Verified monastic sites within the municipality or its immediate cultural landscape.

  • Monastery of St George the Great-Martyr

    Plavush slopes above Valandovo

    A monastery on a medieval sacred site; the present church dates from 1934 and the wider complex includes accommodation and gathering space.

    Source

  • Monastery Church of Saints Peter and Paul

    Grchishte

    The ruins of a historical monastery church recorded by the Povardarie Diocese near the village of Grchishte.

    Source

  • Monastery of St Athanasius

    Hill above Gradec

    A late-medieval monastery site renewed several times, with surviving traces of older wall painting and a commanding view over the Valandovo area.

    Source

Old Photos (1)

Old Photos

The rare collection.

Every surviving full-size historical file is included, including originals that the old page markup accidentally omitted. Family-preserved originals remain untouched.