Kičevo

Kičevo (Macedonian: Кичево, Albanian: Kërçovë) is a city in western North Macedonia.

Understand
Kičevo is situated in a valley on the southeastern slopes of Mount Bistra in the central western part of the country. The city has roughly 27,000 residents, while the municipality as a whole has over 56,000 residents. The largest ethnic group in the city is the ethnic Macedonians, with a large Albanian minority. There are also sizable minorities of Turks and Roma (Gypsies).

Kičevo contains some of the historical Železnik region, primarily within neighboring Demir Hisar today. It also contains the entirety of the historical Kopčka region. Both are dotted with traditional Macedonian villages.

On 11 September 1943, during World War II, Kičevo became the first city in Macedonia to be liberated by the partisans.

By train
As of 2023, there are no trains running in this region.

By bus
Buses operating between Skopje and Ohrid stop at the Kičevo bus station, which is located adjacent to the train station, west of the city centre across the highway. Skopje is about two-and-a-half to three hours away, while Ohrid an hour.

By car
The road connection of the Kičevo municipality with the other regions in the Republic is satisfactory, despite the mountainous surrounding of the region. The region is linked to Skopje through the regional highway Kicevo – Gostivar – Tetovo – Skopje. In the south of Kicevo there is a road intersection which goes in three directions. The first leads to the Ohrid and Struga region, the second leads to Bitola through Sopotnica and Demir Hisar, and the third towards Prilep through Makedonski Brod and Porece.

Neighboring villages
Following a merger with three neighboring municipalities, Kičevo has a total of 79 villages. The former Drugovo Municipality, now the southwest portion of Kičevo Municipality, has a large concentration of old villages with traditional Macedonian architecture.