| Official Name: | Kočani |
| Motto: | City of rice and geothermal water |
| Pushpin Map: | North Macedonia |
| Pushpin Label Position: | left |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location within North Macedonia |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Eastern |
| Subdivision Type2: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name2: | Kočani |
| Subdivision Type3: | Geoname |
| Subdivision Name3: | 789403 |
| Seat Type: | Council |
| Seat: | VMRO-DPMNE - 9, SDSM - 8, Levica - 1, Independent - 1 |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Ljupčo Papazov (VMRO-DPMNE) |
| Established Title: | Founded |
| Established Date: | 1337 [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 18.6 |
| Elevation Max M: | 420 |
| Elevation Min M: | 350 |
| Population As Of: | 2021 |
| Population Total: | 24,632 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone: | CET |
| Utc Offset: | +1 |
| Timezone Dst: | CEST |
| Utc Offset Dst: | +2 |
| Coordinates: | 41.9167°N 47°W |
| Postal Code: | 2300 |
| Area Code: | (++389) 33 |
| Website: | www.kocani.gov.mk |
| Blank Name: | Car plates |
| Blank Info: | KO |
| Blank1 Name: | Official language |
| Blank1 Info: | Macedonian |
| Blank2 Name: | Geothermal water temperature |
| Blank2 Info: | 78°C |
| Blank3 Name: | Settlements |
| Blank3 Info: | 28 |
| Blank4 Name: | Climate |
| Blank4 Info: | Cfa |
Kočani (Macedonian: Кочани in Macedonian pronounced as /ˈkɔtʃani/) is a town in the eastern part of North Macedonia, situated around east from Skopje. It has a population of 24,632 and is the seat of the Kočani Municipality.[2]
The town spreads across the Northern side of the Kočani valley, along the banks of the Kočani river, where it leaves the mountain slopes and flows through the valley. North of the town there is the Osogovo mountain (2252m (7,388feet)) and to the south the valley is closed by the mountain Plačkovica (1754m (5,755feet)). The town is 350m-450mm (1,150feet-1,480feetm) above sea level.
Kočani spreads over an area of 18.6km2 and has population of 28,330 inhabitants which makes it the third regional center in the Eastern part of the country:
According to the 1903 Austrian consular reports on ethnic composition of the kazas of the Sanjak of Skopje in 1903, the kaza of Kočani was populated by a total of 39,406 inhabitants, of whom 16,524 (41.93%) were Bulgarian Exarchists, 11,600 (29.44%) Ottoman Muslim, 7,800 (19.79%) Albanians, 1,680 (4.26%) Aromanians, 1,090 (2.77%) Patriarchists and 712 (1.8%) Romanis.[3]
According to the 2002 census, the ethnic composition of the city is as follows:
90.3%
5.0%
3.0%
0.5%
96%
3%
0.3%
As of 2021, the city of Kočani has 24.632 inhabitants and the ethnic composition was the following:[4]
The climate is humid subtropical (Köppen: Cfa), influenced by altered Mediterranean climate which penetrates along the river Bregalnica. The average temperature is 12.9C with 538mm rainfall.
Following the 2021 local elections, the City Council is constituted as follows:[5]
| Party / List | Seats | |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | ||
| SDSM | 8 | |
| 1 | ||
| 1 | ||
| Total | 19 |
Due to its favourable geographic location, together with excellent natural climate characteristics, Kočani was inhabited as early as the ancient times first by the Paionians, Meds and Thracians.Later on, in the 6th century the Slavs inhabited parts of the region. More precisely, in the 7th century members of the Slavic tribe Smolyani colonized the Kočani valley and built a fortification. The founders of the Slavic education, brothers Kiril and Metodij (Cyril and Methodius), stayed in the valley from the year 845 to 855 and in the Bregalnica area (Morodvis) started to preach Christianity in Slavic language.
Although the settlement existed long before that, Kočani was first mentioned in a charter from 1337 in which Despot Jovan Oliver donated the church of St. Dimitrija to Kočani.
Archaeological finds in the town itself have revealed remains of a settlement here in the Roman and Byzantine periods. Early in the 15th century it fell under Turkish rule. The travel chronicler Evliya Çelebi, who visited it in 1662, recorded that it had 600 households, a mosque, a mezjid, an inn and 15 handicraft stores. During the 18th and in the early 19th century, the town growth rate stagnated. It was only around 1878 that the population began to rise, at which time it had about 450–500 households. The town has two feudal residences in the shape of towers believed to date from the 16th - 17th century.
Numerous cultural and historical monuments, from ancient times to the Middle Ages, can be found in the vicinity of Kočani. One of them is an archeological site of Dolno Gradishte from the late antic period, and two medieval towers at the city center.
Monastery complexes in the nearby villages Morodvis and Panteley are world-famous both for their architecture and unique frescoes.
The town green, especially along the river bed and banks of the Kočani river, is the pride of the local people. The town is very clean and neat, for which it has proudly held the prestigious title of the cleanest town in North Macedonia.[6]
Today Kočani is a modern town with planned infrastructure, avenues, many modern buildings and blocks of flats, a hospital, a shopping centre, a park and a newly built industrial zone. All this is carefully planned and structured, according to modern standards of living and esthetics. New suburbs are mainly built to the east where the town almost reaches the first houses of Orizari and to the West spreading over the industrial zone.
The City of Kočani is served by four primary schools:
There are also two secondary schools:
There is also a primary school specializing in music:
The city also maintains a municipal library "Iskra" ("spark").
Local football club FK Osogovo has played several seasons in the Macedonian First Football League.
Kočani maintains partnership links with the following places:
Szigetszentmiklós, Hungary
Yenifoça, Turkey
Pereyaslav, Ukraine
Novi Kneževac, Serbia