Kavadarci

Located in the heart of Macedonia’s wine country, the farming town of Kavadarci is famous for its high-quality grapes and Tikves wines, popular both at home and on the wider world market. Every year at the beginning of September a wine carnival is held in Kavadarci. (cuisine & wine) Cultural monuments worth mentioning include Marko’s Tower, a stone edifice in the center of Kavadarci standing twenty meters (60 feet) tall, the 14th century Poloski Monastery and the ruins of the medieval cities of Tikves and Devol located near the town. TOWN OF GRAPES AND WINE The Municipality of Kavadarci is in the southern part of the Republic, with 1 132 square–km of area. The Municipality borders with Greece to the South, the Municipality of Negotino to the East, the Municipality of Prilep to the West, and the Municipality of Veles to the North. It is the biggest part of the Tikvesh valley, comprising the largest share of the central part of the Povardarie region. In the Municipality, there are 50 populated places of which there is one city with four small boroughs. Town of Kavadarci, which is situated in the Tikvesh valley it’s mentioned for the first, times under this name in the first half of the 16th century. Etymologically the name “Kavadarci” has its origin in the Greek word “Kavadion” which means “a cape made from valuable textile”, and the people from Kavadarci were manufacturers of this textile. The main activities of the population are growing of the grapevine and production of wine. Upon the development of the viniculture in the Tikvesh region affected the natural-geographical conditions expressed through the effect of the Mediterranean climate and soil advantages. This favorable climate conditions allows the growing of the dessert sorts of grapes from the earliest to the latest periods. The beginnings of the grapevine growing in the Tikvesh region dated from the 4th century B.C. and in the medieval age the viniculture and winery marks a significant growth. Through the years, the town of Kavadarci has maintained the epithet Town of grapes and wine by which its famous not only in the borders of the Republic but in European and Worldwide ranges. That the tradition is still present we have the fact that the total workable surface on the territory of the Municipality of Kavadarci is 18523 Ha, and 8000Ha falls on grapevine. And also with the big number of family wineries that are producing high quality wine and brandy, where they mix the traditional recipes with modern technology. On the territory of the town of Kavadarci can be found one of the biggest wineries on the Balkan Peninsula which produces 55.000.000 litters of wine per year, sorted in 25 kinds of white and red wines and which are offered on European and World tables. Beside grapes and wine which draws the Tikvesh region and the Municipality of Kavadarci there can be found the nature “beauties” such as Kozuv Mountain, situated in the South part of the Municipality of Kavadarci, and its stretches with lack and without division into joints of its mountain hill. It has a surface of 265 square – km over 1500 meters altitude above sea level, and 1.6 square-km are over 2000 meters altitude above sea level. These parameters offer excellent conditions for extreme sports of any kind, as well as mountain climbing, and of course with six-months snow cover, excellent conditions for ski sports. Beauties made by the man can be seen on Tikvesh Lake, which is one of the biggest man made ones in the Republic of Macedonia and its situated on only 12 km from the town of Kavadarci on the flowing spring of the river Crna. Its surface is 14 km with longitude of 28.5 km and average latitude broadness of 0.7 m. The water temperature is 24º C, and the summer period makes it one of the most favorable lakes for water sports, and its rich fish fond of 20 fish types offers excellent fishing conditions. It is promoting the Tikvesh region through the time as a significant cultural strategic army and economical center confirms the archeological locality Stobi. The town of Stobi was built in the Hellenic period, and its situated on only 160km from Thessalonica on the magisterial road Via Ignacia that led from Dunav to the Adriatic Sea. Big number of found documentation are witnesses that this locality as a town was populated by people who were highly qualified, and it can be seen by the amphitheatre, many palaces with segments from Antic – Roman time as well as many ceramic objects and objects of silver and gold. The comparison between the history, tradition and modern time which are making the Municipality of Kavadarci more unique than the others is the Traditional Economic – Tourist manifestation “Tikveshki Grozdober” which is organizing in September and has for its aim to promote the beginning of grape pickup. The Carnival Defile is ahead, and draws the tradition of the local population that cultivate the grapevine and the production of wine in Antic Macedonian until today.