Makedonska Kamenica (Македонска Каменица) - a town in the eastern part of the Republic of Macedonia. It is located at the foot of the Osogovo Mountains on their southern slope. It is known as a mining town. The most famous Macedonian lead and zinc mine Sasa is in its immediate vicinity. It was declared a city in 2004. It is the seat of the municipality of the same name, which covers an area of 19,037 ha, has 9 settlements with a total of 8,110 inhabitants. According to the 2002 census, the city has 5,147 inhabitants.
The name Kamenica comes from the name of a river, its meaning is "water flowing in a rocky bed". In the past, the name of the village is documented in a record from 1566, as Kamena Reka, from which comes the first known Macedonian printer Jakov, who in 1566. print his books in Venice.
Kamenica is first mentioned in Turkish records as a village in
1570-1573. The city was founded before 1950, which was initially
just a settlement for miners working at the Sasa mine. At the time
when the area was under Serbian rule, mining in the old Roman mines
was resumed. The area was inhabited by the Sassi mining tribes, who
migrated from Hungary and Germany. The name of the Sasa mine is
named after them.
In the 14th century, the area became part
of the principality of Konstantin Dejanovi,, after his death it came
under Turkish rule. In the second half of the 16th century, hawthorn
appeared as a form of resistance, due to the favorable mountainous
region. From the area of Makedonska Kamenica is known the company
of the Grandfather Iljo Maleshevski and Rumena Vojvoda.
Makedonska Kamenica is located in the eastern part of
the country, in the southern foothills of the Osogovo Mountains, in
the area of Osogovo. The rivers Moshtica and Kosevicka Reka flow
through the city, and the river Bregalnica is nearby.
The
highway "M-5" and the regional road "R-208" pass through the city,
which are connected with the rest of the country and the Sasa mine.
The city is 24 km west of Delchevo and 29 km northeast of Kocani.
In 1570-1573, 80 families and 59 unmarried persons were
registered in the village of Kamenica.
According to the
statistics of Vasil K'nchov ("Macedonia, Ethnography and Statistics")
from 1900, 350 inhabitants, all Macedonians, lived in Kamenica.
According to the exarch secretary Dimitar Mishev, ("La Macédoine et sa
Population Chrétienne") in 1905 there were 320 Macedonians, exarchists,
in Kamenica.
The city has 2,437 individual households and 2,971
apartments.
The city has a cinema hall, which serves for all major cultural events. In addition to this, there is also a library with 6,500 books, a House of Culture and a Center for Cultural and Artistic Publishing.
Of particular importance for the city is the event "Stone Cultural Summer", which is held every year and attracts various famous performers.
In terms of media, it is covered by one radio station "Radio Makedonska Kamenica" and cable television "Kam-Sat".
FC Sasa plays
in the city, which now competes in the regional league, but in the past
was part of the first Macedonian football league. The city has a stadium
with a capacity of 2,000 spectators and a city park.
On August
28, 1984, an Olympic swimming pool was put into use, built from the
funds from the self-contribution, solemnly opened by Fercho Spasovski,
president of the local organization of the SSRNM in Makedonska Kamenica.
The main economic activity of the population is mining, in addition to the Sasa mine, there are also textile plants and zinc works in the city. Agriculture is represented by the collection of various forest fruits, fungi, the cutting of firewood and furniture, and several shops operate in the city. Among the larger plants in Makedonska Kamenica are: "MI-Sasa", "Cinkarna", "Tamatex", "Luka" and "Textil-M".