Shtip is a city in the eastern part of the Republic of Macedonia, spread along the valleys of the Bregalnica and Otinja rivers. According to the 2002 census, the city had 40,016 (43,625 with Novo Selo) inhabitants and is the largest city in Eastern Macedonia and the seventh largest city in Macedonia (with 42,000 inhabitants according to the 2021 Census). Shtip is the seat of the Shtip Municipality and the center of the East Planina Region. Shtip is one of the oldest cities in Macedonia. In 2008, Saint Nicholas was proclaimed the patron saint of the city.
The Isar Fortress is a special landmark for the city. It is an elevation 150 meters above the level of the Bregalnica River. In 2009, researchers discovered 30 meters of the tunnel leading from the river to the top of the Isar. This confirmed the most widely told Shtip legend of conquering the city through a secret tunnel under the Isar, which the Turkish travel writer Evliya Çelebi wrote about in the 17th century. Recent research only confirms the deep history. The goal is to carry out conservation and reconstruction of the fortress, which should be completely illuminated by the end of 2011. The view is completely turned towards the historical Isar fortress, if you stand in front of the very entrance to the beautiful building of the Municipality of Shtip. It is located in the central part of the city. It is located on the left side of the Otinja River, a tributary of the Bregalnica River, which passes through the city of Shtip.
Shtip is famous for the fact that the first opera in Macedonia was performed in this city. It was the opera “Pagliaci”, performed in 1924 by the Russian musicologist Sergei Mikhailov. Starting from 1989, every November, Shtip hosts the largest festival of popular music in Macedonia, “Makfest”. Also, starting from 1987, the city hosts the “Shtip Cultural Summer” – a month-long festival held from July 1 to August 1 at the “Aco Shopov” cultural center. The Youth Center is the organizer of the jazz festival “Astibo”. Finally, every year, on November 8, the “Pastrmalijada” event is held in Shtip.
Important cultural institutions in Shtip are:
- Institute and Museum,
- National Theater,
- National and University Library “Goce Delchev”,
- Centre for Culture “Aco Shopov”,
- Youth Center,
- Art Gallery “Bezisten”, and
- State Archives.
The Institute and Museum was established in 1950 as a city institution, and since 1953 it has grown into the Museum of the Shtip Region. Within its framework, there are several collections and funds in the field of archaeology, history, ethnology and contemporary Macedonian art. The Anevi-Gochevi museum complex houses an archaeological collection with over 1,200 exhibits, from the Neolithic to the 18th century.
The National Theater began operating in 1951, and the first theater actors were teachers who staged plays with their students. Since then, the theater has staged over 300 premieres and over 5,000 repeat performances, touring over 100 cities across Macedonia and abroad, and its performances have been attended by around one million spectators.
The roots of the National and University Library “Goce Delchev” date back to 1872, when the guilds of Shtip, with their own funds and by donating books from their home libraries, helped open the reading room “Dejatelnost”. In 1941, the reading room was named “Goce Delchev”, and in 1946 the National Library “Goce Delchev” was established, which has been operating with the status of a national institution since 2003. The literary club “Iskra” operates within the library, as well as a French reading room, in cooperation with the French Cultural Center in Skopje.
The “Aco Shopov” Cultural Center was built in 1979 and has a usable area of 3,100 m2, of which 410 m2 is for the stage area. The Center has a large hall with 615 seats and a small hall with 120 seats. The following work within the Cultural Center: Drama Studio, Art Studio and Accordion Orchestra. Each year, the Center organizes about 130 cultural events in the field of music and stage drama, art and literature, as well as forums, lectures, panels, etc. In addition, as traditional events, the Center hosts: the Biennial Drawing Studio “In Honor of the Poet”, the Music Festival “Makfest”, etc.
