Republic of Vevčani

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Republic of Vevčani Република Вевчани  (Macedonian) Republika Vevčani
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Thank you God for being a Vevčanian[1]
Status	current
Official languages	Macedonian
Ethnic groups	Macedonians 99.4%
Demonym(s)	Vevčanian
Government
• Mayor	Vasil Radinoski
Establishment
• Declared	19 September 1991
Area
• Total	22.8 km2 (8.8 sq mi)
Population
• Estimate	3656 residents
Currency	Vevčani ličnik
Time zone	CET

The Republic of Vevčani (Macedonian: Република Вевчани, romanized: Republika Vevčani, pronounced ['vɛftʃani]), also known as the Independent Republic of Vevčani, was a short lived self-proclaimed country on the territory of North Macedonia after the fall of Yugoslavia in 1991 and as of 2000 is a micronation.^[2] The residents of the same-named village planned to create their own independent state right after the Vevčani Emergency in 1987 because of the attempt of the Communist government to redirect the water springs of the village which resulted with massive demonstrations from the people of Vevčani. Soon after the accident the villagers spoke for independent Vevčani and more democracy in SFR Yugoslavia. After the breakup of Yugoslavia the residents made a new independent state of Vevčani on 19 September 1991^[3] having in plan to preserve the springs and to increase tourism. Vevčani proclaimed a republic and made their own flag and coat of arms. Soon after the self-proclamation on 8 April 1993^[3] Vevčani fall under jurisdiction of the Struga Municipality of the Republic of Macedonia and the republic came to an end. In 2000 the republic was recreated as a model country to attract tourism.

Birth of the concept for independent Vevčani[]

During the Vevčani Emergency where for the first time in former Yugoslavia were used electrical hitting sticks by the police to stop a protest.^[2] This was not likely taken by the Vevčani residents and they, even more, started to protest against as they said the brutality in SFR Yugoslavia. After the emergency the citizens of Vevčani strongly stood on their positions on the question for the redirecting of the water springs. Seeing that they have no support on their views by no one from the SR Macedonia Vevčani citizens want to create their own independent state. On the 19 September 1991, 11 days after the independence of the Republic of Macedonia Vevčani declares a state.

After the self-proclamation The New York Times said:^[4]

Their village is just a dot on the map, but the people here consider it a country in its own right: a self-proclaimed Balkan state that has been defying authority for more than a decade.

There is a lot of whimsy in applying the term republic to Vevcani, a mountain hamlet tucked in the southwestern corner of Macedonia just over the border from Albania.

But nationhood is a state of mind for the 2,500 villagers, who say their independent spirit helped them preserve the peace when much of the rest of the Balkans disintegrated into warfare in the 1990s.

We may seem radical in our ways, but we were determined not to let anyone manipulate us, one villager, Nenad Batkovski, said over coffee in Macedonia's capital, Skopje, where he is Vevcani's self-styled consul.

Vevcani is a Christian village surrounded by Muslim neighbors. That is often a recipe for disaster in the ethnically tense Balkans, but the village lives peacefully with its neighbors.

Vevčani ličnik[]

After the self-proclamation Vevčani wanted economic independence also and created its own currency the ličnik (Macedonian: личник). The currency came in 8 denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500 and 1,000. The artist of the money was Simun Lesoski.

Republic of Vevčani
Личник Ličnik
Denominations
Plural	Ličnici
Symbol	вев
Banknotes	1, 2, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500 and 1,000
Demographics
User(s)	Vevčani, Republic of Macedonia (official until 1993)
Issuance
Central bank	Bank of the Republic of Vevčani

Further reading[]

• Macedonia: country for 20 years, 2011
• Republic of Macedonia, independent and free, 1998

See also[]

• Vevčani
• Vevčani Municipality

References[]

External links[]