Ex vulcan city Kratovo is next 08.09 - 11.09.2020

Kratovo is next
Kratovo is a small picturesque town, one of the regions' living museums. It is the seat of Kratovo Municipality. It lies on the western slopes of Mount Osogovo at an altitude of 600 metres (2,000 ft) above sea level. Having a mild and pleasant climate, it is located in the crater of an extinct volcano. It is famous for its bridges and towers.
In the Roman period there was a settlement called Tranatura located within the modern city municipality. There was a mine nearby and the town was the seat of local authorities.No remains of the settlement has been found, however, remnants of Roman fortification were found on Zdravče kamen hill above the town.
Middle Ages
The golden age of Kratovo started after 1282 when it became part of the Kingdom of Serbia. In all probability the wealth of the town came from its mines.Saxon miners and Ragusan merchants who already had worked in other parts of Serbia settled here. The town was first mentioned under its current name in 1330. Gold, silver, lead, iron and copper were mined in the immediate vicinity and in wider surroundings of the town. During the reign of Emperor Stefan Dušan the mines of Kratovo were the prime source of wealth of despot Jovan Oliver. After his death, during the fall of the Serbian Empire under Stefan Uroš V, the town came into the hands of the Dejanović family. Konstantin Dejanović minted his silver coins here. The Ragusan merchant colony grew larger and took over the best part of trading with ores.
In 1389, during his attack on Prince Lazar, Ottoman sultan Murad I stopped in Kratovo to gather information and hold a war council. Next year, in 1390, his son, Bayezid, captured it from the Dejanović and put his official (emin) to reside here. Kratovo was the seat of a nahiya, as a part of the sanjak of Velbužd, as well as a kaza, seat of a kadi/judge, engulfing not only the town's vicinity but also Štip, Kočani and Nagoričani.
In the 15th century Kratovo was a very important mining town, inhabited by many wealthy and educated men, such as the writer Dimitar, or Marin, son of the priest Radonja, who in 1449 donated the whole sum needed for the fresco painting of the Prohor Pčinjski monastery. In 1484 Jovan Konić and Stepan, son of Branko, both from Kratovo, paid an amazing 16,424,000 akçe for a three-year rent of mints in Novo Brdo, Skopje and Serres.As a trade center Kratovo was also settled by Sephardic Jews.Kratovo was an important stop for Ottoman sultans: in 1455, before an attack on Novo Brdo, the Ottoman army regrouped here.
Early modern period
In the 16th century Kratovo ranked among the most important mining towns in the European part of the Ottoman Empire. The mint was opened in Kratovo in the last decade of the 15th century and immediately it became the second largest producer of coins in the Ottoman Empire (just after Novo Brdo), making mostly silver akce, and later gold coins as well. However, from 1520 to 1540 minting and mining were in great crisis and many of the tenants, all of them local Christians, could not pay their leases and were imprisoned. Also, between 1519 and 1530 the number of Christian households dwindled from 982 to 606. After the reform and codification of the craft, the mining and minting recovered around mid-century. In 1550 C. Zeno noted in his travelogue that the Ottoman sultan gets 70,000 ducats from Kratovo. The official accounts of that year tell of benefits of 1,111,555 akce. However, due to the opening of new mints, this fell down to just 573,099 akce in 1573.

The mines were managed by their renters who held the title of a duke (knez). Most of them were Christians. Amongst these wealthy men who were the first among all men in Kratovo we find Dimitrije Pepić with his brothers or Andrija and Nikola Bojičić, who gave money for renovation of many churches around Macedonia (for instance Lesnovo Monastery). The inhabitants of Goldsmiths' and Minters' quarters (mahale), both Muslims and Christians, were businessmen who were famous for their investments in opening new mines such as Kučajna, Majdanpek or Kremkovica, or for leasing mints in other centers, for instance in Novo Brdo.

Such activity continued in early 17th century, but later in that century, around 1660 when Kratovo was visited by Evliya Celebi the mint has stopped its operation. The town was commanded by an ayan. Seven mines were active, yielding mostly silver and copper, but a lot of ore was brought from Osogovo and mountains around Kjustendil. Miners were locals who for their works in mines enjoyed certain freedoms and did not have to pay any taxes. Catholic bishop of Skopje Petar Bogdani reports in 1685 that Kratovo has 300 houses and 8 strong towers. At the time Kratovo was also famous for its copper products which were considered to be the best in the Ottoman Empire.