Flag Coat of arms Official languages Vevčanese Area 22.8 km² | Status current Demonym Vevčanese Founded 19 September 1991 | |
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Ethnic groups Macedonians 99.4%
Others 0.6% Currency Vevčani ličnik (de facto)
Macedonian denar (official) | ||
The Republic of Vevčani (Macedonian: Вевчани ['vɛftʃani]) – also known as the Independent Republic of Vevčani – was a short lived self-proclaimed country on the territory of Macedonia after the fall of Yugoslavia in 1991 and as of 2000 is a micronation. 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 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 Vevčani fall under jurisdiction of the Struga Municipality of Macedonia and the republic came to an end. In 2000 the republic was recreated as a model country to attract tourism.
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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. This was not likely taken by the Vevčani residents and they even more started to protest against as they said the brutality in SFRY. 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:
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. 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.