^{This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website}

Tetovo (Municipality, Macedonia)

Тетово, Tetova

Municipal flag of Tetovo - Image by Ivan Sache, 11 June 2006, coat of arms from Jovan Jovanski's website

Presentation of Tetovo
Municipal flag of Tetovo
Former municipality of Džepčište
Former municipality of Šipkovica
University of Tetovo

See also:

Presentation of Tetovo

The blingual municipality of Tetovo (Macedonian name) / Tetova (Albanian name) (86,580 inhabitants; 261.89 sq. km), located in northwestern Macedonia, is made of the town of Tetovo and the 19 settlements of Bozovce, Brodec, Bejce, Belšala, Gajre, Golema Rečica, Đermo, Jedoarce, Lavce, Lisec, Mala Rečica, Otunje, Poroj, Sarakjino, Selce, Setole, Fališ, Džepčište and Šipkovica.
According to the 1981 census, 70% of the inhabitants of the municipality of Tetovo (with a different territory) were Albanians.

Željko Heimer & Ivan Sache, 10 June 2006

Municipal flag of Tetovo

The municipal flag of Tetovo is in proportion 1:2, horizontally divided red-black-yellow (3:2:1) with the municipal coat of arms placed in canton.

Source: Municipal website

Tetovo, located not far from Kosovo and Albania, is one of the most important and revendicative Albanian-speaking cities from Macedonia. Several incidents caused by hosting the (then banned) Albanian flag on the city hall and the Albanian-speaking University were reported.
I won't be surprised if the municipal flag were intended to symbolize a compromise between the Albanian majority (red and black) and the Macedonian minority (yellow). Stretching the red colour over the half of the flag could also symbolize equality between both communities, since red is dominant in both Albanian and Macedonian flags.

Ivan Sache, 26 February 2002

Former municipality of Džepčište

Flag of Džepčište - Image by Ivan Sache, 4 February 2002

The town of Džepčište (7,286 inhabitants in 1994) is located just northeast of Tetovo, not to be confused with a much smaller Džepčište in the central part of the western border with Albania.
Džepčište was incorporated into the municipality of Tetovo in 2004.

The flag of Džepčište is in proportion 1.2, red with the municipal emblem shifted to the hoist. On the emblem, the yellow device is most probably Skanderbeg's helmet.

Source: Macedonian Ministry of Local Self-Government website (page no longer online)

Željko Heimer & Ivan Sache, 10 June 2006

Former municipality of Šipkovica

Flag of Šipkovica - Image by Ivan Sache, 18 February 2002

The town of Šipkovica (6,797 inhabitants in 1994) is located c. 10 km northwest of Tetovo. There is an other place with the same name in the high mountains of central Macedonia.
Šipkovica was incorporated into the municipality of Tetovo in 2004.

The flag of Šipkovica is in proportion 1:2, red with a black device in the middle.
The device is made of one broad vertical stripe and three narrower horizontal stripes equally spaced. The emblem might suggest the initial of the name of the city, the Cyrillic letter Ш, looking like an E rotated 90 degrees.

Source: Macedonian Ministry of Local Self-Government website (page no longer online)

Željko Heimer & Ivan Sache, 10 June 2006

State University of Tetovo

Flag of the University of Tetovo - Image by Ivan Sache, 19 October 2005, after the University website

The flag of the State University of Tetovo is horizontally divided red-yellow with the emblem of the University in the middle. The Albanian-speaking University was the place of several incidents caused by the hosting of the Albanian flag. The situation seems to have calmed down and the University has now a trilingual name, as shown on the emblem placed in the middle of the flag:
UNIVERSITETI SHTETËROR TETOVËS (Albanian, top)
ДРЖАВЕН УНИВЕРЗИТЕТ ВО ТЕТОВО (Madedonian, left)
STATE UNIVERSITY OF TETOVO (English, right)

Ivan Sache & Valentin Poposki, 19 October 2005