Repot cards, diplomas, musical scores, church registers, manuscripts and photographs are held at the long shelves of the Štip Regional Department of the State Archives depositories, reports the Macedonian Information Agency (MIA) in its feature dedicated to the institution. The complete text is provided below.
Researchers from all over the world, as well as citizens visiting the State Archives in Štip, show great interest and curiosity in viewing the old documents preserved in the archival repositories. For visitors, there is also an exhibition space located at the institution entrance.
However, the most requested document by the visitors is the report card signed by Goce Delchev himself. Zoran Minov, Director of the Regional Department of the State Archives in Štip, confirms for MIA that among the most valuable archival documents is Tana Trajchevska's report card for completed second grade, with the signature of her teacher Goce Delchev, who taught in Novo Selo, Štip.
This rare document represents an important testimony to the educational work of teacher Goce Delchev.
“In our archival repository, we hold the report card signed by our dignitary Goce Delchev. It is the report card of the pupil Tana Trajchevska from Štip for the 1894/1895 school year. This report card is proof that Goce Delchev worked here and contributed in many ways. We are all aware that our great figure had taught here, in Novo Selo, Štip, and we preserve this document with great care and pride. Anyone who wishes can come and see the certificate. It is a public document, and we take great care of it and are proud of it,” says Minov.
The report card reveals that Tana, from the village of Goren Balvan in the Municipality of Karbinci, was an excellent pupil in all subjects taught 132 years ago.
According to historical documents, in the autumn of 1894 Goce Delchev was appointed at a teaching position in Novo Selo, Štip, where Dame Gruev had already been teaching. Delchev joined the ranks of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organisation (VMRO) and actively participated in establishing the organisation’s network in Štip and the surrounding towns. Particularly significant were his activities the following summer , when the Organisation’s Congress was held in Thessaloniki. Together with Gjorche Petrov, he was authorized to draft the Organisation’s Constitution and Regulations. At the beginning of January 1898, the chetnik system was established, and Goce Delchev was appointed commander of all revolutionary bands in Macedonia. The town of Štip takes pride in the fact that one of the greatest Macedonian revolutionaries taught and educated children in historic Novo Selo. Today, his name is carried by the University of Štip, the University Library and the highway connecting Štip and Skopje.
A Church Register from 1834 – the Oldest Document in the Archives
The Regional Department of the State Archives in Štip celebrated its 70th anniversary in July this year. It holds 652 archival fonds, with more than one million documents. The oldest document is a church register dating from 1834.
Mario Parizov, Boban Mitev and Velin Šalev, employees of the Štip Archives, showed MIA the repositories where valuable books are preserved in archival boxes. These include church records received from the Bregalnica Diocese, as well as important documents from the Lesnovo Monastery in the village of Lesnovo, Municipality of Probishtip.
The monastery is known for the first monastic community on the Balkans, numbering around 200 monks, also known as the Lesnovo Lavra, which existed from the 10th to the 14th century. The storage rooms of the Štip Archives preserve documents from the Ottoman period and the Ilinden period, testimonies about the life of the town of Štip between the two World Wars, as well as documents relating to its more recent history. Among the hundreds of archival boxes are commercial account books, citizenship certificates from 1883, a baptismal certificate from 1909, police records and technical plans documenting the development of Štip. The archive also preserves the repertoire of the Štip Theatre for the 1923/1924 season, as well as the diploma of the first surgeon from Štip, Dr Hristo Dimitrov.
Mitev explains that several archival boxes contain original musical scores by the Russian composer Sergey Mikhailov, who laid the foundations of musical education in Štip. He was also the composer of the first opera performed in Macedonia, “Pagliacci”.
Alongside the musical scores, the archive preserves one of his school certificates from Kharkiv, issued in 1904. When one of the boxes was opened, photographs of his two pet dogs were also discovered.
Sergey Mikhailov devoted his life to music and left his property to the town. His former home now houses the State Secondary Music School “Sergey Mikhailov” in the old neighbourhood of Stari Konak. Music continues to be heard in his former residence, where talented musicians from eastern and south-eastern Macedonia are educated.
“In our storage rooms we proudly preserve documents belonging to many distinguished figures, including the great musician Sergey Mikhailov. We have several musical scores that we can show you. He worked in Štip, where he also died in 1975, leaving a significant cultural legacy for our town and the surrounding area,” says Zoran Minov, Director of the Štip Regional Department of the State Archives.
Mario Parizov, historian at the Štip Archives, adds that the institution also preserves private collections belonging to prominent Štip families and individuals who left a mark through their activities, creative work and contributions to the community.
“The section relating to the Chepreganov family is particularly interesting. They were involved in trade, and a ledger has been preserved containing records of the goods that were sold. As we mentioned, we also have materials belonging to Sergey Mikhailov. These are personal collections that have been donated to the archive, processed and preserved here, allowing people to freely visit, view them and conduct research. At the same time, I would like to use this opportunity to appeal to everyone who is willing to donate materials for preservation in the archive. People are sometimes hesitant to give their documents because they do not know how they are preserved here. Everything is properly organised, several copies are made, and a separate collection is created,” says Parizov
Archival Documents Preserved According to Standards
The Director of the Štip Archives, Zoran Minov, explains that the most significant archival documents are stored in safes, metal containers and on shelving that meets archival standards.
“It is important to emphasise that every archive should be located away from rivers and preferably in elevated areas, as ours is, on a hill. We meet these standards. We are situated in an appropriate location and the documentation is properly preserved. There must be ideal humidity, proper air circulation and suitable temperature conditions, with no dust. We have a department responsible for monitoring all of this, and we make every effort to preserve these materials in the best possible way. This is a heritage from the past for the future. The temperature should be between 18 and 21 degrees, while humidity should be maintained between 75 and 85 per cent,” says Zoran Minov, Director of the Štip Regional Department of the State Archives.
During their conversation with MIA, Minov, Parizov, Mitev and Shalev explain that the most frequent visitors are architecture students, who search for photographs and documents relating to old buildings. They are followed by citizens seeking certificates of completed primary or secondary education, as well as former employees of companies that have ceased operations in the 13 municipalities of the Eastern Region, who require documentation to verify their employment records and secure pension rights.
Employees of the regional branches of the State Archives in Macedonia also conduct inspections and provide support to archives located within various state institutions, where significant documents are preserved.
The Štip Archives Building – Constructed from Raw Concrete and Steel
Alongside the wealth of historical materials preserved in its storage rooms, the building of the Štip Archives also attracts attention due to its architecture. The architectural style of the building is known as Brutalism. The term does not derive from the word “brutal” as an association with the appearance of such structures, but from the French term béton brut, meaning raw concrete, the material from which these buildings were constructed.
The building was designed by one of the most renowned Macedonian architects, Georgi Konstantinovski, and was completed in 1976. The archival storage facilities occupy more than 600 square metres of space and extend across three levels.
In 2019, several scenes from the internationally recognised Macedonian film “God Exists, Her Name Is Petrunija”, directed by Teona Strugar Mitevska, were filmed in the Štip Archives building. One of the roles was played by her sister, Labina Mitevska. The film is based on a true event that took place during the Epiphany celebrations in 2014, in the historic neighbourhood of Novo Selo.
