Municipality of Gradsko
Railway-born Vardar junction municipality at 147m elevation, where Mediterranean climate supports viticulture at a Balkanic traffic crossroads.
Gradsko—"The Child of the Railway"—exists because Ottoman engineers built the Salonica-Skopje railway through the Vardar valley in 1871-1873. This municipality of 3,233 residents is unique in the region: a settlement constructed from scratch around a railway station, the only such example in the area. At 147 meters elevation on the Vardar's banks, it occupies flat terrain where Mediterranean climate penetrates via the river corridor from the Aegean Sea.
The formation era positioned Gradsko at a traffic crossroads significant beyond Macedonia—a Balkanic-level junction connecting north-south and east-west rail lines. The municipality lies in middle Povardarie, the central Vardar plain where excellent conditions for agricultural production, animal husbandry, and viticulture converge. Corridor 10, highway access, proximity to both airports, and the railway create a business logistics position that few municipalities can match.
Today Gradsko operates as an agricultural municipality despite its transport heritage. Horticultural products dominate cultivation on 7,000 hectares of arable land. Viticulture benefits from the climate that makes the broader Vardar Region home to 45% of North Macedonia's vineyards. Cattle breeding remains marginal due to sparse rainfall limiting pasture development. The region contributes 7.3% of national GDP with per capita output of 423,632 denars (approximately €6,900)—below national average but supported by robust primary sectors.
By 2026, Gradsko's railway origins may prove prophetic as European infrastructure investment prioritizes rail connectivity. The municipality's position on Corridor 10 could generate logistics development if EU accession advances, though the small population limits labor force availability.