Municipality of Tetovo

Tetovo exists because the Pena River carved through the Šar Mountain foothills creating a valley that became the de facto capital of North Macedonia's ethnic Albanian population. With 84,770 residents (65% Albanian), this municipality at the Polog Valley entrance hosts two universities, Ottoman heritage landmarks, and the failed promise of German EV manufacturing that collapsed in 2024.

The formation story is ethnic geography meeting modern state-building. Albanians, who constitute the largest minority in North Macedonia, concentrated in the northwestern regions bordering Albania and Kosovo. Tetovo emerged as their educational, cultural, and commercial center. The South East European University (third-largest in the country) and State University of Tetovo provide higher education in Albanian, reinforcing the city's role as community anchor.

The Next.e.GO Mobile announcement in 2022—€130 million for an EV microfactory creating 900 jobs—represented economic diversification beyond traditional textiles. The company's April 2024 bankruptcy filing, following failures in other European ventures, left the factory's status uncertain and the diversification promise unfulfilled.

Ottoman heritage persists in the Šarena Džamija (Painted Mosque) and Arabati Baba Teḱe—two of North Macedonia's most significant Ottoman-era landmarks. The ethno-museum in Dzepciste village, claiming to be the world's smallest, displays artifacts spanning 8th century BC to 20th century.

Mayor Bilall Kasami (Besa Movement) won re-election in October 2025, maintaining Albanian political control over municipal governance. Whether this largest Albanian-majority municipality can attract post-EV investment, and whether Albanian-language education translates into local employment, determines whether Tetovo remains regional capital or becomes talent exporter.