Volkovija, Brvenica



Volkovija (Волковија) is a mountain village in the Republic of North Macedonia, part of the Municipality of Brvenica.

Population
Volkovija is a relatively small village holding a population of 270 people. The ethnic composition of the village is Macedonian. The village has small primary school “Goce Delcev” which accepts students aged 6–10. The students aged 10–14 continue with the school programs in the neighboring village Stence.

In statistics gathered by Vasil Kanchov in 1900, the village of Volkovija was inhabited by 640 Orthodox Bulgarians.

Origins and etymology
The village as such is mentioned for the first time in written text in 1348 (14th century). There are number of interpretations about the origins of the name “Volkovija”. In Macedonian it comes from the word “volk” (wolf) which suggests that in the past the place where today Volkovija is was empty wilderness with many wolves. This however is contested by authors like Viktor Rafajlovski who argues that such a view is illogical mainly because in the past the village area was a home to highly important monastery.