Želino

Želino is a municipality and village in northwestern North Macedonia, part of the Polog Statistical Region. The municipal seat lies on the right bank of the Vardar River at the foot of Suva Gora, about 8–10 km east of Tetovo and roughly 35 km southwest of Skopje.

The area's Ottoman heritage remains visible in the village, including a stone arch bridge that crosses the Vardar at the northwestern edge of Želino and a 17th-century Ottoman mosque. The wider municipality reaches into the Suva Gora hills and, in the southeast, touches Lake Kozjak, the country's largest artificial lake, created by the Kozjak Hydro Power Plant.

Želino Municipality is made up of around 18 villages, with the village of Želino as its administrative seat. The surrounding Polog valley offers rural landscapes, mountain views and easy access to Tetovo, known for the ornate Šarena Džamija (Painted Mosque), the Arabati Baba Tekke and the Popova Šapka ski area on the Šar Mountains.

The local economy is largely rural, based on agriculture, livestock and small trade, while Tetovo and Skopje provide the region's main business, education and services centres. The municipality is predominantly Albanian-speaking, giving everyday life and local food a distinctive Polog-region character.

For travellers, Želino works as a quiet base between Tetovo and Skopje, close to Lake Kozjak, the Šar Mountains and the Vardar valley. Business visitors can use it as a starting point for trips across the Polog region and to Skopje International Airport, about 46 km away.