Serbian troops during the First Balkan War. Yugoslav Period From 1929 to 1941, Gostivar was part of the Vardar Banovina of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, and then became part of Italian-occupied Albania. Economy Gostivar is a merchant city. From the second half of the 19th century, merchants started moving in and opening stores. There is also a market day, Tuesday. Merchants from Kruševo, Kičevo, Tetovo and Veles were the founders of the Gostivar merchant centre at that time. Today they have become electricians, mechanics workers, and Gostivar is a modern city. There are 20,000 Expatriate citizens who are a key source of income in the municipality economy. It is calculated that each year between June and August, approximately 500,000 euros are brought into the city when they return. In May 2015, an automotive company announced that it would open a new plant in Gostivar in the summer of 2015. Tourism Leaving Gostivar on the way to Ohrid, the village Vrutok has the gorge of the biggest river in North Macedonia, Vardar, which is long and flows into the Aegean Sea, at Thessaloniki. Gostivar is one of the biggest settlements in the Polog valley. The Polog valley can be observed from the high lands of Mavrovo and Galičnik. Approximately from Gostivar is a ski resort, "Zare Lazarevski", in the Mavrovo National Park. Mavrovo attracts tourists during all seasons, but is more popular in winter when it is all covered with snow. The tourist resort has 1200 beds and over 1000 villas, with hotels, restaurants and shops. The Mavrovo region hosts ski tournaments and other sport recreations. The peaks on the northern part of the Bistra mountain: Rusino Brdo, Sultanica and Sandaktas, host winter sport activities. The Šar Mountain is one of the most important Alpine mountain ranges in North Macedonia together with neighbouring Mount Korab and Bistra mountains. The range is long and wide and is covered with snow from November till March or April every year. Its highest peak, Titov Vrv, is situated on above sea level. Fauna of the area includes the Šarplaninac dog, which are used by the sheep-herders of Šar Mountain (Šar Planina in Serbian and Macedonian), to guide and protect their sheep herds. Bears, wild boar and deer exist also. The area has a variety of vegetation and wildlife, including medical herbs, and even hunt activities can be arranged. Šar Mountain is among the largest compact