Janjevci
Encyclopedia
Janjevci (ˈjaːɲeftsi) are Croatian
inhabitants of the Kosovo
town of Janjevo and surrounding villages, located near Pristina
as well as villages centered on Letnica
near Vitina
(Papare, Vrmez, Vrnavo Kolo).
These Croats are endangered in Kosovo, as fewer than 5% of them are left.
who nationally identify as Croats
. They belong to the Slavic ethnicities
and are believed to be mostly descended from traders who settled in Kosovo during the 14th century from the Dubrovnik
, Croatia
. They have maintained their Catholic
faith throughout the centuries.
The first written mention is by pope Benedict XI in 1303, mentioning Janjevo as the center of the catholic parish of Sveti Nikola.
Because of rising anti-Croat rhetorics and warmongering in Serbian media (especially in Serb media on Kosovo) in late 1980s, and all the pressure and incidents arising from that, Croats from Janjevo and Letnica and other Croat-inhabited villages were more and more forced to leave Kosovo. They mostly migrated to Croatia.
The second wave of leaving Kosovo, came during Kosovo War
.
In 1992, some inhabitants from Letnica, another Croatian village in Kosovo, emigrated to Croatia and broke in, and illegally settled in abandoned homes of Serbs
in the villages of Voćin
, Đulovac and Varešnica in western Slavonia
.
Many of the Janjevci settled in Serb homes in inner Dalmatia in 1996. After the return of Serb refugees, the village became divided between two hostile communities. The Janjevci have since returned the Serb houses to their owners and instead built properties for themselves in a new part of Kistanje called Novo Naselje (lit. New Settlement).
Janjevci families started migrating to Croatia in the 1950s, with most settling in Zagreb. By the beginning of the 1970s, there was a large community of Janjevci along and within the vicinity of Konjšćinska Street in Dubrava
, city district of Zagreb
. They have since turned this area into a vibrant shopping district.
Before 1991, there were 8,062 Janjevci in Kosovo. In 1998 about 1,300 remained. After the Kosovo War
, in Janjevo itself only around 350 remained, the rest fled mostly to Croatia.
'With the downfall of Milošević's policy in Kosovo and with the exodus of most of the Serb population, the survival of the remaining Croat population also became uncertain. Albanian plunderers from neighbouring villages terrorised them and as a result they asked Croatia to help them leave Letnica collectively.
There is an attempt in progress to find a proper place for them in Croatia, and to enable it to take them all together on secure ground.
, while Albanians
and Roma are buying their properties in Janjevo. The remaining Croats of Janjevo have given their support for an independent Kosovo, but they have said if the conditions in Janjevo do not improve very soon they will all leave Kosovo for Croatia in one last group.
In the municipality of Vitina
, in which the village of Letnica is, there are only 60 Croats left according to the 2003 Kosovo population census.
On 28 January 2008, the same day Amnesty International published its report on human rights abuses in Kosovo,a representative of the Croat community in Janjevo, Nikola Brkić, informed the media that the homes of two Croats, Luka Jožić and Roka Čibarlić, in the Šišarka village near Janjevo, had been demolished.
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
inhabitants of the Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
town of Janjevo and surrounding villages, located near Pristina
Pristina
Pristina, also spelled Prishtina and Priština is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous municipality and district....
as well as villages centered on Letnica
Letnica
Letnica may refer to:*Letnica, Gdańsk, one of the quarters of the city of Gdańsk, Poland.*Letnitsa, a town in the Lovech Province of northern Bulgaria.*Letnica, a village in the Vitina municipality of southern Kosovo....
near Vitina
Vitina
Vitina is a town and municipality in the Gnjilane district of south-eastern Kosovo.-Geography:Towns in the Vitina municipality include Pozhoran, Kabash, Binqa, Kllokot, Drobesh, Smirë, etc.-History:...
(Papare, Vrmez, Vrnavo Kolo).
These Croats are endangered in Kosovo, as fewer than 5% of them are left.
Origin and history
The Janjevci as a specific group is one of two regional communities in KosovoKosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
who nationally identify as Croats
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
. They belong to the Slavic ethnicities
Slavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
and are believed to be mostly descended from traders who settled in Kosovo during the 14th century from the Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea coast, positioned at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations on the Adriatic, a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Its total population is 42,641...
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
. They have maintained their Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
faith throughout the centuries.
The first written mention is by pope Benedict XI in 1303, mentioning Janjevo as the center of the catholic parish of Sveti Nikola.
Because of rising anti-Croat rhetorics and warmongering in Serbian media (especially in Serb media on Kosovo) in late 1980s, and all the pressure and incidents arising from that, Croats from Janjevo and Letnica and other Croat-inhabited villages were more and more forced to leave Kosovo. They mostly migrated to Croatia.
The second wave of leaving Kosovo, came during Kosovo War
Kosovo War
The term Kosovo War or Kosovo conflict was two sequential, and at times parallel, armed conflicts in Kosovo province, then part of FR Yugoslav Republic of Serbia; from early 1998 to 1999, there was an armed conflict initiated by the ethnic Albanian "Kosovo Liberation Army" , who sought independence...
.
In 1992, some inhabitants from Letnica, another Croatian village in Kosovo, emigrated to Croatia and broke in, and illegally settled in abandoned homes of Serbs
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
in the villages of Voćin
Vocin
Voćin is a village and municipality in western Slavonia, Croatia, located southwest of Slatina and east of Daruvar. The population of the municipality is 2,500, with 1,161 people living in Voćin itself ....
, Đulovac and Varešnica in western Slavonia
Slavonia
Slavonia is a geographical and historical region in eastern Croatia...
.
Many of the Janjevci settled in Serb homes in inner Dalmatia in 1996. After the return of Serb refugees, the village became divided between two hostile communities. The Janjevci have since returned the Serb houses to their owners and instead built properties for themselves in a new part of Kistanje called Novo Naselje (lit. New Settlement).
Janjevci families started migrating to Croatia in the 1950s, with most settling in Zagreb. By the beginning of the 1970s, there was a large community of Janjevci along and within the vicinity of Konjšćinska Street in Dubrava
Dubrava, Zagreb
Dubrava is one of the largest parts of Zagreb, Croatia. It is located in the northeastern part of the city and divided by the Dubrava Avenue into two administrative areas:* Gornja Dubrava * Donja Dubrava...
, city district of Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
. They have since turned this area into a vibrant shopping district.
Population
According to records in 2002, there are 966 families of Janjevci in Croatia, with the majority of them residing in the capital Zagreb (669 families), and the rest in other parts of Croatia (297 families).Before 1991, there were 8,062 Janjevci in Kosovo. In 1998 about 1,300 remained. After the Kosovo War
Kosovo War
The term Kosovo War or Kosovo conflict was two sequential, and at times parallel, armed conflicts in Kosovo province, then part of FR Yugoslav Republic of Serbia; from early 1998 to 1999, there was an armed conflict initiated by the ethnic Albanian "Kosovo Liberation Army" , who sought independence...
, in Janjevo itself only around 350 remained, the rest fled mostly to Croatia.
Post war situation in Kosovo
The present situation for Croats in Kosovo is as described:'With the downfall of Milošević's policy in Kosovo and with the exodus of most of the Serb population, the survival of the remaining Croat population also became uncertain. Albanian plunderers from neighbouring villages terrorised them and as a result they asked Croatia to help them leave Letnica collectively.
There is an attempt in progress to find a proper place for them in Croatia, and to enable it to take them all together on secure ground.
Present situation
In 2007, there are only 320 Croats estimated to live in Janjevo. The community is slowly moving to CroatiaCroatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, while Albanians
Albanians
Albanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...
and Roma are buying their properties in Janjevo. The remaining Croats of Janjevo have given their support for an independent Kosovo, but they have said if the conditions in Janjevo do not improve very soon they will all leave Kosovo for Croatia in one last group.
In the municipality of Vitina
Vitina
Vitina is a town and municipality in the Gnjilane district of south-eastern Kosovo.-Geography:Towns in the Vitina municipality include Pozhoran, Kabash, Binqa, Kllokot, Drobesh, Smirë, etc.-History:...
, in which the village of Letnica is, there are only 60 Croats left according to the 2003 Kosovo population census.
On 28 January 2008, the same day Amnesty International published its report on human rights abuses in Kosovo,a representative of the Croat community in Janjevo, Nikola Brkić, informed the media that the homes of two Croats, Luka Jožić and Roka Čibarlić, in the Šišarka village near Janjevo, had been demolished.
See also
- CroatsCroatsCroats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
- Kosovo warKosovo WarThe term Kosovo War or Kosovo conflict was two sequential, and at times parallel, armed conflicts in Kosovo province, then part of FR Yugoslav Republic of Serbia; from early 1998 to 1999, there was an armed conflict initiated by the ethnic Albanian "Kosovo Liberation Army" , who sought independence...
- Torlaks
- Gorani
- KrashovaniKrashovaniThe Krashovani are a South Slavic people indigenous to Caraşova and other nearby locations in...