Uroševac
Encyclopedia
Ferizaj or Uroševac is a city and municipality
in southern Kosovo
, located some 38 kilometres (23.6 mi) south of the capital Pristina
.
Uroševac is the third most populous city in Kosovo, after Pristina
and Prizren
.
It is the administrative centre of the homonymous district
. The central city postal codes include 70000, 70010, 70030 and 70040.
The municipality covers an area of 345 km² (133 sq mi), including the city of Uroševac and 45 villages. It is largely an agricultural plain. Its population is estimated at 108,690.:
-Thessaloniki
railway was opened, passing through the town. Its Turkish
name derives from a pre-1873 hotel owned by a local Kosovo Albanian
named Feriz Shashivari; thus Serbs
and Bosnians
called the community Ferizovići ("Feriz's village") while Albanians called it Ferizaj. The town was known as Ferizovich or Ferizovo in Bulgarian
. It is still known informally as "Tasjan", from a Turkish form of the French
word station, referring to its status as a main station on the railway line.
, the local Albanian population gave a determined resistance. According to some reports, the fight lasted three days. The Serbian commander then ordered the population back home and to surrender arms. When the survivors returned, between 300-400 people were massacred. There then followed the destruction of Albanian-populated villages around Uroševac. Before the official annexation to the Kingdom of Serbia, the name was changed to Uroševac, after Stefan Uroš V of Serbia.
of 1999, with some of its Albanian-populated neighborhoods being shelled and burned by the Yugoslav Army
. Following the war, the city has seen serious intercommunal unrest which resulted in almost all of the Serbia
ns and rest of non-Albanian inhabitants being expelled or fleeing.
Camp Bondsteel
, the main base of the United States Army
detachment to the KFOR peacekeeping force in Kosovo, is located nearby.
, but then rebuilt. During the Kosovo war in 1999 none of them were destroyed. In March 2004 during unrest in Kosovo
, the church was attacked. Because the mosque and the church are in the same place, many people like to make photos as a unique phenomenon.
There are 30 primary schools in the municipality and 22,771 students. Six secondary schools include gymnasium and professional schools (technical, medical, music, agricultural and economics) with 7,054 students in total. The school attendance of the Ashkali
, Roma and Gorani children is lower than the Kosovo Albanians. There is also one kindergarten with a total of 270 children registered. The Municipal Department of Education and Science has more than 1,680 professional and support staff, including 10 minority communities representatives.
Uroševac has two public libraries, where student also have internet access. Membership prices are very symbolic.
, KF Vullnetari i UÇK-së and KF Vizioni.
Uroševac is center for sports except for handball, where it has one teams in the top league: KH Kastrioti
.
. The other groups are as follows:
Ashkali
(3500 residents),
Roma
(200 residents),
Gorani (150 residents),
Bosniak
(60 residents),
Serb (approximately 140 residents),
and other communities (40 residents), including Turks
.
The city had a population of about 70,000 people in the 1990s but this has grown substantially as a result of Albanian migration from the countryside and from parts of southern Serbia.
In 1998, prior to the 1999 Kosovo War
, the population was recorded as 57,421, of whom 82.1% were Albanian, 9.4% Serb, and the remainder from various other national communities. In 2003 the town had a total population of 139,800.
Municipalities of Kosovo
A Municipality is the basic administrative division in Kosovo.-List of Municipalities:The first name is Serbian and the second one is Albanian:* Dečani / Deçan* Dragaš / Dragash* Đakovica / Gjakovë* Glogovac / Gllogovc * Gnjilane / Gjilan...
in southern 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...
, located some 38 kilometres (23.6 mi) south of the capital 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....
.
Uroševac is the third most populous city in Kosovo, after 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....
and Prizren
Prizren
Prizren is a historical city located in southern Kosovo. It is the administrative center of the eponymous municipality and district.The city has a population of around 131,247 , mostly Albanians...
.
It is the administrative centre of the homonymous district
District of Uroševac
The Uroševac District or Ferizaj District is one the seven districts of Kosovo, with seat in Uroševac.-Municipalities:* Uroševac * Štimlje * Kačanik * Štrpce...
. The central city postal codes include 70000, 70010, 70030 and 70040.
The municipality covers an area of 345 km² (133 sq mi), including the city of Uroševac and 45 villages. It is largely an agricultural plain. Its population is estimated at 108,690.:
History
Ferizoviç was little more than a village until 1873, when the BelgradeBelgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
-Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
railway was opened, passing through the town. Its Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
name derives from a pre-1873 hotel owned by a local Kosovo Albanian
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...
named Feriz Shashivari; thus 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...
and Bosnians
Bosnians
Bosnians are people who reside in, or come from, Bosnia and Herzegovina. By the modern state definition a Bosnian can be anyone who holds citizenship of the state. This includes, but is not limited to, members of the constituent ethnic groups of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Bosniaks, Bosnian Serbs and...
called the community Ferizovići ("Feriz's village") while Albanians called it Ferizaj. The town was known as Ferizovich or Ferizovo in Bulgarian
Bulgarian language
Bulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Slavic linguistic group.Bulgarian, along with the closely related Macedonian language, demonstrates several linguistic characteristics that set it apart from all other Slavic languages such as the elimination of case declension, the...
. It is still known informally as "Tasjan", from a Turkish form of the French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
word station, referring to its status as a main station on the railway line.
Balkan Wars
After the settlement had fallen to Serbia during the First Balkan WarFirst Balkan War
The First Balkan War, which lasted from October 1912 to May 1913, pitted the Balkan League against the Ottoman Empire. The combined armies of the Balkan states overcame the numerically inferior and strategically disadvantaged Ottoman armies and achieved rapid success...
, the local Albanian population gave a determined resistance. According to some reports, the fight lasted three days. The Serbian commander then ordered the population back home and to surrender arms. When the survivors returned, between 300-400 people were massacred. There then followed the destruction of Albanian-populated villages around Uroševac. Before the official annexation to the Kingdom of Serbia, the name was changed to Uroševac, after Stefan Uroš V of Serbia.
Kosovo War
The city suffered some damage during the Kosovo WarKosovo 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...
of 1999, with some of its Albanian-populated neighborhoods being shelled and burned by the Yugoslav Army
Yugoslav People's Army
The Yugoslav People's Army , also referred to as the Yugoslav National Army , was the military of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.-Origins:The origins of the JNA can...
. Following the war, the city has seen serious intercommunal unrest which resulted in almost all of the Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
ns and rest of non-Albanian inhabitants being expelled or fleeing.
Camp Bondsteel
Camp Bondsteel
Camp Bondsteel is the main base of the United States Army under KFOR command in Kosovo. Located near Uroševac in the eastern part of Kosovo, the base serves as the NATO headquarters for KFOR's Multinational Brigade East . The base is named after Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipient United States...
, the main base of the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
detachment to the KFOR peacekeeping force in Kosovo, is located nearby.
Mosque and Church
The mosque (Big Mosque of Mulla Veseli from 1891 ) and the church St. Uroš Orthodox Cathedral located in the centre of Uroševac are considered as a symbol of religious tolerance between Albanian Muslims and Serbian Orthodox. The mosque was destroyed during the World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, but then rebuilt. During the Kosovo war in 1999 none of them were destroyed. In March 2004 during unrest in Kosovo
2004 unrest in Kosovo
Violent unrest in Kosovo, which at the time was under United Nations administration, broke out on 17 March 2004. Kosovo Albanians, numbering over 50,000, took part in widescale attacks on the Serbian people, compared by the then Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica to ethnic cleansing but not...
, the church was attacked. Because the mosque and the church are in the same place, many people like to make photos as a unique phenomenon.
Economy
The US company "Brown & Root," assisting in constructing the Camp Bondsteel, is a major employer in the municipality with 1,500 people locally employed. Most of the 22 socially-owned enterprises have been privatised. According to statistical information from the Ministry of Trade and Industry, there are more than 4,500 private small and medium-sized businesses registered in the municipality while the municipal registry counts 3,463 active local businesses. The municipal figures of local active companies show that 11% are production oriented, 43% provide services, and 46% of businesses are trade-oriented.Education
Ashkali
In the Balkans, the Ashkali and Egyptians are Albanian-speaking ethnic minorities of Kosovo and Albania. Observers consider them Albanized Romanies, but they do not self-identify as such...
, Roma and Gorani children is lower than the Kosovo Albanians. There is also one kindergarten with a total of 270 children registered. The Municipal Department of Education and Science has more than 1,680 professional and support staff, including 10 minority communities representatives.
Uroševac has two public libraries, where student also have internet access. Membership prices are very symbolic.
Sport
Three football clubs are situated in Uroševac: FK FerizajFK Ferizaj
Klubi Futbollistik Ferizaj is a football club based in Ferizaj, Kosovo. The club currently plays in the top division of football in Kosovo, the Kosovar Superliga....
, KF Vullnetari i UÇK-së and KF Vizioni.
Uroševac is center for sports except for handball, where it has one teams in the top league: KH Kastrioti
KH Kastrioti
KH Kastrioti is a team handball club from Ferizaj. Currently, KH Kastrioti competes in the SuperLiga e Kosoves and the Kosovo Handball Cup....
.
Media
There are 3 TV stations and 4 radio stations licensed and operational in Uroševac. All the local media are privately owned: RTV TEMA, TV Liria, RTV Festina, Radio Ferizaj and Radio Furtuna.Demographics
There is currently no correct information on the exact figure on the municipality's population, as the last census took place in 1991. However, as of 2011 municipal authorities estimate the population to 108,690. The majority, roughly 100,000 residents, are Kosovo AlbanianAlbanians
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...
. The other groups are as follows:
Ashkali
Ashkali
In the Balkans, the Ashkali and Egyptians are Albanian-speaking ethnic minorities of Kosovo and Albania. Observers consider them Albanized Romanies, but they do not self-identify as such...
(3500 residents),
Roma
Roma in Kosovo
Roma in Kosovo are Serbian Roma , polylingual Roma and Albanian Roma who self-identify as Ashkali or Balkan Egyptians...
(200 residents),
Gorani (150 residents),
Bosniak
Bosniaks of Serbia
Bosniaks are an ethnic group living in Serbia. According to the last census from 2002, the total number of Bosniaks in Serbia was 136,087 and they comprised 1.82% of population...
(60 residents),
Serb (approximately 140 residents),
and other communities (40 residents), including Turks
Turks in Kosovo
Turks in Kosovo are the ethnic Turks who constitute a minority group in Kosovo.-History:The Ottomans brought Islamisation with them, particularly in towns, and later also created the Vilayet of Kosovo as one of the Ottoman territorial entities...
.
The city had a population of about 70,000 people in the 1990s but this has grown substantially as a result of Albanian migration from the countryside and from parts of southern Serbia.
In 1998, prior to the 1999 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...
, the population was recorded as 57,421, of whom 82.1% were Albanian, 9.4% Serb, and the remainder from various other national communities. In 2003 the town had a total population of 139,800.
| Ethnic Composition, Including IDPs | |||||||||||||
| Year/Population | Albanian | % | Serb | % | Ashkali/Roma | % | Gorani/Bosniaks | % | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 census * | 81,737 | 85.9 | 8,191 | 8.6 | 2,081 | 2.2 | 95,156 | ||||||
| October 1999 | 92,267 | 95.1 | 26 | 0.0 | 4,700 | 4.8 | 96,967 | ||||||
| Current est. | 160,000 | 98.4 | 147 | 0.1 | 3,594 | 1.3 | 248 | 0.2 | 163,842 | ||||
| May 2011 | 104,000 | 96.5 | 26 | 0.0 | 3,000 | 3.2 | 108,690 | ||||||
| It is noted that the 1991 census was highly politicised and is thus regarded as unreliable. Ref: KK.RKS http://kk.rks-gov.net/ | |||||||||||||
Notable people
- Arsim AbaziArsim AbaziArsim Abazi is a Kosovar international football defender and midfielder who plays in KF Ferizaj, in Kosovo.Abazi previously played for Malatyaspor in the Turkish Super Lig.-References:*...
, Footballer - Lucjan AvgustiniLucjan AvgustiniLucjan Avgustini is an Albanian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Currently he is the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sapë.Lucjan Avgustini was born on in Ferizaj, SFR Yugoslavia...
, Prelate - Genc IseniGenc IseniGenc Iseni or Hyseni is a Kosovar Albanian football striker who plays for FK Bregalnica Štip.Iseni grew up as a player at his fatherland club in the Kosovar league KF Ferizaj, where he used to play starting from his childhood.He played 4 years for Macedonian club FK Renova from Džepčište, in the...
, Footballer - Shefqet PllanaShefqet PllanaShefqet Pllana was an Albanian ethnographer and scholar. He authored more than 140 articles in his lifetime and was specialized in Albanian folk music....
, Ethnographer - Ljuba TadićLjuba TadicLjubomir "Ljuba" Tadić was a Serbian actor who enjoyed a reputation as one of the greatest names in the history of former Yugoslav cinema....
, Actor - Labinot Tahiri, Musik
- Veli Sahiti - TRIX, Musik
- Grupi Kthjellu, Musik
- Astrit Fazliu, Footballer
- Fatos Kryeziu, Actor