Vucitrn
Encyclopedia
Vučitrn or Vushtrri is a city and municipality
in north-eastern Kosovo
. It is the seat of the Kosovska Mitrovica District
. The name of the city means "wolf's thorn", the name of the spiny restharrow plant in Serbian.
Although there is no official data, the total population of the municipality is estimated at 69,881. It is also the home of the Kosovo Police Service
training school where from 1999 members of the OSCE
trained the new multiethnic police service following the departure of the Serbs in 1999. The staff at the training school were made up of serving and retired police officers from the member states of the OSCE.
rule. After the Great Schism
of the Church in 1054, the majority of Vicianum's population remained Orthodox
.
During Middle Ages, Vicianum transferred into town that was formed around Vojinovića Tower
, as contemporary chroniclers write. Serbia
n Emperor Dušan
enlarged the fortress.
In the fourteenth century the Ottoman Empire
began to expand into the Balkans
, with the Ottoman presence in Vučitrn first recorded in 1439, 50 years after the 1389 Battle of Kosovo
signaled the entrance of the Ottomans to Kosovo. The establishment of Ottoman administration in Vučitrn spread Islam
to the municipality and the construction of mosques, inns, madrassa's and hamams (public baths) followed. Between the 15th-18th Centuries, Vučitrn was one of the largest settlements in the Balkans and it was the center of a very important sandjak (administrative unit) of the Ottoman Empire.
. Vučitrn and the entire surrounding area joined the Kingdom of Serbia
that year in an event that would be internationally recognised the following year. However, by 1914, World War I
had broken out and Vučitrn was occupied by Austria-Hungary
; after the war when which the Central European powers had been driven out, Serbia joined the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.
During World War II
the city was incorporated into the German zone of occupation. In November 1944, the Yugoslav Communist administration was established.
In March 1989, Serbian Communist authorities abolished the Constitution
of 1974, restoring Kosovo's status as after the 1971 amendments of the 1963 constitution. It was a move widely seen to disenfranchise the local ethnnic Albanian authorities in the region and this eventually led to an armed uprising organized by the Kosovo Liberation Army
(KLA), and the intervention by NATO forces in March–June 1999. NATO forces entered Vučitrn on 16 June 1999.
, Serbian
and Turkish language
s are official languages.
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 north-eastern 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...
. It is the seat of the Kosovska Mitrovica District
Kosovska Mitrovica District
The Kosovska Mitrovica District was a district in Kosovo between 1990 and 1999. It was located in the northern part of Kosovo i Metohija. It had a population of 275,904. Seat of the District was in the city of Kosovska Mitrovica...
. The name of the city means "wolf's thorn", the name of the spiny restharrow plant in Serbian.
Although there is no official data, the total population of the municipality is estimated at 69,881. It is also the home of the Kosovo Police Service
Kosovo Police Service
Kosovo Police is the police law enforcement agency of the Republic of Kosovo.It was created in 1999 in the aftermath of the Kosovo War and subsequent withdrawal of the Yugoslav armed forces from Kosovo....
training school where from 1999 members of the OSCE
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe is the world's largest security-oriented intergovernmental organization. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, human rights, freedom of the press and fair elections...
trained the new multiethnic police service following the departure of the Serbs in 1999. The staff at the training school were made up of serving and retired police officers from the member states of the OSCE.
Ancient History
Vicianum ("Area of Calves"),is the Roman name of the town. At the end of the first century B.C., Viciana was conquered by the Romans. During this occupation, Viciana developed a considerable economy and a thriving culture. After the fall of the Roman Empire, Viciana was transferred to ByzantineByzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
rule. After the Great Schism
East–West Schism
The East–West Schism of 1054, sometimes known as the Great Schism, formally divided the State church of the Roman Empire into Eastern and Western branches, which later became known as the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church, respectively...
of the Church in 1054, the majority of Vicianum's population remained Orthodox
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
.
During Middle Ages, Vicianum transferred into town that was formed around Vojinovića Tower
Vojinovića Tower
Vojinovića Tower or Vučitrn is a city fortifications in Vučitrn. It was the seat of Đurađ Branković in the time while he was district lord of Kosovo...
, as contemporary chroniclers write. 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...
n Emperor Dušan
Stefan Uroš IV Dušan of Serbia
Stephen Uroš IV Dušan the Mighty , was the King of Serbia and Emperor of the Serbs and Greeks until his death on 20 December 1355. Dušan managed to conquer a large part of Southeast Europe, becoming one of the most powerful monarchs in his time...
enlarged the fortress.
In the fourteenth century the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
began to expand into the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
, with the Ottoman presence in Vučitrn first recorded in 1439, 50 years after the 1389 Battle of Kosovo
Battle of Kosovo
The Battle of Kosovo took place on St. Vitus' Day, June 15, 1389, between the army led by Serbian Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović, and the invading army of the Ottoman Empire under the leadership of Sultan Murad I...
signaled the entrance of the Ottomans to Kosovo. The establishment of Ottoman administration in Vučitrn spread Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
to the municipality and the construction of mosques, inns, madrassa's and hamams (public baths) followed. Between the 15th-18th Centuries, Vučitrn was one of the largest settlements in the Balkans and it was the center of a very important sandjak (administrative unit) of the Ottoman Empire.
20th Century History
1912 saw an end to centuries long Ottoman rule as a result of 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...
. Vučitrn and the entire surrounding area joined the Kingdom of Serbia
Kingdom of Serbia
The Kingdom of Serbia was created when Prince Milan Obrenović, ruler of the Principality of Serbia, was crowned King in 1882. The Principality of Serbia was ruled by the Karađorđevic dynasty from 1817 onwards . The Principality, suzerain to the Porte, had expelled all Ottoman troops by 1867, de...
that year in an event that would be internationally recognised the following year. However, by 1914, World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
had broken out and Vučitrn was occupied by Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
; after the war when which the Central European powers had been driven out, Serbia joined the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.
During World War II
World 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...
the city was incorporated into the German zone of occupation. In November 1944, the Yugoslav Communist administration was established.
In March 1989, Serbian Communist authorities abolished the Constitution
Constitution of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Constitution of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the supreme law of S.F.R. Yugoslavia and its predecessor, the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia .-Federal constitutions:...
of 1974, restoring Kosovo's status as after the 1971 amendments of the 1963 constitution. It was a move widely seen to disenfranchise the local ethnnic Albanian authorities in the region and this eventually led to an armed uprising organized by the Kosovo Liberation Army
Kosovo Liberation Army
The Kosovo Liberation Army or KLA was a Kosovar Albanian paramilitary organization which sought the separation of Kosovo from Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the 1990s....
(KLA), and the intervention by NATO forces in March–June 1999. NATO forces entered Vučitrn on 16 June 1999.
Demographics
| Ethnic Composition, Including IDPs | |||||||||||||
| Year/Population | Albanian | % | Serb | % | Roma | % | Ashkali | % | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1999 | 81,807 | 93.3 | 5,466 | 6.2 | 300 | 3.4 | 150 | 1.7 | 87,723 | ||||
| Current figure, est. | 98,000 | 95.4 | 4,137 | 4.0 | 125 | 1.2 | 400 | 3.9 | 102,662 | ||||
| Ref: OSCE (PDF/ HTML) | |||||||||||||
Official Languages
In Vučitrn Municipality AlbanianAlbanian language
Albanian is an Indo-European language spoken by approximately 7.6 million people, primarily in Albania and Kosovo but also in other areas of the Balkans in which there is an Albanian population, including western Macedonia, southern Montenegro, southern Serbia and northwestern Greece...
, Serbian
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
and Turkish language
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,...
s are official languages.
Notable people
- Hasan PrishtinaHasan PrishtinaHasan Prishtina born Hasan Berisha was an Albanian politician, who served as Prime Minister of Albania in December 1921.-Biography:He studied politics and law in Istanbul...
former Albanian Prime Minister - Shefki KuqiShefki KuqiShefki Kuqi is a Kosovar-born Finnish professional footballer who is currently playing for League One side Oldham Athletic. Kuqi plays predominately as a striker. He has spent most of his career in the English league, and has played for clubs including Stockport County, Sheffield Wednesday, Ipswich...
, professional football strikerStrikerForwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals... - Samir UjkaniSamir UjkaniSamir Ujkani is a Albanian international football goalkeeper, currently playing for Novara in a co-ownership agreement with Palermo, and the Albanian national team.-Early life:...
, footballer