Gnjilane
| Gnjilane | |
|---|---|
| — Municipality and town — | |
| Гњилане / Gjilan / Gjilani | |
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|
 Gnjilane
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| Coordinates: 42°27′53″N 21°28′1″E / 42.46472°N 21.46694°E | |
| Country | Kosovo[a] |
| District | District of Gnjilane |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Qemajl Mustafa |
| Area | |
| • Municipality and town | 515 km2 (199 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Municipality and town | 90,015 (municipality) |
| • Density | 229.7/km2 (595/sq mi) |
| • Metro | 52,000 City |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
| Postal code | 60010 |
| Area code(s) | +381 280 |
| Website | Municipality of Gnjilane |
Gnjilane or Gjilan (Albanian: Gjilani or Gjilan; Serbian: Гњилане, Gnjilane, pronounced [ɡɲîlane]; Turkish: Gilan) is a city and municipality in eastern Kosovo.[a] It is the administrative center of the District of Gnjilane. It is famous for having been recorded the lowest temperature in Kosovo with −32.5 °C (−26.5 °F) on 25 January 1963.[citation needed]
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Geography [edit]
Gnjilane is located in the southern Binačka Morava river basin (Binačko Pomoravlje).
History [edit]
Middle Ages and Ottoman period [edit]
In 1342, a place called Morava was visited by Serbian King Stefan Dušan (later Emperor, r. 1331-1355).[1] A fort was built nearby in the 14th century. Gornja Morava was known as simply Morava under Ottoman rule, and it extended west of the Upper Žegra-Budriga-Cernica line, thus Gnjilane stayed in the oblast (province) of Topolnica, which provincial seat was Novo Brdo.[2] In the 1455 defter (Ottoman tax registry), Gnjilane was inhabited by Serbs, and the priest Božidar served the town.[3] There were 41 households. Haji Kalfa (first half of the 17th century) mentions Morava being 17 days from Constantinople.[1] Gornja Morava and Izmornik were organized into the Sanjak of Vučitrn up until the 18th century.[4] Gnjilane became a kadi around 1780, and 20-25 years later a large village.[5]
Modern history [edit]
In 1915, in and around the city, the Serbian army made a futile stand against the 1st Army of Bulgaria, during the World War I Battle of Kosovo. That battle resulted in the ultimate defeat of the Serbian military, and the occupation by the forces allied with the then German Empire.
In World War II there was a significant amount of activity in and around Gnjilane by the Partisans fighting against Nazi Germany and her allies. Monuments to these actions can still be found today, one of which is located in the middle of the village of Koretište.
In 1999, Camp Monteith was established outside the city as a base of operations for KFOR during Operation Joint Guardian, on the site of a destroyed Serbian military base which is handed over to Kosovo Protection Corps in 2007 after U.S. Military downsized their troops. Gnjilane has also served as the regional headquarters of the UNMIK International Police task force from 1999.
Population [edit]
In March 2011, the Gnjilane municipality was estimated to have over 90,015 residents.[6] The vast majority of the population is Albanian, followed by Serbs, and a small number of minorities.
Official Languages [edit]
In Gnjilane Municipality Albanian, Serbian and Turkish languages are official languages.[7]
| Ethnic composition | |||||||||||||
| Year/Population | Albanians | % | Serbs | % | Roma | % | Others | % | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | 24,797 | 50.87 | 19,196 | 39.32 | 48,748 | ||||||||
| 1961 | 29,942 | 57.12 | 18,297 | 34.91 | 735 | 1.50 | 52,415 | ||||||
| 1971 | 43,754 | 64.45 | 20,237 | 29.81 | 1,824 | 2.69 | 67,893 | ||||||
| 1981 | 59,764 | 71.08 | 19,212 | 22.85 | 3,347 | 3.98 | 1,762 | 2.1 | 84,085 | ||||
| 1991 | 79,357 | 76.54 | 19,370 | 18.68 | 3,477 | 3.4 | 1,471 | 1.4 | 103,675 | ||||
| 1998 | 94,218 | 79.4 | 19,481 | 16.4 | 3,568 | 3 | 1,387 | 1.2 | 118,654 | ||||
| 2011 | 87,814 | 97,45 | 624 | 0,7 | 361 | 0,4 | 1,379 | 1,52 | 90,178 | ||||
| Source: Yugoslav Population Censuses for data through 1991,and Kosovo 2011 census. | |||||||||||||
In the municipality according to the 2011 census there are 978 Turks or 1% of the municipality population.The number of serbs now is smaller,because of creation of the new municipality of Parteš.
Economy [edit]
There are 3,700 registered private businesses in the municipality employing 7,900 people. Before 1999, Gnjilane was an important industrial centre in Kosovo. Still in operation are the radiator factory and tobacco factory, which has been recently privatized. The new city business incubator, supported by the European Agency for Reconstruction, was inaugurated in Summer 2007.
Features [edit]
Gnjilane is now the administrative center of the District of Gnjilane of Kosovo. Since February 15, 2003, it is the headquarters of the Local Democracy Agency in Kosovo of the Council of Europe.
Sports [edit]
Gnjilane is home to the basketball club Drita Gjilan, the football clubs KF Gjilani and KF Drita and volleyball club KV Drita, male and female- the most successful club in Gnjilane's history.
Notable people from Gnjilane [edit]
- Zoran Antić (b. 1975), Serbian footballer
- Faton Bislimi (b. 1983), Kosovan author
- Nijazi Ramadani (b. 1964), Kosovan poetry writer
- Albert Bunjaku (b. 1983), Swiss footballer
- Dragan Dimić, Serbian footballer
- Bajram Haliti (b. 1955), Romani writer
- Shpëtim Hasani (b. 1982), Kosovan footballer
- Lutfi Haziri (b. 1969), Kosovan politician
- Genta Ismajli (b. 1985), Kosovan singer
- Ismet Munishi (b. 1974), Kosovan footballer
- Aljmir Murati (b. 1985), Swiss footballer
- Zenun Pajaziti (b. 1966), Kosovan politician
- Slobodan Pavić (b. 1992), Serbian handballer
- Blagoje Savić (b. 1951), Serbian poet
- Xherdan Shaqiri (b. 1991), Swiss footballer
- Mira Stupica (b. 1923), Serbian actress
- Goran Svilanović (b. 1963), Serbian politician
- Faton Toski (b. 1987), German footballer
- Predrag Vasić (b. 1997), Serbian actor
- Granit Xhaka (b. 1992), Swiss footballer
- Taulant Xhaka (b. 1991), Swiss footballer
International relations [edit]
Twin towns – Sister cities [edit]
Gnjilane is twinned with:
Annotations [edit]
- ^ a b Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Serbia and the self-proclaimed Republic of Kosovo. The latter declared independence on 17 February 2008, but Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own sovereign territory. Kosovo's independence has been recognised by 99 out of 193 United Nations member states.
References [edit]
- ^ a b Kostić 1922, p. 126
ГЊИЛАНЕ. ИЛИ. ГИЉАНЕ. У 14. веку помиње се неко место Морава, где се 1342. год бакио краљ Душан. Хаџи Калфа (прва половина 17. века) помиње неко место Мораву, на 17 дана од Цариграда. Јањева, Новог Брда и Кача- ...
- ^ Urošević/Macura 1987, p. 10
Горња Морава се под турском управом звала само Мора- ва, а протезала се западно од линије с. Жегра — Будрига — Церница, тако да је Гњилане остајало у области Топонице, чије је обласно средиште било Ново Брдо.
- ^ Kalezić 2002, p. 448
Из турског дефтера (1455) види се да је насељено Србима и да је у њему служио свештеник Божидар. Старо Гњилане налазило се у Петиковиди (Петковици) предграђу данашњег насеља које је подиг- нуто на месту
- ^ Urošević/Macura 1987, p. 11
- ^ Cvijić 1930, p. 38
Гњилане је дакле могло постати тек после овог кадије, око 1780 године, тако да је после 20 — 25 година, на крају 18 века, могло бити велико село — варошица. При доласку Џинића у новобрдски
- ^ "Gjilan/Gnjilane" (PDF). Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-10.
- ^ OSCE Implementation of the Law on the Use of Languages by Kosovo Municipalities
Sources [edit]
- А. Урошевић: Гњилане. — Гласник Географског друштва, св. ХУП. Београд, 1931
- А. Урошевић: Горња Морава и Изморник., Насеља и порекло становништва, књ. 28, Београд 1935
External links [edit]
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Coordinates: 42°28′N 21°29′E / 42.47°N 21.48°E
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