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			{{Other uses\|Gračanica (disambiguation){{!}}Gračanica}}
	{{Infobox settlement<!--See Infobox Settlement for more fields -->
			{{Infobox settlement
	\| name = Gračanica <br/> Graçanicë
			\| name = Gračanica
	\| official_name = {{lang-sq\|Graçanicë}}<br/> {{lang-sr\|Грачаница, ''Gračanica''}}<br/>{{lang-tr\|Graçaniça}}
	\| native_name =		\| native_name = Грачаница{{native name\|sr\|/Gračanica}}<br>Graçanica or {{native name\|sq\|Graçanicë}}
	\| ~~native_name_lang~~ = sr		\| official_name =
	\| settlement_type = ] and ]		\| settlement_type = ] and ]
			\| image_skyline = Monument of Miloš Obilić, Gračanica.jpg
	\| image_flag =
			\| image_caption = Center of Gračanica
	\| image_map =
			\| image_flag = Flag of Graçanicë, Kosovo.svg
	\| image_skyline = Gracanica1.jpg
			\| image_blank_emblem = Stema e Komunës Graçanicë.svg
	\| image_caption = ]
			\| blank_emblem_type = Emblem
	\| leader_name = Vladeta Kostić
			\| pushpin_map = Kosovo#Europe
	\| leader_title = Mayor
	\| ~~coordinates_display~~ = inline,title		\| coordinates = {{coord\|42\|36\|N\|21\|12\|E\|region:RS-KM\|display=inline,title}}
			\| subdivision_type = Country
	\| coordinates_region = RS-KM
			\| subdivision_name = ]
	\| subdivision_type = Country
	\| ~~subdivision_name~~ = ]		\| subdivision_type1 = ]
	\| ~~subdivision_type1~~ = ]		\| subdivision_name1 = ]
			\| subdivision_type2 = Settlements
	\| subdivision_name1 = ]
			\| subdivision_name2 = 16
	\| established_title = Established
			\| established_title = Established
	\| established_date = 29 December 2009<ref>{{cite web\|title=(Serbian) Opština Gračanica / Komuna e Gracanices\|url=http://www.nasagracanica.com/2014-01-29-19-20-21/2014-02-11-10-25-40.html}}</ref>
			\| established_date = 29 December 2009<ref>{{cite web\|title=(Serbian) Opština Gračanica / Komuna e Gracanices\|url=http://www.nasagracanica.com/2014-01-29-19-20-21/2014-02-11-10-25-40.html\|access-date=2015-01-17\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150109225147/http://www.nasagracanica.com/2014-01-29-19-20-21/2014-02-11-10-25-40.html\|archive-date=2015-01-09\|url-status=dead}}</ref>
	\| area_total_km2 = 131.25
			\| leader_title = Provisional president
	\| elevation_m =
	\| ~~population_blank1_title~~ = ~~Town~~		\| leader_name = ]
	\| ~~population_blank1~~ ~~= 4,500~~		\| leader_party = ]
			\| area_total_km2 = 131.25
	\| population_total = 11,006
			\| elevation_m = 588
	\| population_footnotes =
			\| population_total = 19,371
	\| population_as_of = 2011
			\| population_as_of = 2024
			\| population_footnotes = <ref>{{cite web \|title=Population and housing census in Kosovo preliminary results - July 2024\|url=https://askapi.rks-gov.net/Custom/1d268e37-5934-4bd5-bbd1-34a9965cff92.pdf\|access-date=2 August 2024}}</ref>
	\| population_density_km2 = auto		\| population_density_km2 = auto
			\| postal_code_type = Postal code
	\| postal code=
			\| postal_code = 10500<ref>{{cite web\|title=Zip codes - Post of Kosovo\|url=https://postakosoves.com/en/zip-codes/\|access-date=2020-10-22}}</ref>
	\| timezone = ] \| utc_offset = +1
			\| area_code = +383(0)38
	\| website =
			\| website = {{URL\|https://kk.rks-gov.net/gracanice/en\|Official site}}
	\| footnotes =
	\| ~~pushpin_map~~ ~~= Kosovo \| pushpin_label_position~~ = ~~left~~		\| footnotes =
			\| timezone = ]
	\| pushpin_label = <!-- only necessary if "name" or "official_name" are too long -->
	\| ~~pushpin_map_alt~~ =		\| utc_offset = +1
			\| registration_plate_type = ]
	\| pushpin_mapsize =
			\| registration_plate = 01
	\| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Kosovo
	\| latd =42 \|latm =36 \|lats = \|latNS = N
	\| longd =21 \|longm =12 \|longs = \|longEW = E
	}}		}}

			'''Gračanica''' ({{lang-sr-cyr\|Грачаница}}) or '''Graçanicë''' ({{lang-sq-definite\|Graçanica}}), is a town and municipality located in ] in ]. As of 2024, the town has a population of 19,371 inhabitants.<ref>{{cite web \|title=Population and housing census in Kosovo preliminary results - July 2024 \|url=https://askapi.rks-gov.net/Custom/1d268e37-5934-4bd5-bbd1-34a9965cff92.pdf \|access-date=2 August 2024}}</ref>
	'''Gračanica''' or '''Graçanica''' ({{lang-sq\|Graçanicë}}, {{lang-sr\|Грачаница, ''Gračanica''}}, {{IPA-sh\|ɡratʃǎnitsa\|pron}}, {{lang-tr\|Graçaniça}}) is a town and ] in central ].{{efn\|name=status}} It is a ] centered on the ], ten kilometers east of ]. The 1999 ] and its aftermath transformed Gračanica from a sleepy village into an administrative center serving the needs of the 75,000 ] living south of the ]. International banks, internet cafes, and outlets of Serbian governmental institutions are located amidst traditional farmhouses, giving Gračanica the feel of a semi-urban center dislocated into a rural community.

			It is centered around the ], ten kilometers east of ]. The 1999 ] and its aftermath transformed Gračanica from a sleepy village into an administrative center serving the needs of the 75,000 ] living south of the ]. After the ], the municipality was expected to become part of a proposed ], however the agreement was never implemented as it was deemed unconstitutional. The town is also known for being the location of ], one of the richest Serbian medieval monuments from the 14th century.

	==History==		==History==
			Pope Benedict IX mentioned the village as ''Grazaniza'' in a letter from 1303.<ref name="Marković1904">{{cite book\|author=Ivan Marković\|title=Slaveni i pape: Preveo [s talijanskoga]\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9T4AAAAAMAAJ\|year=1904\|publisher=Tisak Dioničke tiskare\|quote=<!--On piše (18 studenoga 1303) Marinu, Barskom nadbiskupu, ovlašćujući ga postavljati i odregjivati upravitelje „u župskim crkvama" de Bristonia, de Rudinico, de Rogosna. de Trepzo et de Grazaniza in regno Serviae constitutis-->}}</ref> It was mentioned in King ]'s founding charter of the ] (1321).<ref name="Mileusnić1998">{{cite book\|author=Slobodan Mileusnić\|title=Medieval monasteries of Serbia\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Xc1WAAAAMAAJ\|year=1998\|publisher=Pravoslavna reč\|page=54\|isbn=9788676393701}}</ref> The name is derived from Slavic ''Gradac'', a toponym of fortified cities<ref name="LOMA2013">{{cite book \|author=ALEKSANDAR LOMA \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nuy2BgAAQBAJ&pg=PA133 \|title=LA TOPONYMIE DE LA CHARTE DE FONDATION DE BANJSKA: Vers la conception d'un dictionnaire des noms de lieux de la Serbie medievale et une meilleure connaissance des structures onomastiques du slave commun \|publisher=Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti \|year=2013 \|isbn=978-86-7025-621-7 \|pages=133, 199, 260}}</ref> In the 15th century the settlement was a notable commercial centre.{{sfn\|Stamenković\|2002\|p=455}} Until the 17th century it had a notable ] community.{{sfn\|Stamenković\|2002\|p=455}} It seems that the settlement was abandoned in 1689 during the Austrian penetration into Kosovo in the ].{{sfn\|Urošević\|1990\|p=189}} In 1901, it had 60 houses, all Serb, with 400 inhabitants.<ref>{{cite book\|title=Pregled geografske literature o Balkanskom poluostrvu za ...: Revue de la littérature géographique de la péninsule Balkanique\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ESowAQAAMAAJ\|year=1901\|publisher=Državna štamparija kraljevine Srbije\|quote=<!--Село Грачаница има 60 кућа све српских са 400 становника-->}}</ref>
	The village was mentioned for the first time in 1303, in a letter of Pope Benedict IX (as ''Grazaniza''). It was mentioned in King Stefan Milutin's ] regarding the founding of the ] (1321).

			===2000–present===
	In June 6, 2000, a grenade was thrown at a crowd of ethnic Serbs waiting for a bus in the town square, injuring three people, which was followed by some civil unrest.<ref>http://www.ce-review.org/00/23/kosovonews23.html</ref>
			On 6 June 2000, a grenade was thrown at a crowd of ethnic Serbs waiting for a bus in the town square, injuring three people, which was followed by ].<ref>{{cite web\|title=Civil unrest in Gračanica\|url=http://www.ce-review.org/00/23/kosovonews23.html\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000819013118/http://www.ce-review.org/00/23/kosovonews23.html\|url-status=usurped\|archive-date=August 19, 2000}}</ref> On 15 March 2004 a Serb teenager was killed in a drive-by shooting in the village of ] (partly in Gračanica).<ref>{{cite news\|title=U Čaglavici pucano na srpskog mladića iz automobila u pokretu\|url=http://www.b92.net/info/vesti/index.php?yyyy=2004&mm=03&dd=15&nav_category=12&nav_id=135320\|access-date=21 December 2014\|agency=Beta\|publisher=B92\|date=15 March 2004}}</ref> This event led to the ]. In the aftermath of the unrest, another Serb teenager Dimitrije Popović was killed in a drive-by shooting by Albanians on June 5, 2004.<ref>{{Citation\|last=Nerasvetljeni Zlocin\|title=Zločin u Gračanici - Dimitrije Popović\|date=2015-07-29\|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcZ6ylf_ssw\|access-date=2018-03-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.b92.net/info/vesti/index.php?yyyy=2004&mm=06&dd=05&nav_id=142643\|title = U Gračanici ubijen Dimitrije Popović}}</ref><ref>{{cite news\|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3780165.stm\|title=Serb teenager shot dead in Kosovo\|date=2004-06-06}}</ref>
	In the aftermath of the ], a Serb teenager was killed in a drive-by shooting on June 5, 2004.<ref>http://www.b92.net/info/vesti/index.php?yyyy=2004&mm=06&dd=05&nav_id=142643</ref><ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3780165.stm</ref>
			]]]

	== ~~Municipality~~ ==		== Archaeology ==
			A votive altar was found in Gračanica. Dedicated to the well-being of two unnamed emperors, it was erected by priests of ], possibly between 208 and 211 AD.<ref>{{Cite book \|last=Vitas \|first=Nadežda Gavrilović \|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv1gt94hj \|title=Ex Asia et Syria: Oriental Religions in the Roman Central Balkans \|date=2021 \|publisher=Archaeopress \|pages=99 \|doi=10.2307/j.ctv1gt94hj.12\|jstor=j.ctv1gt94hj }}</ref>
	The municipality of Gračanica was established in 2008 by the ], out of parts of the municipalities of ], ] and ].<ref> (Law on administrative boundaries of municipalities), 20 February 2008 {{sr icon}}</ref> Although the new municipality is primarily inhabited by Serbs, this move is not recognized by the ] which does not recognize the Republic of Kosovo and its administrative changes.<ref name="zakon">, Parliament of Serbia {{sr icon}}</ref> According to the administration of the Republic of Kosovo, the name of the municipality in Albanian is '''Graçanicë''' (an Albanian transliteration).

			==Politics==
	The first municipal elections were held on 15 November 2009.<ref name=misao>Nova Srpska Politička Misao: , 29 October 2009 {{sr icon}}</ref> The government of Serbia asked Serbs not to participate in the elections<ref name=misao/> which it does not recognize, but many of them did. Serb Bojan Stojanović was elected Mayor.<ref>]: , 27 November 2009 {{sr icon}}</ref> Town of Gračanica is also temporary seat of the administration of Serbia-recognized ]. The ] were held on 11 May 2008. Those elections were boycotted by the Albanians who consider Kosovo independent from Serbia, so only Serbs participated. Radovan Ničić was elected Mayor.
			The first municipal elections were held on 15 November 2009.<ref name="misao">Nova Srpska Politička Misao: {{Webarchive\|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091101155328/http://www.nspm.rs/hronika/gracanica-srbi-da-bojkotuju-izbore-koje-15-novembra-organizuju-kosovske-institucije.html \|date=2009-11-01 }}, 29 October 2009 {{in lang\|sr}}</ref> The government of Serbia asked Serbs not to participate in the elections<ref name="misao" /> which it does not recognize, but many of them did. Serb Bojan Stojanović was elected Mayor.<ref>]: , 27 November 2009 {{in lang\|sr}}</ref>

			The town of Gračanica is also temporary seat of the administration of Serbia-claimed ]. The ] were held on 11 May 2008. Those elections were boycotted by ethnic Albanians who consider Kosovo independent from Serbia, so only ethnic Serbs participated.
	== Population ==
	The village of Gračanica is said to contain approximately 11,006 inhabitants, many of whom are Serb refugees driven out of ].<ref name="b92.net"></ref> Differing estimates exist for the enclave as a whole, ranging from 13,000<ref></ref> to 11,006 inhabitants in the 15 villages that make up the enclave,<ref name="unmikonline.org"></ref> and down from 120,000 in 1999.<ref name="unmikonline.org"/> The enclave has a roughly ten-kilometer radius in which ] enjoy freedom of movement and attempt to organize a meaningful life for themselves.<ref name="b92.net"/>

			==Settlements==
	Ethnic composition of the municipality, as of 2010:<ref>http://www.opstina-gracanica.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=137&Itemid=56</ref>
			Aside from the town of Gračanica, the municipality has the following villages:
	*Serbs – 85.7%
			{{div col\|colwidth=22em}}
	*Albanians – 3.7%
			* Badovac
	*Others – 10.6% (Roma, Ashkali, Egyptians)
			* Batuše
			* ] (part)
			* Dobrotin
			* Donja Gušterica
			* Gornja Gušterica
			* ]
			* Lepina
			* Livade
			* Preoce
			* Skulanevo
			* Sušica
			* Suvi Do
			* Radevo
			* ]
			{{div col end}}

			==Demographics==
	== Infrastructure and position ==
			]
	Gračanica has been a ] since the end of the 1999 ], and is the largest and most secure Serbian enclave in central Kosovo. It runs along the ]-Pristina road, and unites several neighboring Serbian villages. The enclave, which contains rich farmland and is strategically located in the center of Kosovo, on major roads and near Pristina, has been seen as a potential threat by some ] nationalists, who view it as "a den of Serbian intrigue".<ref name="balkanalysis.com"></ref>
			{{Historical populations
			\| title= Population census
			\| percentages = pagr
			\| 2011 \|10675
			\| 2024 \|18486}}

			The municipality of Gračanica has 18,486 inhabitants according to the 2024 census. In 2011, the town had 11,931, of which the majority were ], also true for the municipality as a whole; by 2024, however, Serbs and Albanians made up roughly equal parts of the population, though the latter overtook the former for the first time.
	Gračanica has an elementary school, several small stores, an open-air market and a police station that employs ethnic Albanians and international police officers, who notably do not speak the ]. The health care center is located in the central part of the town, next to the ] headquarters. An elementary school was reconstructed after the 1999 war.<ref name="balkanalysis.com"/> In December 2008, the Serbian government built a €90,000 post office in Gračanica and promised further investments.{{fact\|date=January 2015}}

			===Ethnic groups===
	=== Settlements in the municipality ===
			The ethnic composition of the municipality of Gračanica:
	{{col-begin}}
			{\| class="wikitable"
	{{col-break}}
			\|-
	* ]
			! Ethnic group
	* ]
			! 2011 census<ref name="osce2015">{{cite web \|title=Municipal Profile 2018 - Prishtinë/Priština Region - Gračanica/Graçanicë \|url=http://www.osce.org/kosovo/88762?download=true \|url-status=dead \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221006010616/https://www.osce.org/files/f/documents/4/6/88762_1.pdf \|archive-date=6 October 2022 \|access-date=24 August 2017 \|website=osce.org \|publisher=OSCE}}</ref>
	* part of ]
			!in %
	* ]
			!2024 census<ref>{{cite web \|date=19 December 2024 \|title=Regjistrimi i Popullsisë, Ekonomive Familjare dhe Banesave 2024 - Të Dhënat E Para Finale \|trans-title=Population, Family Economy and Housing Census 2024 - First Final Data \|url=https://askapi.rks-gov.net/Custom/31bc24d2-45e4-4eb5-a567-405f4bdd197f.pdf \|url-status=live \|access-date=24 December 2024 \|website=Agjencia e Statistikave të Kosovës \|page=66 \|language=sq}}</ref>
	* '''Gračanica'''
			!in %
	* ]
			\|-
	* ]
			\| style="background:#F5F5DC;" \|]\|\| align="right" \|2,474
	* ]
			\|23.17
	{{col-break}}
			\|8,623
	* ]
			\|46.65
	* ]
			\|-
	* ]
			\| style="background:#F5F5DC;" \|]\|\| align="right" \|7,209
	* ]
			\|67.53
	* ]
			\|8,560
	* ]
			\|46.31
	* ]
			\|-
	* ]
			\| style="background:#F5F5DC;" \|]\|\| align="right" \|745
	{{col-end}}
			\|6.98
			\|909
			\|4.92
			\|-
			\| style="background:#F5F5DC;" \|]\|\| align="right" \|104
			\|0.97
			\|133
			\|0.72
			\|-
			\| style="background:#F5F5DC;" \|Others\|\| align="right" \|247
			\|2.31
			\|261
			\|1.14
			\|-
			\| style="background:#F0F0F0;" \|'''Total'''\|\| align="right" \|10,675
			\|100
			\|18,486
			\|100
			\|}

	== ~~Annotations~~ ==		=== Religions ===
			The religious composition of the municipality of Gračanica:
	{{notes
			{\| class="wikitable"
	\| notes =
			!Religion
	{{efn
			!2024 census<ref name="2024 census2">{{cite web \|date=19 December 2024 \|title=Regjistrimi i Popullsisë, Ekonomive Familjare dhe Banesave 2024 - Të Dhënat E Para Finale \|trans-title=Population, Family Economy and Housing Census 2024 - First Final Data \|url=https://askapi.rks-gov.net/Custom/31bc24d2-45e4-4eb5-a567-405f4bdd197f.pdf \|url-status=live \|access-date=24 December 2024 \|website=Agjencia e Statistikave të Kosovës \|page=69 \|language=sq}}</ref>
	\| name = status
			!in %
	\| {{Kosovo-note}}
			\|-
	}}
			\| style="background:#F5F5DC;" \|]
	}}
			\|9,135
			\|49.42
			\|-
			\| style="background:#F5F5DC;" \|]
			\|8,589
			\|46.46
			\|-
			\| style="background:#F5F5DC;" \|]
			\|189
			\|1.02
			\|-
			\| style="background:#F5F5DC;" \|Others
			\|124
			\|0.67
			\|-
			\| style="background:#F5F5DC;" \|No religion
			\|164
			\|0.89
			\|-
			\| style="background:#F5F5DC;" \|Prefer not to answer
			\|285
			\|1.54
			\|-
			\| style="background:#F0F0F0;" \|'''Total'''
			\|18,486
			\|100.00
			\|}

			==Geography and infrastructure==
			The settlement is situated in the spacious valley of the ] river, by the river, on the exit of the gorge between the hill of Veletina (874m) and sloping hill of Glasnovik on the south, and hill of Steževac (794m) on the northeast.{{sfn\|Urošević\|1990\|p=189}}

			===Infrastructure===
			]]]
			Gračanica has been a ] since the end of the 1999 ], and is the largest and most secure Serbian enclave in central Kosovo.{{Clarification\|reason=Meaning of "the most secure"?\|date=August 2024}} It runs along the ]-Pristina road, and unites several neighboring Serbian villages. The enclave, which contains rich farmland and is strategically located in the center of Kosovo, on major roads and near Pristina, has been seen as a potential threat by some ] nationalists, who view it as "a den of Serbian intrigue".<ref name="balkanalysis.com">{{Cite web \|url=http://www.balkanalysis.com/2004/06/07/kosovo-the-deadly-game-continues/ \|title=Balkan Analysis – Kosovo: The Deadly Game Continues, 6/7/2004 \|access-date=2008-05-16 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061029031643/http://www.balkanalysis.com/2004/06/07/kosovo-the-deadly-game-continues/ \|archive-date=2006-10-29 \|url-status=dead }}</ref>

			Gračanica has an elementary school, several small stores, an open-air market and a police station that employs ethnic Albanians and international police officers, who notably do not speak the ].{{Citation needed\|date=August 2024}} The health care center is located in the central part of the town, next to the ] headquarters. An elementary school was reconstructed after the 1999 war.<ref name="balkanalysis.com"/> In December 2008, the Serbian government built a €90,000 post office in Gračanica and promised further investments.{{citation needed\|date=January 2015}}

			==See also==
			* ]
			* ]
			* ]

	==References==		==References==
	{{~~reflist~~}}		{{Reflist}}

			==Sources==
			* {{Cite book\|last=Ćurčić\|first=Slobodan\|title=Gračanica: King Milutin's Church and Its Place in Late Byzantine Architecture\|year=1979\|publisher=Pennsylvania State University Press\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T77qAAAAMAAJ\|isbn=9780271002187}}
			*{{cite book\|last=Stamenković\|first=Srboljub Đ.\|title=Geografska enciklopedija: naselja Srbije\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AHEtAQAAIAAJ\|year=2002\|publisher=Geografski fakultet\|page=455\|isbn=9788682657149}}
			*{{cite book\|last=Urošević\|first=Atanasije\|title=Kosovo\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=POzrAAAAMAAJ\|year=1990\|publisher=Jedinstvo\|isbn=9788670190849}}

	== External links ==		== External links ==
			{{Commons category\|Gračanica (Kosovo)}}
	* {{sr icon}}
	*		* {{wikivoyage-inline\|Gračanica (Kosovo)\|Gračanica, Kosovo}}
			*

	{{Kosovo municipalities}}		{{Kosovo municipalities}}
			{{Community of Serb Municipalities}}
			{{Authority control}}

	{{DEFAULTSORT:Gracanica, Kosovo}}		{{DEFAULTSORT:Gracanica, Kosovo}}
			]
	]		]
	]		]
	]
	]		]
			]

Latest revision as of 08:34, 24 December 2024

For other uses, see Gračanica. Town and municipality in District of Pristina, Kosovo

Gračanica Грачаница/Gračanica (Serbian) Graçanica or Graçanicë (Albanian)
Town and municipality
Center of Gračanica
FlagEmblem
GračanicaShow map of KosovoGračanicaShow map of Europe
Coordinates: 42°36′N 21°12′E / 42.600°N 21.200°E / 42.600; 21.200
Country	Kosovo
District	District of Pristina
Settlements	16
Established	29 December 2009
Government
• Provisional president	Ljiljana Šubarić (SL)
Area
• Total	131.25 km (50.68 sq mi)
Elevation	588 m (1,929 ft)
Population
• Total	19,371
• Density	150/km (380/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
Postal code	10500
Area code	+383(0)38
Vehicle registration	01
Website	Official site

Gračanica (Serbian Cyrillic: Грачаница) or Graçanicë (Albanian definite form: Graçanica), is a town and municipality located in Pristina District in Kosovo. As of 2024, the town has a population of 19,371 inhabitants.

It is centered around the Gračanica Monastery, ten kilometers east of Pristina. The 1999 Kosovo War and its aftermath transformed Gračanica from a sleepy village into an administrative center serving the needs of the 75,000 Kosovo Serbs living south of the Ibar River. After the 2013 Brussels Agreement, the municipality was expected to become part of a proposed Community of Serb Municipalities, however the agreement was never implemented as it was deemed unconstitutional. The town is also known for being the location of Gračanica Monastery, one of the richest Serbian medieval monuments from the 14th century.

History

Pope Benedict IX mentioned the village as Grazaniza in a letter from 1303. It was mentioned in King Stefan Milutin's founding charter of the Gračanica Monastery (1321). The name is derived from Slavic Gradac, a toponym of fortified cities In the 15th century the settlement was a notable commercial centre. Until the 17th century it had a notable Ragusan community. It seems that the settlement was abandoned in 1689 during the Austrian penetration into Kosovo in the Great Turkish War. In 1901, it had 60 houses, all Serb, with 400 inhabitants.

2000–present

On 6 June 2000, a grenade was thrown at a crowd of ethnic Serbs waiting for a bus in the town square, injuring three people, which was followed by some civil unrest. On 15 March 2004 a Serb teenager was killed in a drive-by shooting in the village of Čaglavica (partly in Gračanica). This event led to the 2004 unrest in Kosovo. In the aftermath of the unrest, another Serb teenager Dimitrije Popović was killed in a drive-by shooting by Albanians on June 5, 2004.

Archaeology

A votive altar was found in Gračanica. Dedicated to the well-being of two unnamed emperors, it was erected by priests of Jupiter Dolichenus, possibly between 208 and 211 AD.

Politics

The first municipal elections were held on 15 November 2009. The government of Serbia asked Serbs not to participate in the elections which it does not recognize, but many of them did. Serb Bojan Stojanović was elected Mayor.

The town of Gračanica is also temporary seat of the administration of Serbia-claimed Municipality of Pristina. The Serbia-sponsored local elections were held on 11 May 2008. Those elections were boycotted by ethnic Albanians who consider Kosovo independent from Serbia, so only ethnic Serbs participated.

Settlements

Aside from the town of Gračanica, the municipality has the following villages:

Badovac
Batuše
Čaglavica (part)
Dobrotin
Donja Gušterica
Gornja Gušterica
Laplje Selo
Lepina
Livade
Preoce
Skulanevo
Sušica
Suvi Do
Radevo
Ugljare

Demographics

Population census
Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
2011	10,675	—
2024	18,486	+4.31%

The municipality of Gračanica has 18,486 inhabitants according to the 2024 census. In 2011, the town had 11,931, of which the majority were Serbs, also true for the municipality as a whole; by 2024, however, Serbs and Albanians made up roughly equal parts of the population, though the latter overtook the former for the first time.

Ethnic groups

The ethnic composition of the municipality of Gračanica:

Ethnic group	2011 census	in %	2024 census	in %
Albanians	2,474	23.17	8,623	46.65
Serbs	7,209	67.53	8,560	46.31
Romani	745	6.98	909	4.92
Ashkali	104	0.97	133	0.72
Others	247	2.31	261	1.14
Total	10,675	100	18,486	100

Religions

The religious composition of the municipality of Gračanica:

Religion	2024 census	in %
Muslim	9,135	49.42
Eastern Orthodox	8,589	46.46
Roman Catholic	189	1.02
Others	124	0.67
No religion	164	0.89
Prefer not to answer	285	1.54
Total	18,486	100.00

Geography and infrastructure

The settlement is situated in the spacious valley of the Gračanka river, by the river, on the exit of the gorge between the hill of Veletina (874m) and sloping hill of Glasnovik on the south, and hill of Steževac (794m) on the northeast.

Infrastructure

Gračanica has been a Serb enclave since the end of the 1999 Kosovo War, and is the largest and most secure Serbian enclave in central Kosovo. It runs along the Skopje-Pristina road, and unites several neighboring Serbian villages. The enclave, which contains rich farmland and is strategically located in the center of Kosovo, on major roads and near Pristina, has been seen as a potential threat by some Albanian nationalists, who view it as "a den of Serbian intrigue".

Gračanica has an elementary school, several small stores, an open-air market and a police station that employs ethnic Albanians and international police officers, who notably do not speak the Serbian language. The health care center is located in the central part of the town, next to the UNMIK headquarters. An elementary school was reconstructed after the 1999 war. In December 2008, the Serbian government built a €90,000 post office in Gračanica and promised further investments.

References

"(Serbian) Opština Gračanica / Komuna e Gracanices". Archived from the original on 2015-01-09. Retrieved 2015-01-17.
"Population and housing census in Kosovo preliminary results - July 2024" (PDF). Retrieved 2 August 2024.
"Zip codes - Post of Kosovo". Retrieved 2020-10-22.
"Population and housing census in Kosovo preliminary results - July 2024" (PDF). Retrieved 2 August 2024.
Ivan Marković (1904). Slaveni i pape: Preveo [s talijanskoga]. Tisak Dioničke tiskare.
Slobodan Mileusnić (1998). Medieval monasteries of Serbia. Pravoslavna reč. p. 54. ISBN 9788676393701.
ALEKSANDAR LOMA (2013). LA TOPONYMIE DE LA CHARTE DE FONDATION DE BANJSKA: Vers la conception d'un dictionnaire des noms de lieux de la Serbie medievale et une meilleure connaissance des structures onomastiques du slave commun. Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti. pp. 133, 199, 260. ISBN 978-86-7025-621-7.
^ Stamenković 2002, p. 455.
^ Urošević 1990, p. 189.
Pregled geografske literature o Balkanskom poluostrvu za ...: Revue de la littérature géographique de la péninsule Balkanique. Državna štamparija kraljevine Srbije. 1901.
"Civil unrest in Gračanica". Archived from the original on August 19, 2000.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
"U Čaglavici pucano na srpskog mladića iz automobila u pokretu". B92. Beta. 15 March 2004. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
Nerasvetljeni Zlocin (2015-07-29), Zločin u Gračanici - Dimitrije Popović, retrieved 2018-03-16
"U Gračanici ubijen Dimitrije Popović".
"Serb teenager shot dead in Kosovo". 2004-06-06.
Vitas, Nadežda Gavrilović (2021). Ex Asia et Syria: Oriental Religions in the Roman Central Balkans. Archaeopress. p. 99. doi:10.2307/j.ctv1gt94hj.12. JSTOR j.ctv1gt94hj.
^ Nova Srpska Politička Misao: Грачаница: Срби да бојкотују изборе које организују косовске институције Archived 2009-11-01 at the Wayback Machine, 29 October 2009 (in Serbian)
B92: Gračanica: Protest zbog izbora, 27 November 2009 (in Serbian)
"Municipal Profile 2018 - Prishtinë/Priština Region - Gračanica/Graçanicë" (PDF). osce.org. OSCE. Archived from the original on 6 October 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
"Regjistrimi i Popullsisë, Ekonomive Familjare dhe Banesave 2024 - Të Dhënat E Para Finale" [Population, Family Economy and Housing Census 2024 - First Final Data] (PDF). Agjencia e Statistikave të Kosovës (in Albanian). 19 December 2024. p. 66. Retrieved 24 December 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
"Regjistrimi i Popullsisë, Ekonomive Familjare dhe Banesave 2024 - Të Dhënat E Para Finale" [Population, Family Economy and Housing Census 2024 - First Final Data] (PDF). Agjencia e Statistikave të Kosovës (in Albanian). 19 December 2024. p. 69. Retrieved 24 December 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^ "Balkan Analysis – Kosovo: The Deadly Game Continues, 6/7/2004". Archived from the original on 2006-10-29. Retrieved 2008-05-16.

Sources

Ćurčić, Slobodan (1979). Gračanica: King Milutin's Church and Its Place in Late Byzantine Architecture. Pennsylvania State University Press. ISBN 9780271002187.
Stamenković, Srboljub Đ. (2002). Geografska enciklopedija: naselja Srbije. Geografski fakultet. p. 455. ISBN 9788682657149.
Urošević, Atanasije (1990). Kosovo. Jedinstvo. ISBN 9788670190849.

External links

Gračanica, Kosovo travel guide from Wikivoyage
Municipality of Gračanica

v t e Municipalities of Kosovo
District of Ferizaj	Ferizaj Hani i Elezit Kaçanik Shtime Štrpce
District of Gjakova	Deçan Gjakova Junik Rahovec
District of Gjilan	Gjilan Kamenica Klokot Parteš Ranilug Viti
District of Mitrovica	Leposavić Mitrovica North Mitrovica Skenderaj Vushtrri Zubin Potok Zvečan
District of Peja	Peja Istog Klina
District of Pristina	Drenas Kosovo Polje Gračanica Obiliq Lipjan Novo Brdo Podujevë Pristina
District of Prizren	Dragash Malisheva Mamusha Prizren Suva Reka

v t e Proposed Association of Serb-majority Municipalities
North Kosovo	Leposavić North Mitrovica Zubin Potok Zvečan
Enclaves	Gračanica Klokot Novo Brdo Parteš Ranilug Štrpce

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