Misplaced Pages

Gračanica, Kosovo: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editNext edit →Content deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 16:57, 3 May 2015 editZoupan (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users66,156 edits until there is, NPOV should stay, that is — appropriate minority languages (which Turkish is not; 0% Turks)← Previous edit Revision as of 17:38, 3 May 2015 edit undoAdem (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users3,947 edits Undid revision 660612708 by Zoupan (talk) As İ said dozens of times, its not a criteria.Next edit →
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Infobox settlement<!--See Infobox Settlement for more fields --> {{Infobox settlement<!--See Infobox Settlement for more fields -->
| name = Gračanica | name = Gračanica <br/> Graçanicë
| official_name = {{lang-sq|Graçanicë}}<br/> {{lang-sr|Грачаница, ''Gračanica''}}<br/>{{lang-tr|Graçaniça}}
| official_name =
| native_name = | native_name =
| native_name_lang = sr | native_name_lang = sr
Line 40: Line 40:
}} }}


'''Gračanica''' (In {{language|sr}}; Грачаница, {{IPA-sh|ɡratʃǎnitsa|pron}}) or '''Graçanicë''' (In {{language|sq}}) 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. '''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.


==History== ==History==
Line 49: Line 49:


== Municipality == == Municipality ==
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). 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).


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: , 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.

Revision as of 17:38, 3 May 2015

Town and municipality in District of Pristina, Kosovo
Gračanica
Graçanicë
Town and municipality
Template:Lang-sq
Template:Lang-sr
Template:Lang-tr
Gračanica monasteryGračanica monastery
CountryKosovo
DistrictDistrict of Pristina
Established29 December 2009
Government
 • MayorVladeta Kostić
Area
 • Total131.25 km (50.68 sq mi)
Population
 • Total11,006
 • Density84/km (220/sq mi)
 • Town4,500
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
Website

Gračanica or Graçanica (Template:Lang-sq, Template:Lang-sr, pronounced [ɡratʃǎnitsa], Template:Lang-tr) is a town and municipality in central Kosovo. It is a Serb enclave centered on 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. 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.

History

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 Gračanica charter regarding the founding of the Gračanica monastery (1321).

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. In the aftermath of the 2004 unrest in Kosovo, a Serb teenager was killed in a drive-by shooting on June 5, 2004.

Municipality

The municipality of Gračanica was established in 2008 by the Government of the Republic of Kosovo, out of parts of the municipalities of Lipljan, Kosovo Polje and Pristina. Although the new municipality is primarily inhabited by Serbs, this move is not recognized by the Serbian government which does not recognize the Republic of Kosovo and its administrative changes. According to the administration of the Republic of Kosovo, the name of the municipality in Albanian is Graçanicë (an Albanian transliteration).

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. Town of Gračanica is also temporary seat of the administration of Serbia-recognized City of Pristina. The Serbia-sponsored local elections 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.

Population

The village of Gračanica is said to contain approximately 11,006 inhabitants, many of whom are Serb refugees driven out of Pristina. Differing estimates exist for the enclave as a whole, ranging from 13,000 to 11,006 inhabitants in the 15 villages that make up the enclave, and down from 120,000 in 1999. The enclave has a roughly ten-kilometer radius in which Serbs enjoy freedom of movement and attempt to organize a meaningful life for themselves.

Ethnic composition of the municipality, as of 2010:

  • Serbs – 85.7%
  • Albanians – 3.7%
  • Others – 10.6% (Roma, Ashkali, Egyptians)

Infrastructure and position

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.

Settlements in the municipality

Annotations

  1. Template:Kosovo-note

References

  1. "(Serbian) Opština Gračanica / Komuna e Gracanices".
  2. http://www.ce-review.org/00/23/kosovonews23.html
  3. http://www.b92.net/info/vesti/index.php?yyyy=2004&mm=06&dd=05&nav_id=142643
  4. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3780165.stm
  5. Zakon br. o3/L – 041 O ADMINISTRATIVNIM GRANICAMA OPŠTINA (Law on administrative boundaries of municipalities), 20 February 2008 Template:Sr icon
  6. Law on Territorial Organization and Local Self-Government, Parliament of Serbia Template:Sr icon
  7. ^ Nova Srpska Politička Misao: Грачаница: Срби да бојкотују изборе које организују косовске институције, 29 October 2009 Template:Sr icon
  8. B92: Gračanica: Protest zbog izbora, 27 November 2009 Template:Sr icon
  9. ^ B92 – Many B92 looks at life in K. Serb enclaves, Oct. 13, 2008
  10. B92 – Russian aid distributed to Kosovo Serbs, 7 May 2008
  11. ^ UmnikOnline – Many Kosovo Serbs see elections as last hope for a better life, Nov. 13, 2001
  12. http://www.opstina-gracanica.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=137&Itemid=56
  13. ^ Balkan Analysis – Kosovo: The Deadly Game Continues, 6/7/2004

External links

Municipalities of Kosovo
District of Ferizaj
District of Gjakova
District of Gjilan
District of Mitrovica
District of Peja
District of Pristina
District of Prizren
Categories: