Skenderaj
Skenderaj
Srbica | |
|---|---|
Town and municipality | |
Skenderaj Town Centre Skenderaj Mosque Ilaz Kodra Sports Hall | |
|
Flag Emblem | |
Skenderaj Skenderaj | |
| Coordinates: 42°44′N 20°47′E / 42.733°N 20.783°E | |
| Country | Kosovo |
| District | Mitrovica |
| Named after | Skanderbeg[1] |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Fadil Nura (PDK) |
| Area | |
• Municipality | 374 km2 (144 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 11th in Kosovo |
| Elevation | 620 m (2,030 ft) |
| Population (2024)[2] | |
• Municipality | 40,664 |
| • Density | 110/km2 (280/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 11,185 |
| • Ethnicity | |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 41000 |
| Area code | +383 28 |
| Vehicle registration | 02 |
| Website | Official site |
Skenderaj (Albanian definite form: Skënderaji) or Srbica (Serbian Cyrillic: Србица) is a town and municipality located in the Mitrovica District of Kosovo. According to the 2024 census, the municipality of Skënderaj has 40,664 inhabitants.[3]
It is the largest city in the Drenica geographical region of Kosovo.[4] It is mainly populated by ethnic Albanians. It is the place where the Kosovo War began in 1998, and to which the most damage was done.[4]
Etymology
Albanians use the name Skenderaj from the name of the Albanian medieval hero, Gjergj Kastrioti - Skanderbeg,[1] while the Serbian name was applied after the First Balkan War as an attempt of Serbianisation the region and the whole of Kosovo.[5]
Geography
The settlement is by the Klina river, in the Klina field.[6] It is the main settlement of the Drenica region.[6] The Klina river belongs to the Dukagjin region, while the settlement morphologically and hydrologically gravitates towards the Kosovo region.[6]
The municipality covers an area of 378 km2 (146 sq mi), including the town of Skenderaj and 49 villages.
History
The village of Runik, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) northwest of Skenderaj, is one of the most prominent Neolithic sites in Kosovo to date, contains artefacts from the Starcevo and Vinca cultures. Research was conducted in about 35 private parcels in the Dardania neighborhood of Runik. Starcevo and Vinca pottery fragments dating to 6500-3500 BC have been found at the site. A significant find is a baked-clay ocarina 8 centimetres (3.1 in) in length, known as the Runik Ocarina, the oldest musical instrument found in Kosovo to date.[7]
The municipality cadastral area includes several settlements that existed during the Middle Ages, among which some exist still today, such as Liqinë, Polac, Banjë, and others.[8] There are ruins of a church dating to the 14th century in southern Leqinë.[9] The Church of St. Nicholas was built in 1436, in Banjë, as the endowment of Serbian magnate Rodop.[10] The Devič monastery was built in Llausha near Skënderaj in the 15th century, dedicated to the local monk, St. Joanikije (d. 1430).[11] The Church of St. John was built in the 16th century on the ruins of a 14th-century church, in Leqinë; the church is surrounded by an old and large Serbian graveyard with tombs dating to the 17th–19th centuries.[12] A 16th-century church and cemetery is located in Runik.[13]
In the early 20th century Albanian resistance began with the Kachak movement led by Azem Bejta and his wife Shote Galica, who fought against Bulgarian, Austro-Hungarian and Yugoslav forces.[14] At the end of World War II in 1944, the leader of the Drenica Brigade Shaban Polluzha refused to lead his 12,000 men north and join the Partisans in order to pursue the retreating Germans, because Serbian Chetnik groups were attacking the Albanian population in Kosovo.[15]
Modern
During the Kosovo War, Serbian forces reportedly emptied the town of its Albanian inhabitants and executed approximately 115 ethnic Albanian males over the age of 18.[16] Serbian authorities reportedly were holding detainees in an ammunition factory in the town.[17]
Demography
The municipality of Skenderaj has a population of 40,664 inhabitants, while the town has a population of 11,185 inhabitants. The municipality is homogenous in terms of ethnicity, referring to the fact that ethnic Albanians comprise 99.83% of the population.[18]
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 23,744 | — |
| 1953 | 26,166 | +1.96% |
| 1961 | 30,308 | +1.85% |
| 1971 | 36,660 | +1.92% |
| 1981 | 46,927 | +2.50% |
| 1991 | 55,471 | +1.69% |
| 2011 | 50,858 | −0.43% |
| 2024 | 40,664 | −1.71% |
| Source: [1][2] | ||
Language
The Albanians of Skenderaj, as well as the other Albanians of Kosovo, speak the dialect of the Albanian language, Northeastern Gheg.
Economy
Skënderaj has historically been the poorest municipality in Kosovo, with little investment having been made since the time of the former Yugoslavia. It suffers from low economic activity and continuous high unemployment. Agriculture is the major local industry but the municipality has not fully developed existing arable land. Today, the local economy consists of small enterprises such as family-run shops and restaurants while two privatized factories, a brick and a flour mill, employ a few hundred people. The other major sector of employment is the municipality's civil service.[4]
Sport
Skënderaj is home of the football club KF Drenica, which plays their home games in the Bajram Aliu Stadium and competes in the second tier league called First Football League of Kosovo. Skënderaj is also home of the Kosovar Superliga volleyball club KV Skenderaj women's and KV Drenica men's.
Cultural heritage
- Devič, Serbian Orthodox abbey
Notable people
- Adem Jashari, one of the KLA founders and commander, Hero of Kosovo
- Ahmet Delia, activist of League of Prizren
- Bashkim Jashari, military general and commander of Kosovo Security Force
- Flora Brovina, poet, pediatrician and women's rights activist
- Gazmend Çitaku, photographer, publisher and librarian
- Hamëz Jashari, one of the founders of KLA and brother of Adem Jashari
- Hasan Prishtina, political leader of Albanian National Movement
- Hashim Thaçi, politician, former prime minister and president of Kosovo
- Ilaz Kodra, KLA commander
- Leonora Jakupi, singer and songwriter
- Malush Ahmeti, KLA commander
- Mehmet Hetemaj, footballer
- Përparim Hetemaj, footballer
- Shaban Polluzha, military leader
- Shote Galica, Kachak leader
- Sylejman Selimi, comrade of Jashari
- Tahir Meha, famous Albanian political activist
See also
References
- ^ a b "Kjo është historia e emrit Skenderaj e domëthënia e tij, mësoje historinë si u bë komunë Skenderaj" [This is the story of the name Skenderaj and its meaning, learn the story of how Skenderaj became a municipality]. Drenica Press (in Albanian). 28 November 2016.
- ^ "Regjistrimi i popullsisë, ekonomive familjare dhe banesave në Kosovë 2024 - Popullsia sipas gjinisë, etnicitetit dhe vendbanimit" [Population, Household Economies, and Housing Census in Kosovo 2024 - Population by Gender, Ethnicity, and Place of Residence] (PDF) (in Albanian). Pristina: Kosovo Agency of Statistics. July 2025. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
- ^ "Regjistrimi i popullsisë, ekonomive familjare dhe banesave në Kosovë 2024 - Popullsia sipas gjinisë, etnicitetit dhe vendbanimit" [Population, Household Economies, and Housing Census in Kosovo 2024 - Population by Gender, Ethnicity, and Place of Residence] (PDF) (in Albanian). Pristina: Kosovo Agency of Statistics. July 2025. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
- ^ a b c "OSCE Municipal Profile, April 2008" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-12-01. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
- ^ Argumentet dhe metodat e politikes ekspansioniste Serbe per ta sunduar Kosoven nga akademik Mark Krasniqi
- ^ a b c Marković 1967, p. 407.
- ^ Berisha 2012, p. 18.
- ^ Božanić, S. (2009). "O zemljišnim međama srpskog srednjovekovnog sela" (PDF). Istraživanja (20): 47–64.
- ^ "Преобрашка-Калуђерска црква". Споменици културе у Србији.
- ^ "Црква Св. Николе". Споменици културе у Србији.
- ^ "Манастир Девич у близини Србице". Споменици културе у Србији.
- ^ "Црква Св. Јована". Споменици културе у Србији.
- ^ "Црква Св. Ђорђа са гробљем". Споменици културе у Србији.
- ^ Elsie, Robert (2004). Historical Dictionary of Kosova. The Scarecrow Press. p. 63. ISBN 0-8108-5309-4.
- ^ Robert Elsie (1 December 2010). Historical Dictionary of Kosovo. Scarecrow Press. p. 219. ISBN 978-0-8108-7231-8. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
- ^ Erasing History: Ethnic Cleansing in Kosovo. Department of State. 1999. ISBN 978-0-16-050065-7.
- ^ Erasing History: Ethnic Cleansing in Kosovo. Department of State. 1999. ISBN 978-0-16-050065-7.
- ^ "Regjistrimi i popullsisë, ekonomive familjare dhe banesave në Kosovë 2024 - Popullsia sipas gjinisë, etnicitetit dhe vendbanimit" [Population, Household Economies, and Housing Census in Kosovo 2024 - Population by Gender, Ethnicity, and Place of Residence] (PDF) (in Albanian). Pristina: Kosovo Agency of Statistics. July 2025. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
Sources
- Berisha, Milot (2012). "Archaeological Guide of Kosovo" (PDF). Ministry of Culture of Kosovo.
- Radovanović, Milovan (2004). Etnički i demografski procesi na Kosovu i Metohiji. Liber Press. ISBN 9788675560180.
- Marković, Jovan Đ. (1967). Geografske oblasti Socijalističke Federativne Republike Jugoslavije. Zavod za izdavanje udžbenika Socijalističke Republike Srbije.