Preševo

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Preševo
Прешево (Serbian)
Preshevë (Albanian)
Panorama of Preševo
Panorama of Preševo
UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
17523
Area code+381(0)17
Car platesVR
Websitewww.presevo.rs

Preševo (Serbian Cyrillic: Прешево, pronounced [prêʃeʋə]; Albanian: Preshevë) is a town and municipality located in the Pčinja District of southern Serbia. As of the 2022 census, the municipality has a population of 33,449 inhabitants.[2] It is the southernmost town in Central Serbia and largest in the geographical region of Preševo Valley.

Preševo is the cultural center of Albanians in Serbia. Albanians form the ethnic majority of the municipality, followed by Serbs, Roma and other ethnic groups.[3]

History

Municipality of Preševo in Pčinja District

Slavs arrived roughly in the 7th century, when they first migrated to the Balkans, and by the Middle Ages, Preševo was part of the Kingdom of Serbia. According to

Dejanović brothers recognized Ottoman sovereignty.[14] Although vassals, they had their own government.[12] In the Wallachian victory at the Battle of Rovine (17 May 1395), both Marko and Konstantin died.[15] The provinces of Marko and Konstantin became Ottoman.[15]

From 1877 to 1913 Preševo was part of

Kosovo Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire. According to the statistics of the Bulgarian ethnographer Vasil Kanchov from 1900 the settlement is recorded as Prešovo as having 2000 inhabitants, all Albanian Muslims.[16] Following the First Balkan War in 1912, Kingdom of Serbia
conquered the area.

Yugoslavia (1918–92)

Kingdom of Yugoslavia was formed after World War I. From 1929 to 1941 Preševo was part of the Vardar Banovina.

During the

Axis Powers. On April 20, Bulgaria occupied part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, including Preševo. The royal authoritarian dictatorship of Bulgaria occupied the area until September 7, 1944, when they handed the area over to Nazi Germany. The Albanian collaborationist regime along with Balli Kombëtar subsequently took over the area. In mid-November, the Partisans forced the Balli Kombëtar to retreat.[17]

From 1945 until 1992 Preševo was part of

SFR Yugoslavia
.

Breakup of Yugoslavia (1991–99)

Sites near Preševo where NATO aviation used munition with depleted uranium during 1999 bombing

In 1992, the Albanians in the area organized a referendum in which they voted that Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac should join the self-declared assembly of the Republic of Kosova. However, no major events happened until the end of the 1990s.

During the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999, a total of 161 depleted uranium bullets have been recovered in Reljan near Preševo in southern Serbia. The Serbian government has funded the cleanup operation of the Reljan site with 350,000 euros.[18]

Following the breakup of Yugoslavia, and nearby Kosovo War which lasted until 1999, between 1999 and 2001, an ethnic Albanian paramilitary separatist organization, the UÇPMB, raised an armed insurgency in the Preševo Valley, in the region mostly inhabited by Albanians, with a goal to occupy these three municipalities from Serbia and join them to the self-proclaimed Republic of Kosova.

Following the overthrow of Slobodan Milošević, the new Serbian government suppressed the violence by 2001 and defeated the separatists. NATO troops also helped the Serbian government by ensuring that the rebels do not import the conflicts back into Kosovo.[19]

In 2009, Serbia opened a military base Cepotina 5 kilometers south of Bujanovac, to further stabilize the area.[20]

Modern

Today, Preševo is located in the Pčinja District of southern Serbia.

On 7 March 2017, the President of Albania Bujar Nishani made a visit to the municipalities of Bujanovac and Preševo, in which Albanians form the ethnic majority.[21]

Settlements

Aside from the town of Preševo, the municipality includes the following settlements:

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
194823,379—    
195324,607+1.03%
196126,738+1.04%
197130,056+1.18%
198133,948+1.23%
199138,943+1.38%
200234,904−0.99%
2011[a]23,080−4.49%
202233,449+3.43%
Source: [22][2]

According to the 2002 census results, the municipality of Preševo has 34,904 inhabitants. The 2011 census was largely boycotted by the majority (Albanians) of the municipality. As a result, only 3,080 were inhabitants were registered. As of 2022 census, the municipality has a population of 33,449 inhabitants.[2]

Ethnic groups

According to the census conducted in 2002, Albanians form nearly 90% of the municipality, and over 95% of the town. Most of the remainder of its inhabitants are Serbs, who are mainly concentrated in the settlements of Ljanik, Svinjište, Slavujevac and Cakanovac. The rest of the settlements have an absolute Albanian majority.

The ethnic composition of the municipality:

Ethnic group Population
1961[23]
Population
1971[24]
Population
1981[25]
Population
1991[26]
Population
2002[27]
Population
2011[28][a]
Census 2022
Population %
Albanians 18,229 23,625 28,961 34,992 31,098 416 31,340 93.69
Serbs 6,741 5,777 4,204 3,206 2,984 2,294 1,607 4.80
Romani 146 312 434 505 322 271 219 0.65
Macedonians 43 71 36 - 21 14 6 0.02
Muslims
40 70 100 118 15 2 1 0.00
Montenegrins 14 8 19 7 2 - 1 0.00
Yugoslavs 94 18 27 35 - 1 1 0.00
Others 1,431 176 167 80 462 82 274 0.82
Total 26,738 30,057 33,948 38,943 34,904 3,080 33,449

Notable people

Economy

The following table gives a preview of total number of registered people employed in legal entities per their core activity (as of 2018):[29]

Activity Total
Agriculture, forestry and fishing 11
Mining and quarrying 9
Manufacturing 660
Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply 14
Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities 48
Construction 202
Wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles 529
Transportation and storage 343
Accommodation and food services 213
Information and communication 29
Financial and insurance activities 35
Real estate activities -
Professional, scientific and technical activities 95
Administrative and support service activities 60
Public administration and defense; compulsory social security 628
Education 722
Human health and social work activities 295
Arts, entertainment and recreation 98
Other service activities 95
Individual agricultural workers 40
Total 4,127

Politics

Elections

In December 2005, the leader of the Albanian Democratic party (PDSH) Ragmi Mustafa became the president of the municipality. He was re-elected several times and served as the president of the municipality until 2016.

On 7 March 2017, the President of Albania Bujar Nishani made a historical visit to the municipalities of Preševo and Bujanovac, in which Albanians form the ethnic majority.[21] Three days later, Ardita Sinani became the president of the municipality of Preševo, following the resignation of Shqiprim Arifi due to the termination of the municipal coalition.[30]

Stele controversies 2012–13

Town center of Preševo

On 21 November 2012, the municipality council of Preševo erected a stele in the center of the town honouring members of the former UÇPMB, who died during the Preševo Valley Conflict from 1999 to 2001, causing a public outcry throughout Serbia. The Prime Minister of Serbia, Ivica Dačić, said about this incident: "It's best that they remove it themselves, because this is a needless provocation, nowhere else in Europe can a memorial plaque be erected to those who are members of terrorist organizations and those who were directly involved in the murders of police officers and soldiers".[31][32] He called for the removal of the stele to 17 January, then several Albanian politicians and organizations responded with criticism. Mayor of Preševo Ragmi Mustafa said that the stele shows the identity of the Albanians in the region and announced that it would end the cooperation with national authorities of

Minister of Defence Aleksandar Vučić announced that they will act in frame of the law in connection with the controversial stele, and that no one can act against the for all the same applicable constitution and seeks the reason in ethnicity. He added that Serbia wants peace but will respond to any provocation.[34]

Deputies of the

Assembly of Kosovo Rexhep Selimi and Nait Hasani, a former member of the Kosovo Liberation Army (UÇK), threatened armed conflict if the institutions of Serbia removed the memorial plaque.[35]
The former U.S. diplomat, United Nations regional representative of
Parliament of Serbia, said that the stele would not be removed.[39] However, the stele was removed by a bulldozer which was guarded by members of the Serbian Gendarmery
on 20 January 2013. Despite threats from various Albanian nationalist organizations, there were no incidents during and after the removal.

As a first reaction, the former commander of UÇPMB, Orhan Rexhepi, made the separatist statement that this is a "historic day", because "Preševo and Bujanovac will be a part of Kosovo."[40] Ragmi Mustafa, Preševo's Mayor, confirmed shortly afterwards that the Albanians want a union with Kosovo for a long time.[41]

The former president of the National Council for Cooperation with the

Albanian government calls the international institutions to stop this action", even though the U.S. had already announced earlier that it is an internal affair of Serbia, which should solve their elected representatives.[43]

On the evening of 20 January, a group of Albanians who protested against the removal of the stele gathered in

In response to the removal of the stele, dozens of Albanians, led by former UÇK veterans, destroyed a memorial plaque from the World War II in

EULEX, sharply condemned the destruction of Serbian monuments and tombs.[46][50] They added that there is no justification for this violence, and that such actions were totally unacceptable.[46][50][51]

Culture

The Abdulla Krashnica Culture Center (Shtëpia e Kulturës "Abdulla Krashnica") is the home to various culture events in Preševo. Its complex includes the town library, music hall and theater. Preševo organizes the annual "Netët e komedisë" (The nights of comedy), a one–week festival with comedy shows from all the Albanian-speaking territories. The festival was first organized in 1994.

There are some natural heritage sites in Preševa Valley like: (Shpella e Ilincës), (Shpella e Arushës), (Trungu i Çarrit), (Burimi i ujit në Banjke), (Ujëndarësi i Preshevës). There has been some criticism, and Arsim Ejupi in his work Kërkime Gjeografike from 2013, claims that until now there were no activities regarding the protection and management of this natural heritage sites, and that this situation is a result of lack of capacities in local government and NGOs regarding the professional treatment of environmental issues. He considers that only with active participation of these actors it can be realized protection and sustainable management of natural heritage in Preševo Valley and the development of ecotourism in the region of Preševo Valley.[52]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Municipalities of Serbia, 2006". Statistical Office of Serbia. Retrieved 2010-11-28.
  2. ^ a b c d НАЦИОНАЛНА ПРИПАДНОСТ Подаци по општинама и градовима
  3. .
  4. ^ Историско друштво НР Србије 1951, pp. 20-21:

    према повељи манастиру богоро- дичимог ваведења у Архиљевици,50 држао као своју баштину пространу област иеточно од Скопске Црне Горе. Она је обухватала старе жупе Прешево и Жеглигово (данас кумановски крај са Средореком, Козјачијом...

  5. ^ Mandić 1986, p. 161:

    У повељи манастиру Архиљевици, издатој ав- густа 1355. године, Душан на три места каже: "Брат царства ми севастократор Дејан". Именица брат има вишеструко значење. Најодређеније је оно примарно: рођени брат.

  6. ^ Fajfric, 42
  7. ^ Mihaljčić 1989, p. 81:

    Дејанова баштина — жупе Жеглигово и Прешево — простиру се између Пчиње, Јужне Мораве и Скопске Црне горе. Источно од Жеглигова и Прешева, око горњег тока Струме са Велбуждом, простирала се "држава" севастократора Дејана

  8. ^

    ... старе жупе Жеглигово (са данашњом Козјачијом, Средореком и највећим делом Пчиње) на истоку и Прешево са једним делом Гњиланског Карадага на западу. Оно се није ограничавало само на кумановски крај — Жеглигово — ...

  9. ^ Fajfric, 45. Braća Mrnjavčević
  10. ^ Samardzic 1892 p. 22:

    Синови деспота Дејана заједнички су управљали пространом облашћу у источној Македонији, мада је исправе чешће потписивао старији, Јован Драгаш. Као и његов отац, Јован Драгаш је носио знаке деспотског достојанства. Иако се као деспот помиње први пут 1373, сасвим је извесно да је Јован Драгаш ову титулу добио од цара Уроша. Високо достојанство убрајало се, како је ...

  11. ^ a b Михаљчић 1975, p. 174
  12. ^ a b Историјски гласник Друштва историчара СР Србије 1994, p. 31
  13. ^ Edition de lA̕cadémie bulgare des sciences, 1986, "Balkan studies, Vol. 22", p. 38
  14. ^ Ćorović 2001, ch. 3, XIII. Boj na Kosovu
  15. ^ a b Ćorović 2001, ch. 4, I. Srbi između Turaka i Mađara
  16. ^ Vasil Kanchov. "Macedonia. "Ethnography and statistics." Sofia, 1900, p. 218
  17. ^ "Šta bi danas rekao Abdulah Krašnica". danas.rs. 12 December 2010.
  18. ^ Current Issues – Depleted Uranium Weapons in the Balkans
  19. ^ Lobjakas, Ahto. "NATO: Yugoslav Officials Discuss Presevo Valley". rferl.org. Radio Free Europe / Liberty. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
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  47. ^ "Serbia Albanians Protest Monument's Removal". Balkan Insight. 21 January 2013. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
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  49. ^ "Pogledajte: Albanci bagerom srušili spomenik antifašističkoj borbi u Vitini, policija Kosova samo gledala". Blic. 2013-01-22. Retrieved 2013-01-22.
  50. ^ a b c "OEBS, Euleks i Kfor osuđuju skrnavljenja groblja". Blic. 2013-01-21.
  51. ^ "OSCE condemns "repeated desecration of Orthodox graveyards"". B92. 2013-01-21. Archived from the original on 2014-02-03. Retrieved 2013-01-22.
  52. ^ ^38 [1]Arsim Ejupi| KËRKIME GJEOGRAFIKE Nr. 15, 2013 (39\49)[permanent dead link]|

Notes

a.  ^ In the municipality of Preševo there was undercoverage of the census units owing to the boycott by most of the members of the Albanian ethnic community.

External links