Deçan Bistrica or ''Bistrica e Deçanit''; sr, Дечанска Бистрица/ ''Dečanska Bistrica'')
is a river in
Kosovo
Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...
. It is a 53 km-long right tributary of the
White Drin River, passing the western part of Kosovo.
Name
The river's name, Lumbardh, literally translates to White River in
Albanian. The adjective, ''i Deçanit'', differentiates it from the other Lumbardh tributaries of the White Drin ( sq, Drinit të Bardhë) in the Dukagjini area. The other name, ''Bistrica'', means "clearwater" in Serbian. Like the official name, the adjective ''Dečanska'', "of
Dečani", is added to distinguish it from other Bistrica rivers in the Dukagjini region:
Peja's Lumbardh ("of
Peć
Peja ( Indefinite Albanian form: ''Pejë'' ) or Peć ( sr-Cyrl, Пећ ) is the fourth largest city of Kosovo and seat of Peja Municipality and Peja District. It is situated in the region of Rugova on the eastern section of the Accursed Moun ...
"),
Prizren's Lumbardh ("of
Prizren
)
, settlement_type = Municipality and city
, image_skyline = Prizren Collage.jpg
, imagesize = 290px
, image_caption = View of Prizren
, image_alt = View of Prizren
, image_flag ...
"),
Baba Loc's Lumbardh ("of Baba Loc/Kožnjar"),
Lloqan's Lumbardh ("of
Loćane"), etc.
Geography
Bjeshkët e Nemuna and Gorge of Deçan
Deçan's Lumbardh originates from the southern slopes of the
Bogiçevica mountain, a part of the massive
Bjeshkët e Nemuna mountain system. The river flows north of the
Gjeravica
Gjeravica or Đeravica ( sq, Gjeravica; sr-cyr, Ђеравица) is the second-highest mountain peak in the Accursed Mountains mountain range and the Dinaric Alps chain, after Maja Jezercë. It is the second-highest mountain in Kosovo,. It has ...
peak, the highest in Kosovo (2,656 m), initially under the name of Lumi Shqiptar,
and receives many streams from the Bogiçevica,
Micinat,
Strečoka and
Kopranik
Kopranik (, ) is a mountain with a height of 2,460m in Kosovo. Kopranik is part of the Albanian Alps
The Accursed Mountains ( sq, Bjeshkët e Nemuna; sh-Cyrl-Latn, Проклетије, Prokletije, ; both translated as "Cursed Mountains"), als ...
mountains. The river turns southeast on the northern slopes of the Kopranik and Strečoka mountains, where it carved the deep gorge of Deçan (''Gryka e Deçanit''). The upper part of the gorge is the glacial trough of the ancient Deçan glacier on the Bjeshkët e Nemuna, or Accursed Mountains.
Dukagjini region
As the river flows out of the gorge it reaches the medieval monastery of
Visoki Dečani
The Visoki Dečani Monastery ( sr, Манастир Високи Дечани, Manastir Visoki Dečani, sq, Manastiri i Deçanit) is a medieval Serbian Orthodox Christian monastery located near Deçan, Kosovo. It was founded in the first half of ...
, which is on
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
's
World Heritage List
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the UNESCO, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNES ...
. The river continues eastward, in the very densely populated area next to the small town of
Deçan
Deçan, or Dečani sr-cyr, Дечани ; also in use Dečane sr-cyr, Дечане is a town and municipality in Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, the town of has 3,803 inhabitants, while the municipality has 40,019 inhabitants.
Geog ...
and the villages of
Isniq
Isniq (Serbian: Istinić/Истинић) is a settlement north of Deçan in Western Kosovo about 45 miles (or 72 km) west of Pristina. The village is based on the plains of Dukagjini at the foot of the Accursed Mountains next to the Deçani' ...
, Beleg, Jabllanicë, Këpuz, Kotradiq, Kralan, Lluka e Epërme, Lumbardh, Nepolë, Papiq and Vranoc, before it empties into the White Drin. In the upper course, the waters of the river are used for the Kožnjar hydroelectrical power plant (6.5 MW). In the lower parts its waters are, to some extent, used for irrigation. The Lumbardhi i Deçanit belongs to the
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to t ...
drainage basin
A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, t ...
, drains itself an area of 300 km
2, and it is not navigable.
Notes
References
Bibliography
* ''Mala Prosvetina Enciklopedija'', Third edition (1985); Prosveta;
* Jovan Đ. Marković (1990): ''Enciklopedijski geografski leksikon Jugoslavije''; Svjetlost-Sarajevo;
{{DEFAULTSORT:Decan Bistrica
Rivers of Kosovo
Accursed Mountains