Medveđa ( sr-cyr, Медвеђа, ; sq, Medvegja, ) is a
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
and
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
located in the
Jablanica District
The Jablanica District ( sr, Јабланички округ, Jablanički okrug, ) is one of nine administrative districts of Southern and Eastern Serbia. It expands in the south-eastern parts of Serbia. According to the 2011 census results, it ...
of southern
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
. According to the 2011 census, the town has a population of 2,848 inhabitants, while the municipality has 7,438 inhabitants.
Etymology
The name is derived from the
Serbian word ''medved'' (медвед), "bear", hence meaning "the place of the bears".
History
During the Roman period, there was a town (''mansia'') with the name Idimum located in the cadastral area of the modern town. Architectural debris dating to the 4th century AD lay at various locations of the town, as it was a transitory zone of Upper Moesia; travel and postal stations are among the finds.
Toponyms such as ''Arbanaška'' and ''Đjake'' shows an Albanian presence in the Toplica and Southern Morava regions (located north-east of contemporary Kosovo) before
the expulsion of Albanians during 1877–1878 period.
The rural parts of
Jablanica valley and adjoining semi-mountainous interior was inhabited by compact Muslim Albanian population while Serbs in those areas lived near the river mouths and mountain slopes and both peoples inhabited other regions of the South Morava river basin.
[Luković, Miloš (2011).]
Development of the Modern Serbian state and abolishment of Ottoman Agrarian relations in the 19th century
. ''Český lid''. 98. (3): 298. "During the second war (December 1877 — January 1878) the Muslim population fled towns (Vranya (Vranje), Leskovac, Ürgüp (Prokuplje), Niş (Niš), Şehirköy (Pirot), etc.) as well as rural settlements where they comprised ethnically compact communities (certain parts of Toplica, Jablanica, Pusta Reka, Masurica and other regions in the South Morava River basin). At the end of the war these Muslim refugees ended up in the region of Kosovo and Metohija, in the territory of the Ottoman Empire, following the demarcation of the new border with the Principality of Serbia. 8 8On Muslim refugees (''muhaciri'') from the regions of southeast Serbia, who relocated in Macedonia and Kosovo, see Trifunovski 1978, Radovanovič 2000." As the wider Jabllanica region, Medveđa also had an Albanian majority. These Albanians were expelled by Serbian forces
[Uka, Sabit (2004). ''Gjurmë mbi shqiptarët e Sanxhakut të Nishit deri më 1912 races on Albanians of the Sanjak of Nish up to 1912'. Verana. p. 155. . "Në kohët e sotme fshatra të Jabllanicës, të banuara kryesisht me shqiptare, janë këto: Tupalla, Kapiti, Gërbavci, Sfirca, Llapashtica e Epërrne. Ndërkaq, fshatra me popullsi te përzier me shqiptar, malazezë dhe serbë, jane këto: Stara Banja, Ramabanja, Banja e Sjarinës, Gjylekreshta (Gjylekari), Sijarina dhe qendra komunale Medvegja. Dy familje shqiptare ndeshen edhe në Iagjen e Marovicës, e quajtur Sinanovë, si dhe disa familje në vetë qendrën e Leskovcit. Vllasa është zyrtarisht lagje e fshatit Gërbavc, Dediqi, është lagje e Medvegjes dhe Dukati, lagje e Sijarinës. Në popull konsiderohen edhe si vendbanime të veçanta. Kështu qendron gjendja demografike e trevës në fjalë, përndryshe para Luftës se Dytë Botërore Sijarina dhe Gjylekari ishin fshatra me populisi të perzier, bile në këtë te fundit ishin shumë familje serbe, kurse tani shumicën e përbëjnë shqiptarët. [In contemporary times, villages in the Jablanica area, inhabited mainly by Albanians, are these: Tupale, Kapiti, Grbavce, Svirca, Gornje Lapaštica. Meanwhile, the mixed villages populated by Albanians, Montenegrins and Serbs, are these: Stara Banja, Ravna Banja, Sjarinska Banja, Đulekrešta (Đulekari) Sijarina and the municipal center Medveđa. Two Albanian families are also encountered in the neighborhood of Marovica called Sinanovo, and some families in the center of Leskovac. Vllasa is formally a neighborhood of the village Grbavce, Dedići is a neighborhood of Medveđa and Dukati, a neighborhood of Sijarina. So this is the demographic situation in question that remains, somewhat different before World War II as Sijarina and Đulekari were villages with mixed populations, even in this latter settlement were many Serb families, and now the majority is made up of Albanians.]"][Blumi, Isa (2013). ]
Ottoman refugees, 1878–1939: migration in a post-imperial world
'. A&C Black. p.50. . "As these Niš refugees waited for acknowledgment from locals, they took measures to ensure that they were properly accommodated by often confiscating food stored in towns. They also simply appropriated lands and began to build shelter on them. A number of cases also point to banditry in the form of livestock raiding and "illegal" hunting in communal forests, all parts of refugees’ repertoire... At this early stage of the crisis, such actions overwhelmed the Ottoman state, with the institution least capable of addressing these issues being the newly created Muhacirin Müdüriyeti... Ignored in the scholarship, these acts of survival by desperate refugees constituted a serious threat to the established Kosovar communities. The leaders of these communities thus spent considerable efforts lobbying the Sultan to do something about the refugees. While these Niš muhacir would in some ways integrate into the larger regional context, as evidenced later, they, and a number of other Albanian-speaking refugees streaming in for the next 20 years from Montenegro and Serbia, constituted a strong opposition block to the Sultan’s rule."; p.53. "One can observe that in strategically important areas, the new Serbian state purposefully left the old Ottoman laws intact. More important, when the state wished to enforce its authority, officials felt it necessary to seek the assistance of those with some experience, using the old Ottoman administrative codes to assist judges make rulings. There still remained, however, the problem of the region being largely depopulated as a consequence of the wars... Belgrade needed these people, mostly the landowners of the productive farmlands surrounding these towns, back. In subsequent attempts to lure these economically vital people back, while paying lip-service to the nationalist calls for "purification," Belgrade officials adopted a compromise position that satisfied both economic rationalists who argued that Serbia needed these people and those who wanted to separate "Albanians" from "Serbs." Instead of returning to their "mixed" villages and towns of the previous Ottoman era, these "Albanians," "Pomoks," and "Turks" were encouraged to move into concentrated clusters of villages in Masurica, and Gornja Jablanica that the Serbian state set up for them. For this "repatriation" to work, however, authorities needed the cooperation of local leaders to help persuade members of their community who were refugees in Ottoman territories to "return." In this regard, the collaboration between Shahid Pasha and the Serbian regime stands out. An Albanian who commanded the Sofia barracks during the war, Shahid Pasha negotiated directly with the future king of Serbia, Prince Milan Obrenović, to secure the safety of those returnees who would settle in the many villages of Gornja Jablanica. To help facilitate such collaborative ventures, laws were needed that would guarantee the safety of these communities likely to be targeted by the rising nationalist elements infiltrating the Serbian army at the time. Indeed, throughout the 1880s, efforts were made to regulate the interaction between exiled Muslim landowners and those local and newly immigrant farmers working their lands. Furthermore, laws passed in early 1880 began a process of managing the resettlement of the region that accommodated those refugees who came from Austrian-controlled Herzegovina and from Bulgaria. Cooperation, in other words, was the preferred form of exchange within the borderland, not violent confrontation." in a way that today would be characterized as
ethnic cleansing
Ethnic cleansing is the systematic forced removal of ethnic, racial, and religious groups from a given area, with the intent of making a region ethnically homogeneous. Along with direct removal, extermination, deportation or population transfer ...
.
Due to depopulation and economic considerations some small numbers of Albanians were allowed to stay and return though not to their previous settlements and instead were designated concentrated village clusters in the Toplica, Masurica and Jablanica areas.
[ Of those only in the Jablanica valley centered around the town of Medveđa have small numbers of Albanians and their descendants remained.] This was due to a local Ottoman Albanian commander Sahit Pasha from the Jablanica area negotiating on good terms with Prince Milan and thereby guaranteeing their presence.
Yugoslavia (1918–92)
Already in 1900, a group of prominent residents of the Upper Jablanica region officially applied to the government for Medveđa to be declared a town (''varoš''). They also asked for the settlement to be renamed to Dubočica. Only after the fourth try by the local population, Medveđa was declared ''varošica'' ("small town") by King Alexander I of Yugoslavia
Alexander I ( sr-Cyrl, Александар I Карађорђевић, Aleksandar I Karađorđević, ) ( – 9 October 1934), also known as Alexander the Unifier, was the prince regent of the Kingdom of Serbia from 1914 and later the King of Yug ...
on 31 December 1921.
The World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
hit the town in 1941. Yugoslav Partisans
The Yugoslav Partisans,Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian, Slovene: , or the National Liberation Army, sh-Latn-Cyrl, Narodnooslobodilačka vojska (NOV), Народноослободилачка војска (НОВ); mk, Народноослобод ...
took the town back in 1944 and killed around 200 people. From 1945 until 1992, the municipality of Medveđa was part of SFR Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yug ...
.
Breakup of Yugoslavia (1991–99)
In 1992, the Albanians
The Albanians (; sq, Shqiptarët ) are an ethnic group and nation native to the Balkan Peninsula who share a common Albanian ancestry, culture, history and language. They primarily live in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Se ...
in the area organized a referendum
A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
in which they voted that Medveđa, Preševo
Preševo ( sr-cyrl, Прешево; sq, Preshevë, ) is a town and municipality located in the Pčinja District of southern Serbia. It is the southernmost town in Central Serbia and largest in the geographical region of Preševo Valley.
Preševo ...
and Bujanovac should join the self-declared assembly of the Republic of Kosova. However, no major events happened until the end of the 1990s.
Following the breakup of Yugoslavia
The breakup of Yugoslavia occurred as a result of a series of political upheavals and conflicts during the early 1990s. After a period of political and economic crisis in the 1980s, constituent republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yu ...
, and nearby Kosovo War
The Kosovo War was an armed conflict in Kosovo that started 28 February 1998 and lasted until 11 June 1999. It was fought by the forces of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (i.e. Serbia and Montenegro), which controlled Kosovo before the war ...
which lasted until 1999, between 1999 and 2001, an ethnic Albanian paramilitary
A paramilitary is an organization whose structure, tactics, training, subculture, and (often) function are similar to those of a professional military, but is not part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. Paramilitary units carr ...
separatist organization, the UÇPMB, raised an armed insurgency in the Preševo Valley
The Insurgency in the Preševo Valley was a year-long armed conflict between the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the ethnic Albanian separatists of the Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac (UÇPMB). There were instances duri ...
, 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. The insurgency was less present in Medveđa than in other two municipalities, due to a small number of ethnic Albanians and minor importance.
Western countries condemned the attacks and described it as the "extremism" and use of "illegal terrorist actions" by the group. Following the overthrow of Slobodan Milošević
The overthrow of Slobodan Milošević in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, began after the presidential election on 24 September and culminated in the downfall of Slobodan Milošević's government on 5 October 2000. It is sometimes referred to as the 5 Oct ...
, the new Serbian government suppressed the violence by 2001 and defeated the separatists. NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
troops also helped the Serbian government by ensuring that the rebels do not import the conflicts back into Kosovo. Thereafter, the situation has stabilized even though large number of forces exist in this small municipality.
In 2009, Serbia opened a military base Cepotina
Military Base Cepotina ( sr-cyr, Војна База Цепотина; after a nearby hill) or Military Base South ( sr, Војна База Југ) is a Serbian Army military base located 5 kilometres south of Bujanovac. It is the largest and the ...
5 kilometers south of Bujanovac, to further stabilize the area.
Modern
Today, Medveđa is located in the Jablanica District
The Jablanica District ( sr, Јабланички округ, Jablanički okrug, ) is one of nine administrative districts of Southern and Eastern Serbia. It expands in the south-eastern parts of Serbia. According to the 2011 census results, it ...
of southern Serbia. On 26 November 2017, the President of Albania
The president of Albania ( sq, Presidenti i Shqipërisë), officially styled the President of the Republic of Albania ( sq, Presidenti i Republikës së Shqipërisë), is the head of state, commander-in-chief of the military and the representa ...
Ilir Meta
Ilir Rexhep Meta (; born 24 March 1969) is an Albanian politician. He served as President of Albania from 24 July 2017 to 24 July 2022.
Previously Meta served as Prime Minister from 1999 to 2002 and he was Speaker of the Parliament of Albania f ...
made a historical visit to Medveđa, municipality with Albanian
Albanian may refer to:
*Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular:
**Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans
**Albanian language
**Albanian culture
**Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...
ethnic minority.
Settlements
Aside from the town of Medveđa, the municipality includes the following settlements:
* Bogunovac
* Borovac
* Varadin
* Velika Braina
* Vrapce
* Gazdare
* Gornja Lapaštica
* Gornji Bučumet
* Gornji Gajtan
Gornji Gajtan is a village in the municipality of Medveđa, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 87 people.Popis stanovništva, domaćinstava i Stanova 2002. Knjiga 1: Nacionalna ili etnička pripadnost po naselji ...
* Grbavce
* Gubavce
* Gurgutovo
* Donji Bučumet
* Donji Gajtan
* Đulekare
* Kapit
Kapit is a town and the capital of Kapit District in Kapit Division, Sarawak, Malaysia on the south bank of the Rajang River. The district comprises 15,595.6 square kilometres and as of 2020 has a population of 65,800.
Kapit is accessible by ...
* Lece
* Mala Braina
* Marovac
* Maćedonce
Maćedonce is a village in the municipality of Medveđa, Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the P ...
* Maćedonce (Retkocersko)
* Medevce
Medevce ( sr-cyr, Медевце) is a village in the municipality of Medveđa
Medveđa ( sr-cyr, Медвеђа, ; sq, Medvegja, ) is a town and municipality located in the Jablanica District of southern Serbia. According to the 2011 census, t ...
* Mrkonje
* Negosavlje
* Petrilje
* Poroštica
* Pusto Šilovo
* Ravna Banja
* Retkocer
Retkocer ( sr-cyr, Реткоцер) is a village in the municipality of Medveđa, Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated a ...
* Rujkovac
* Svirce
* Sijarina
* Sijarinska Banja
* Sponce
* Srednji Bučumet
* Stara Banja
Stara Banja ( sq, Starabajë) is a village in the municipality of Medveđa, Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the c ...
* Stubla
* Tulare
* Tupale
* Crni Vrh
* Čokotin
Demographics
According to the 2011 census results, the municipality of Medveđa has a population of 7,438 inhabitants. It saw a great depopulation in the past 50 years, having nearly 25,000 inhabitants in 1961 and 7,400 fifty years later. Around 43.5% of inhabitants live in urban areas. The preliminary results of the 2022 census showed a total population of 8,594 inhabitants.<
Ethnic groups
The majority of municipality's population are Serbs
The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language.
The majority of Serbs live in their na ...
, numbering more than 65%. Other ethnic groups include Albanians
The Albanians (; sq, Shqiptarët ) are an ethnic group and nation native to the Balkan Peninsula who share a common Albanian ancestry, culture, history and language. They primarily live in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Se ...
who numbered 32% in 1981 and 26.2% in 2002 census. In 2011 they numbered only 7.1% as they mostly boycotted the census. The preliminary results of the 2022 census showed a total population of 8,594 inhabitants out of which 2,647 (~30%) are Albanians.
There are other small minorities of Montenegrins
Montenegrins ( cnr, Црногорци, Crnogorci, or ; lit. "Black Mountain People") are a South Slavic ethnic group that share a common Montenegrin culture, history, and language, identified with the country of Montenegro.
Genetics
Accordin ...
and Roma people
The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with sign ...
. The ethnic composition of the municipality:
Economy
The municipality of Medveđa is one of the least developed municipalities in Serbia. It has many natural advantages for tourism development, as it is in the vicinity of a spa resort with dozens of mineral springs in Sijarinska Banja, Stara Banja
Stara Banja ( sq, Starabajë) is a village in the municipality of Medveđa, Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the c ...
and Tulare.
On its territory there are mineral resources for mining, semi-precious stones and marble-onyx. The most promising branch of industry is mining, having mine and flotation "Lece", within the ''Group Farmakom''. It has also solid prospects for development in agriculture and industries such as livestock (sheep, goats, cows) and fruit (plums, pears, apples, quince), also the timber industry and processing.
The following table gives a preview of total number of registered people employed in legal entities per their core activity (as of 2018):
Politics
Seats in the municipality parliament won in the 2012 local elections:
* Group of Citizens "For North Jablanica" (16)
* Party for Democratic Action (6)
* Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
(6)
* United Regions of Serbia
The United Regions of Serbia ( sr, Уједињени региони Србије, Ujedinjeni regioni Srbije; abbr. УРС, URS) was a regionalist, liberal-conservative political party in Serbia. It was founded on 16 May 2010 as a political coa ...
(4)
* Serbian Progressive Party
The Serbian Progressive Party ( sr-cyrl, Српска напредна странка, Srpska napredna stranka, SNS) has been the ruling political party of Serbia since 2012.
Founded by Tomislav Nikolić and Aleksandar Vučić in 2008 as a s ...
(3)
Gallery
File:Spomenik u Medvedji.jpg, ''Monument in town center''
File:Medvedja.jpg, ''Town streets''
File:Svirca-Medvegjë(2017).jpg, '' Svirce in 2017''
File:Svirca foto.jpg, ''Albanian language school and police station in Svirce''
Notable people
* Idriz Ajeti, Albanian historian
* Astrit Ajdarević
)
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Pristina, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia
, height = 1.90 m
, position = Midfielder
, currentclub =
, clubnumber =
, youthyears1 = 1996–2000 , youthclubs1 = Rinia IF
, youthye ...
, Albanian-Swedish football player
* Dušan Spasojević
Dušan Spasojević ( cyrl, Душан Спасојевић; 10 July 1968 – 27 March 2003), known by the nicknames Duća and Šiptar (meaning “Albanian”) was the head of one of the largest Serbian criminal groups on record, the Zemun clan
...
, deceased head of the Zemun clan
The Zemun Clan (Serbian Cyrillic: Земунски клан) is one of the Belgrade clans of the Serbian mafia. It is named for the gang's base in Zemun, a municipality of Belgrade. The peak of the clan's power and influence occurred between 199 ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Medveda
Populated places in Jablanica District
Municipalities and cities of Southern and Eastern Serbia
Albanian communities in Serbia