Podujeva

Podujevo ( sr-Cyrl, Подујево), Podujeva, or Besiana ( sq-definite, Podujevë or ''Besianë''), is a city and municipality in Kosovo's Pristina District. According to the 2011 census, the city of Podujeva has 23,453 inhabitants, while the municipality has 88,499 inhabitants.Kosovo Agency for Statistics

The population of the municipality of Podujeva according to settlement, gender and ethnicity 2011 The population of the city may be higher, as these figures include only the population of the cadastral zone of Podujeva, but not some urban neighborhoods of the city that are outside the cadastral zone.

Podujeva is located along a regional motorway and has railroad passing through it, which links the area to surrounding regions. Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, is located some to the south.

History

Middle Ages

The region includes many Medieval Serbian monuments. In 1355, Emperor Stefan Dušan gave the village of Braina to Mount Athos. In 1381, Prince Lazar gave Orlane (a village in Podujeva) to his endowment, the Ravanica monastery. Ruins of old Serbian monasteries and churches exist at Orlane, Murgula (destroyed in the 15th century), Palatna, Slatina, Svetlje, Rakinica, Metohija (2), Donje Ljupce (destroyed in the 15th century), Gornja Pakastica (destroyed in the 15th century), Brevnik, Braina (3) and graveyards exist in most of these villages. The village of Brevnik had a notable medieval mine, and a fort with a church. Albanians are cited in the middle of the 14th century as miners and farmers while Albanian toponyms have been recorded in the area since the 15th century.

Ottoman period

Podujevo remained under Ottoman Rule from 1455 to 1912. Podujevo was initially organized as a Nahije, and it was the largest one of Vushtrria. During the 15th to 18th centuries, Ottomans attempted to develop agriculture, farming, vineyards, beekeeping and handicrafts within the region.Pushkolli, Fehmi (1998): "Llapi gjatë historisë", Interpress R. Company, Pristina. Page 57. Mining activities were also present, especially in Bellasica,Pushkolli, Fehmi (1998): "Llapi gjatë historisë", Interpress R. Company, Pristina. Page 58. which was recognized as one of the most important mining areas in the Balkans.Pushkolli, Fehmi (1998): "Llapi gjatë historisë", Interpress R. Company, Pristina. Page 56.

In the defter of jizya in 1485, Llapi had 5,952 Christian families, while in 1488-1489 Llapi had 7,399 households. In the 18th century the Nahije of Llapi was part of Pristina's Sanjak. At this time, Llapi lost many residents due to two plagues that struck the place. During the Austro-Ottoman war, the Austrian army destroyed and robbed the town twice. Later, the region fought against the Ottomans. During the first Serbian Revolt, the Serbian army got into the village of Reçica and killed 30 people, including Demë Ahmeti,Pushkolli, Fehmi (1998): "Llapi gjatë historisë", Interpress R. Company, Pristina. Page 70. an Albanian national hero who is later mentioned in songs. This happened on 28 June 1811, during the feast of Eid.

A rebellion against the Ottomans arose when Sultan Abdulmejid I proclaimed the Tanzimat reforms in 1839,Pushkolli, Fehmi (1998): "Llapi gjatë historisë", Interpress R. Company, Pristina. Page 74. which increased taxes and brought about many rebellions in Albanian-pupulated lands. The population of Llapi fought against these reforms and, during 1843, the Ottomans temporarily left Llapi to organize its reoccupation. The rebels gathered many soldiers from the surrounding regions and they beat the Ottomans, taking PristinaPushkolli, Fehmi (1998): "Llapi gjatë historisë", Interpress R. Company, Pristina. Page 75. and encouraging a bigger rebellion in other regions. The rebellion was extinguished in 1847.

When Serbia acquired the Sanjak of Nis in 1877, many Albanians were expelled from their homes in Nis and the surrounding regions, and Llapi was one of their first destinations as they sought refuge in Kosovo.Pushkolli, Fehmi (1998): "Llapi gjatë historisë", Interpress R. Company, Pristina. Page 79. There is not a single village in Podujevo where Muhajirs or migrants cannot be found. Furthermore, they established new villages.

The Albanians of Llapi, since the League of Prizren, refused to pay taxes to the Ottomans. The Ottomans built a military cantonment during 1892 and 1899 as they detected Serbian Army movements near the border.
The Albanian rebellion against Ottomans during 1906 was primarily organized in the Llapi region. Another Albanian rebellion was that of 1910 which also started in the Llapi region. The relationships between the residents and The Sublime Porte were becoming very strained and when Sulltan Mehmed Reshid V came to visit Kosovo and very few Llapi residents were present. Llapi is also known for its cooperation with Isa Boletini,Pushkolli, Fehmi (1998): "Llapi gjatë historisë", Interpress R. Company, Pristina. Page 95. who, during 1911, operated around this zone. Many soldiers from the villages of Llapi and Gallapi promised their loyalty to Isa Boletini in 1912, in the Bradash pledge. Their goal was to initiate the general Albanian rebellion against Ottoman Rule and they were part of the rebellion until it ended.

1912 until World War I

When the neighbouring countries formed the Balkan Alliance, Albanians felt at risk of being subjugated to these nations.Pushkolli, Fehmi (1998): "Llapi gjatë historisë", Interpress R. Company, Pristina. Page 107. Serbian forces engaged the border region where 16.000 Albanians were placed. The largest battle was fought in Merdare and lasted three days,Pushkolli, Fehmi (1998): "Llapi gjatë historisë", Interpress R. Company, Pristina. Page 108. where the Serbian army had up to 70.000 soldiers. Soon they took Merdare and the war continued in other fronts. From that time on, the region remained under Serbian control.Pushkolli, Fehmi (1998): "Llapi gjatë historisë", Interpress R. Company, Pristina. Page 111. Llapi remained a region of Pristina. In 1913, Llapi numbered 27,081 residents, while 10 years beforehand, 38,520 residents were present. On 20 August 1914, Serbia announced a decree in which the colonisation of its newly acquired territories was planned.Pushkolli, Fehmi (1998): "Llapi gjatë historisë", Interpress R. Company, Pristina. Page 112. This, and the process of disarmament of the local population, were key factors to the rise of the Kaçak guerilla movement.

World War I and World War II

During the First World War, most of the Serbian army, led by the Serbian king Peter I, retreated through the Llapi region. During the retreat, war crimes (including robbing, killing and destruction of property) took place.Pushkolli, Fehmi (1998): "Llapi gjatë historisë", Interpress R. Company, Pristina. Page 114. Llapi was later taken by Bulgaria, which, from time to time, organized grain and cattle requisition. Starting from 1916, any people were deported and sent to work in different countries, most of them never returning. After the Bulgarian surrender, Bulgarian soldiers killed a lot of people and robbed many places during their retreat. Albanians would later form their own military formations for a short period of two months.

The region fell to Yugoslavian Kingdom. In the beginning, the Llapi region had 12 municipalities with 27.084 residents. Later, the number of municipalities was reduced. From 1929 to 1941, Podujevo was part of the Morava Banovina of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia; between the two World Wars, Albanians living in the region had no political rights. They were poor and heavily taxed, and corruption was evident in the administration. The main problem, however, was colonization, which Yugoslavia claimed to be agricultural reforms.Pushkolli, Fehmi (1998): "Llapi gjatë historisë", Interpress R. Company, Pristina. Page 121. The Albanian language was not used at all in public administration and schools, Many residents were forced to migrate to Turkey, while their land was given to Serbian and Montenegrin colonists who would eventually take 62% of infields. Even mosques were controlled by the state.Pushkolli, Fehmi (1998): "Llapi gjatë historisë", Interpress R. Company, Pristina. Page 124.

Armed resistance was mostly pushed by Kaçak movements since it was impossible to organize large groups of people. They managed to expel the Serbian colonists, but the consequences were far greater, as in the beginning of 1921 many massacres against the Albanian population would occur. In Sharban, 35 people were killed and 28 houses were burned. In Bellopoja, 40 people were killed and 57 houses were damaged.Pushkolli, Fehmi (1998): "Llapi gjatë historisë", Interpress R. Company, Pristina. Page 130. In Keqekolla, 490 people were killed and 40 houses were burned. In Prapashtica, 1011 people were killed and 80 houses were burned,Pushkolli, Fehmi (1998): "Llapi gjatë historisë", Interpress R. Company, Pristina. Page 131. in Nishevc, 150 heads of cattle were robbed. In Orllan, 14 people were killed, in Kushevica over 12 people were killed, in Repa over 12 people were killed, and in Popova 573 people were killed and 55 houses were burned. In Velikoreka, 2 houses were burned,Pushkolli, Fehmi (1998): "Llapi gjatë historisë", Interpress R. Company, Pristina. Page 132. while in Gerdoc 27 people were killed and 2 houses were burned. In Lupç, 11 people were killed, and in Lepaja, 5 houses were burned. Justin Godard, at the Paris Peace Conference defended “the rights of life for the Albanian population.”.

From 1912 to 1918, around 8,000 Albanians were forced to leave their lands to migrate to Turkey, while during 1920–1924,280 Albanian families were also forced to leave. In contrast, 420 Slavic families were settled in the territory between 1920 and 1928,Pushkolli, Fehmi (1998): "Llapi gjatë historisë", Interpress R. Company, Pristina. Page 141.
and by 1932, 3,474ha of land were given to colonists and 756 houses were built.

During World War II, Llapi was taken by the German army. The residents of Llapi did not submit to Serbian conscription and fled to the mountains.Pushkolli, Fehmi (1998): "Llapi gjatë historisë", Interpress R. Company, Pristina. Page 151. Germany captured Podujevo with an army including two tanks. Under the German administration, this region was called Llapi's nenprefektura. Albanians requested that the authorities unify Albanian-inhabited regions under one administration, but this did not occur. During that time, all of Llapi had 42,942 residents. At the end of World War II, Serbia, Germany and Bulgaria were struggling for control of the town. There were greater numbers of military troops around Podujevo than there were residents.Pushkolli, Fehmi (1998): "Llapi gjatë historisë", Interpress R. Company, Pristina. Page 187. The residents later fled to Pristina in a 5 km convoy during October 1944. Earlier, the Germans gave Jahja Fusha authority of the town. 5,000 Albanian soldiers fought to protect the town against Serbians and Bulgarians alike. The fighting ended on 8 November 1944, after a long battle.Pushkolli, Fehmi (1998): "Llapi gjatë historisë", Interpress R. Company, Pristina. Page 189. The residents were required to come back to the town, and afterwards, some 500 men were killed without trial. 10 places are recorded to be mass graveyards. Starting from December 1994, Albanians were conscripted and sent to fight in other part of Yugoslavia.

Serbian Rule

After World War II, the Llapi region was under Serbian Rule. Serbian administration collected 11,297,067 dinars under the guise of it being a punishment for the illegal enrichment of some locals.
During 1950–1955, the Serbians founded many directorates. When the constitution of 1963 was approved, the municipalities were in a better situation. In 1966, Podujevo had 58,604 citizens. These improvements were ruined by Serbian authorities in 1990. Prior to this, Yugoslavia's five-year plan of 1981-1985 did not offer a viable solution to the economic problems of the region's residents.Pushkolli, Fehmi (1998): "Llapi gjatë historisë", Interpress R. Company, Pristina. Page 237.

During 1981–1991, 51 ethnic Albanian soldiers were wrongfully murdered during their service in the Yugoslavian army. The most notable event of the period was the demonstration of 1981, organized in Pristina, that was later followed by massive demonstrations all around Kosovo. The town of Podujevo was locked down at this time except for the Medical Center. The route near the border was blocked, and so was the route to Pristina. Some local police were shot while driving tanks.Pushkolli, Fehmi (1998): "Llapi gjatë historisë", Interpress R. Company, Pristina. Page 238. Thousands of people were imprisoned.

Under Serbian control, Albanians were organized into several political parties such as “NDSh”, or Albanian National Democratic Party, the Albanian Youth National Democratic Committee,Pushkolli, Fehmi (1998): "Llapi gjatë historisë", Interpress R. Company, Pristina. Page 257. The Albanian League and so on. Demonstrations were organized in March 1989 and 1990. During this period, many workers were fired from their jobs and funding for educational institutions was halted. This continued for a while, but Albanians had organized private funds themselves so that the education process would not stop. During 1989–1997, 22 people were killed in the region. These actions motivated the Albanian populations to resolve their societal disputes. During 1990–1992, 114 bloodfeud issues and 60 other disputes were resolved.

Modern history

In 1997, the Kosovo Liberation Army was formed, prompting Slobodan Milosevic to start a brutal campaign against it during 1998. During the Kosovo War (1998–1999), the town was the site of the Podujevo massacre, on March 28, in which 14 Kosovo Albanian women and children were executed by Serbian paramilitary forces. After the Kosovo War, the process of establishing a Municipal Assembly began in 2002. Later, on 17 February 2008, Kosovo declared its independence.

Podujevo is now known for its cattle trade and for its battlefields during the Kosovo War. Podujevo is not one of the major cities of Kosovo, but it has the potential to bring in tourists from around Kosovo and elsewhere for its scenic mountains and Lake Batlava.

The road coming into Podujevo from the city of Niš was the site of the 2001 Podujevo bus bombing, in which a bus carrying Serb pilgrims traveling to the Gračanica monastery site was bombed. Twelve Serb pilgrims were killed and dozens more were injured by the bomb-blast. Kosovo Albanian extremists have been blamed for the attack.

Geography

Podujevo is located in the northeastern corner of Kosovo, situated near a regional motorway and railroad which links it to surrounding regions. Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, is located some to the south. It consists of Llapi's Hollow and the Albanik mountains in the west, and eastern Kosovo's mountains in the east. Llapi's valley is placed between the village of Repa and that of Barileva with a 35 km distance and between Batllava and Llapashtica e Eperme with 12–15 km.Agjencia e Kosovës për Mbrojtjen e Mjedisit, Instituti për Mbrojtjen e Natyrës së Kosovës (August 2004): "Raport nga Rekognosimi i Terrenit në Territorin e Komunës së Podujevës", "Bill Clinton" st., Pristina. Page 7. Llapi's jaw is located between Repa and Murgulla (14 km) and from Bellasica to Uglar's Cape (14 km). Gallapi is placed between Batllava and Metergoc in latitude and from Turiqica to Koliq in longitude. Podujevo is the largest municipality of Kosovo since it covers 633 km². Since its territory is compact, it represents a microgeographical entirety.

Hydrology

Podujevo counts several ravines

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