Sjenica ( sr-cyr, Сјеница, ) is a town and municipality located in the Zlatibor District of southwestern Serbia. The population of the town, according to 2011 census, is 14,060 inhabitants, while the municipality has 26,392. Sjenica is situated in the Pešter plateau, and is surrounded by the mountains of

Jadovnik Jadovnik (Serbian Cyrillic: Јадовник, ) is a mountain in southwestern Serbia, on the western edge of Pešter plateau, between towns of Prijepolje and Sjenica Sjenica ( sr-cyr, Сјеница, ) is a town and municipality located in the ...

, Ozren,

Giljeva Giljeva (Serbian Cyrillic: Гиљева) is a mountain in southwestern Serbia, on the western edge of Pešter plateau, near the town of Sjenica Sjenica ( sr-cyr, Сјеница, ) is a town and municipality located in the Zlatibor District of ...

and Javor.

History

It is an old town, first mentioned in 1253 AD as a place where many merchants rested and paid taxes while on their way to

Dubrovnik Dubrovnik (), historically known as Ragusa (; see notes on naming), is a city on the Adriatic Sea in the region of Dalmatia, in the southeastern semi-exclave of Croatia. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranea ...

. ''Voivode'' Stefan Vasoje, the son of King Stefan Konstantin (r. 1321–1322), received Sjenica as an appanage by Emperor

Stefan Dušan Stefan Uroš IV Dušan ( sr-Cyrl, Стефан Урош IV Душан, ), known as Dušan the Mighty ( sr, / ; circa 1308 – 20 December 1355), was the King of Serbia from 8 September 1331 and Tsar (or Emperor) and autocrat of the Serbs, Gre ...

(r. 1331–1355). During the reign of the Ottoman Empire, Sjenica was used as a fortified site. On a nearby hill the Ottomans built a fortress, which was later demolished. Next to the fortress was a merchants' quarter and few wooden residential homes. In the 19th century, Sjenica was considered a high priority because of its political, military and strategic significance, thus many military campaigns were led during the

First Serbian Uprising The First Serbian Uprising ( sr, Prvi srpski ustanak, italics=yes, sr-Cyrl, Први српски устанак; tr, Birinci Sırp Ayaklanması) was an uprising of Serbs in the Sanjak of Smederevo against the Ottoman Empire from 14 February 1 ...

. Soon after, a new turmoil came to the region with a resistance movement against Sultan Mahmud II's reforms. During the Ottoman-Albanian hostilities of 1901 the town was partly burnt by Albanian bands. In the 1908-12 Ottoman parliament, the elected representative of Sjenica was Hasan Muhidin Bey (Hasan Muhedini), a local prominent Albanian. At the time of the

First Balkan War The First Balkan War ( sr, Први балкански рат, ''Prvi balkanski rat''; bg, Балканска война; el, Αʹ Βαλκανικός πόλεμος; tr, Birinci Balkan Savaşı) lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and invo ...

, General Živković ordered the slaughter of 950 Albanian and Turkish notables at Sjenica after ten thousand Albanians delayed the advance of Serbian troops. In 1917 when the area was under Austrian control a conference was held, in which the representatives drafted and signed a resolution for the union of the area with Bosnia or the establishment of an autonomous region. From 1929 to 1941, Sjenica was part of the

Zeta Banovina The Zeta Banovina ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Zetska banovina, Зетска бановина), was a province ( banovina) of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia between 1929 and 1941. This province consisted of all of present-day Montenegro as well as ...

of the

Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Kraljevina Jugoslavija, Краљевина Југославија; sl, Kraljevina Jugoslavija) was a state in Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 191 ...

. During

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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

the

SS Polizei-Selbstschutz-Regiment Sandschak SS-''Polizei Selbstschutz'' Regiment Sandschak (from German; "''SS-Police Self-Protection Regiment Sandžak''", ), also known as the Krempler Legion (, ) was a Schutzstaffel (SS) unit established on the territory of Sandžak by the senior Waffen ...

under

Karl von Krempler Karl von Krempler, later only Karl Krempler (Serbian Cyrillic: ''Карл Кремплер'', 26 May 1896 – 17 April 1971) was a German SS-''Standartenführer'' and SS and Police Leader during the Nazi era. In World War II, he was responsible ...

was stationed here consisted of local Muslim population, during a period when many Serbs lost their lives. In 1943 Sjenica was the battleground of intense fighting between Partisans and the German army.

Settlements

Aside from the town of Sjenica, the municipality includes the following settlements: *

Aliveroviće Aliveroviće, in Serb Cyrillic , is a village in Serbia located in the municipality of Sjenica, district of Zlatibor. In 2002, it had 157 inhabitants,

* Bagačiće * Bare * Bačija * Bioc * Blato * Boguti * Božov Potok * Boljare * Borišiće * Boroviće * Breza * Brnjica * Buđevo *

Vapa VAMP-Associated Protein A ( or Vesicle-Associated Membrane Protein-Associated Protein A) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''VAPA'' gene. Together with VAPB and VAPC it forms the VAP protein family. They are integral endoplasmic re ...

* Veskoviće * Visočka * Višnjeva * Višnjice * Vrapci * Vrbnica * Vrsjenice * Goluban * Gornje Lopiže * Goševo * Grabovica * Gradac * Grgaje * Doliće * Donje Goračiće * Donje Lopiže * Dragojloviće * Draževiće * Družiniće * Dubnica * Duga Poljana * Dujke * Dunišiće * Žabren * Žitniće * Zabrđe * Zaječiće * Zahumsko * Jevik * Jezero * Kalipolje * Kamešnica * Kanjevina * Karajukića Bunari * Kijevci * Kladnica * Kneževac *

Koznik Koznik Castle is a medieval castle in central Serbia, 10 km northwest from the present day town of Brus, on a hillside of mountain Kopaonik, on the right bank in the upper flow of river Rasina. The castle was built on top of a steep hill dom ...

* Kokošiće * Krajinoviće * Krivaja * Krnja Jela * Krstac * Krće * Lijeva Reka * Ljutaje * Mašoviće * Medare * Međugor * Milići * Papiće * Petrovo Polje * Plana * Poda * Ponorac * Pralja * Raždaginja * Rasno * Raspoganče * Rastenoviće * Raškoviće * Skradnik * Strajiniće * Stup * Sugubine * Sušica * Trešnjevica * Trijebine * Tuzinje * Tutiće * Uvac *

Ugao Ugao ( sr-cyr, Угао, sq, Uglla/Ugëll) is a village located in the municipality of Sjenica, southwestern Serbia. According to the 2011 census, the village has a population of 545 inhabitants. Ugao is one of three Albanian villages ( Borošt ...

* Ursule * Ušak * Fijulj * Caričina * Cetanoviće * Crvsko * Crčevo * Čedovo * Čipalje * Čitluk * Šare * Štavalj * Šušure

Demographics

According to the last official census of 2011, the Municipality of Sjenica has a population of 26,392 inhabitants. The population density on the territory of the municipality is 24.9 inhabitants per square kilometer.

Ethnic groups

In 1991, the population of the municipality of Sjenica was 76.1% ethnic Muslims, 22.6%

Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian Cultural heritage, ancestry, Culture of Serbia, culture, History of ...

and

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 Accordi ...

, and 1.3% others. In the 1991 census, most of those who declared themselves as ethnic Muslims, some declared themselves as

Bosniaks The Bosniaks ( bs, Bošnjaci, Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia (region), Bosnia, which is today part of Bosnia and Herzeg ...

in the next census of 2002, while others still declared themselves as a Muslims by ethnicity. Most of the population in Sjenica are

Muslims Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

by the ethnicity (78.55%), followed by

(19.95%) and

Romani Romani may refer to: Ethnicities * Romani people, an ethnic group of Northern Indian origin, living dispersed in Europe, the Americas and Asia ** Romani genocide, under Nazi rule * Romani language, any of several Indo-Aryan languages of the Roma ...

(0.35%). Ethnic composition of the municipality (2011 census):

Economy

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

Geography and climate

Sjenica is located at an altitude of 1,026 meters above sea level, making it one of the highest towns in Serbia and the Balkans. Temperatures fall below freezing on average 134 days per year, with the first freeze in late September and the last in early May. According to the Köppen-Geiger climate classification, it has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freez ...

(Dfb) with freezing and not so humid winters, and with warm and humid summers, but with cold nights.

Gallery

File:Специјални резерват природе Увац 005.jpg, '' Uvac Special Nature Reserve'' File:Uvac canyon 3.jpg, ''Uvac Special Nature Reserve'' File:Uvac canyon 2.jpg, ''Uvac Special Nature Reserve'' File:Sjenica Mosque.JPG, ''Mosque "Sultanija Valida" Sjenica'' File:ManastirKumanica.jpg, ''Monestery Kumanica'' File:Crkva U Sjenici.jpg, ''Church in Sjenica'' File:Pester Plateau, Serbia - 5024.jpg, ''Town neighborhood'' File:Kladnica.jpg, '' Kladnica village panorama'' File:Veskoviće.jpg, '' Veskoviće village panorama'' File:Ступ, Штаваљ, Сјеница, Србија.jpg, '' Stup village panorama'' File:Кнежевац, Сјеница.jpg, '' Kneževac village panorama'' File:Село Читлук.jpg, '' Čitluk village panorama'' File:Црвско.jpg, ''Cvrsko village panorama'' File:Sjenicko jezero 2.jpg, ''Sjenica Lake''

Twin cities

Nakskov Nakskov is a town in south Denmark. It is situated in Lolland municipality in Region Sjælland on the western coast of the island of Lolland. The town has a population of 12,495 (1 January 2022). To the west is Nakskov Fjord, an inlet from the La ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

* Kartal,

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...

References

External links

Sjenica official website

municipalities website
{{Authority control Populated places in Zlatibor District Sandžak Municipalities and cities of Šumadija and Western Serbia