Lower Kolašin ( Montenegrin and sr-cyr, Доњи Колашин/Donji Kolašin) is a historical region in the present-day municipality of
Bijelo Polje
Bijelo Polje ( cnr, Бијело Поље, ) is a town in northeastern Montenegro on the Lim River. It has an urban population of 15,400 (2011 census). It is the administrative, economic, cultural and educational centre of northern Montenegro.
...
in northern
Montenegro
)
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, capital = Podgorica
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, largest_city = capital
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, towards
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...
. It is situated in the picturesque Vraneš valley formed around the river Ljuboviđa. The most important local populated centers are Tomaševo and
Pavino Polje
Pavino Polje ( sr-cyrl, Павино Поље) is a village in the municipality of Bijelo Polje, Montenegro
)
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.
Geography
Lower Kolašin is a region situated in the northern part of Montenegro, at the border with Serbia. It is located between the rivers of Tara, Ljuboviđa, left tributary of
Lim river
The Lim (Serbian Cyrillic: Лим, ) is a river that flows through Montenegro, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina and is long.
and source of the Ćeotina. It is located at the left side of the
Lim river
The Lim (Serbian Cyrillic: Лим, ) is a river that flows through Montenegro, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina and is long.
, and its central part is made up of the valley of the Vraneš river. To the south lies the region of Upper Kolašin, around
Mojkovac
Mojkovac (Montenegrin Cyrillic: Мојковац, ) is a town in northern Montenegro. It has a population of 3,590 (2011 census). Mojkovac is the centre of Mojkovac Municipality, which has a population of 8,622. On the other side of the Lim is the region of Bihor.
History
Middle Ages
The Ljuboviđa ''
župa
A župa (or zhupa, županija) is a historical type of administrative division in Southeast Europe and Central Europe, that originated in medieval South Slavic culture, commonly translated as "parish", later synonymous "kotar", commonly transl ...
'' (county) was mentioned in medieval documents beginning in 1281. It was named after a river that passed through the Vraneš valley. The county included an area from the Tara in the west, beyond the Lim to the east, from
Brodarevo
Brodarevo ( sr-cyr, Бродарево) is a village located in the municipality of Prijepolje, southwestern Serbia. According to the 2011 census, the village has a population of 1,845 inhabitants. A border crossing between Serbia and Montenegro
...
in the north to south of
Mojkovac
Mojkovac (Montenegrin Cyrillic: Мојковац, ) is a town in northern Montenegro. It has a population of 3,590 (2011 census). Mojkovac is the centre of Mojkovac Municipality, which has a population of 8,622.Treaty of San Stefano
The 1878 Treaty of San Stefano (russian: Сан-Стефанский мир; Peace of San-Stefano, ; Peace treaty of San-Stefano, or ) was a treaty between the Russian and Ottoman empires at the conclusion of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-18 ...
(3 March 1878), the region was to be ceded to the
Principality of Montenegro
The Principality of Montenegro ( sr, Књажевина Црна Горa, Knjaževina Crna Gora) was a principality in Southeastern Europe that existed from 13 March 1852 to 28 August 1910. It was then proclaimed a kingdom by Nikola I, who then ...
, however, it was never implemented. With the
Congress of Berlin
The Congress of Berlin (13 June – 13 July 1878) was a diplomatic conference to reorganise the states in the Balkan Peninsula after the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78, which had been won by Russia against the Ottoman Empire. Represented at th ...
(13 July 1878), the Austro-Hungarians obtained the right to station garrisons in the
Sanjak of Novi Pazar
The Sanjak of Novi Pazar ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Novopazarski sandžak, Новопазарски санџак; tr, Yeni Pazar sancağı) was an Ottoman sanjak (second-level administrative unit) that was created in 1865. It was reorganized in 1880 and ...
. In 1880, the Sanjak of Sjenica (the new Sanjak of Novi Pazar) was established, which included the ''
kaza
A kaza (, , , plural: , , ; ota, قضا, script=Arab, (; meaning 'borough')
* bg, околия (; meaning 'district'); also Кааза
* el, υποδιοίκησις () or (, which means 'borough' or 'municipality'); also ()
* lad, kaza
, ...
'' (districts) of
Sjenica
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 si ...
(its seat),
Nova Varoš
Nova Varoš ( sr-cyr, Нова Варош, ) is a town and municipality located in the Zlatibor District of southwestern Serbia. The municipality of Nova Varoš has a population of 16,638, while the town of Nova Varoš itself has a population of ...
,
Bijelo Polje
Bijelo Polje ( cnr, Бијело Поље, ) is a town in northeastern Montenegro on the Lim River. It has an urban population of 15,400 (2011 census). It is the administrative, economic, cultural and educational centre of northern Montenegro.
...
and Lower Kolašin (part of modern
Bijelo Polje
Bijelo Polje ( cnr, Бијело Поље, ) is a town in northeastern Montenegro on the Lim River. It has an urban population of 15,400 (2011 census). It is the administrative, economic, cultural and educational centre of northern Montenegro.
...
Nikola I Petrović-Njegoš
Nikola I Petrović-Njegoš ( sr-cyr, Никола I Петровић-Његош; – 1 March 1921) was the last monarch of Montenegro from 1860 to 1918, reigning as prince from 1860 to 1910 and as the country's first and only king from 1910 to 19 ...
.
20th century
In 1912, during 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 ...
,
Montenegro
)
, image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Podgorica
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, official_languages = M ...
occupied Lower Kolašin on 12 October 1912. Shortly thereafter, the three local municipalities were formed in Lower Kolašin with centers in Tomaševo,
Pavino Polje
Pavino Polje ( sr-cyrl, Павино Поље) is a village in the municipality of Bijelo Polje, Montenegro
)
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, and Stozer.
After the local Montenegrin administrator, Boško Bošković was murdered near Obod by his countrymen, the Montenegrin nationalists used that as an excuse to blame a local Muslim, Jusuf Mehonić, for the murder, which would open a way for the complete expulsion of Muslims from Lower Kolašin. On 9–10 November 1924, armed hordes of Montenegrin peasants massacred up to 600–700 Muslims in Lower Kolašin, committing the most atrocious crimes. Following this event, all surviving Muslims left Lower Kolašin, relocating to other parts of
Sandžak
Sandžak (; sh, / , ; sq, Sanxhaku; ota, سنجاق, Sancak), also known as Sanjak, is a historical geo-political region in Serbia and Montenegro. The name Sandžak derives from the Sanjak of Novi Pazar, a former Ottoman administrative dis ...
,
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...
or
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 in ...
. One family converted to Orthodox Christianity, saving itself from physical extermination.
Demographics
The present-day population of Lower Kolašin is 4,300, all
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 ...
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 ...
.
Prior to the massacre in 1924, according to the census in 1912, Lower Kolašin had 14,838 inhabitants, with the following ethnic distribution:
* Mojkovac municipality: Muslims 1,581, Serbs 1,293
* Ravna Rijeka municipality: Muslims 2,003, Serbs 679
* Stozer municipality: Muslims 1,160, Serbs 1,971
* Pavino Polje municipality: Muslims 3,230, Serbs 641;
* Tomaševo municipality: Muslims 2,132, Serbs 119
In percentages, the overall breakdown is:
* Muslims: 10,106 or 68.1%
*
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 ...
: 4,703 or 31.7%
* Others: 29 or 0.2%
Anthropology
Muslim families that left after the 1924 massacre were the Hadžović, Kaljić and Kolić, among others.