Štrpce

Štrpce (Serbian Cyrillic: Штрпце) or Shtërpcë ( sq-definite, Shtërpca) is a town and municipality located in the Ferizaj District in Kosovo. As of 2015, it has an estimated population of 13,630 inhabitants.

History

Middle Ages

In Medieval Serbia, the ''župa'' (county, district) of Sirinić (Sirinićka župa), first mentioned in a 13th-century charter, covered the whole of modern Štrpce municipality, having the towns of Gradište (site in Brezovica) and Zidinac (site in Gotovuša). Several remains of Byzantine forts exist in the region. At the top of the Čajlije hill, above the mouth of the Piljevac creek of the Lepenac river, there exists the remains of the Gradište fort, which has two layers, the first from the 6th century, and the second from the 13th century. The fort is in ruins, of which a donjon tower, and outlines of other buildings, can be identified. The entrance to the city, at the north, was protected by a tower. From that tower, a rampart continued, with another tower, from where a defensive wall stretched to the foot of the hill, towards the Lepenac.

World War II

On June 28, 1944, during World War II, Bulgarian soldiers executed 46 locals (of whom 12 were children) on the Rakanovac site in Brezovica, after the death of one of their soldiers.

Modern

After the Brussels Agreement of 2013, representatives of Serbia and Kosovo agreed that the municipality was expected to become part of the proposed Community of Serb Municipalities.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census done by the Government of Kosovo, the municipality of Štrpce had 6,949 inhabitants; 3,757 Kosovo Albanians (54%), 3,148 Serbs (45.3%), and others. However, these results should be taken with caution, due to the partial boycott by the Serbs. According to the Municipal Office for Communities and Returns (MOCR), the total population is estimated at 13,630 inhabitants. ECMI calculated in 2013 that there were 9,100 (70.58%) Serbs in Štrpce.

Ethnic groups

The ethnic composition of the municipality of Štrpce:

Tourism

The municipality of Štrpce covers a surface of 247.36 square kilometers. It is located in the north-eastern side of Šar Mountains, also known as the valley of Sirink which is the upper surface of the Lepenac river basin. The total population living in the territory of this municipality is about 13.812. Of these, 10.451 are Serbs and 3.341 are Albanian, while 20 are Roma.

Brezovica ski center

The Brezovica ski center is a popular center which lies in the north-western side of the Šar Mountains. Its distance from Prishtina Airport is 60 km. With its alpine nature and high mountainous environment, Brezovica and its surroundings remind you of most European and worldwide renowned touristic centers. Brezovica's surroundings cover different natural characteristics as the valley of Lepenac, its ridges reaching the height of 900m to 2.600 m. The lower zone of the tourism complex reaches a height of 900 to 980 m above the sea level and is wide slope covering the Lepenc.

Šar Mountain National Park

Šar Mountain National Park was established in 1986, covering a surface of 39.000 hectares.

Natural lakes

Traditionally they belong to the Štrpce municipality formed as a result of Iceberg erosions. The people of Štrpce know them as "mountains eyes" thanks to their beauty. Depending on the weather conditions, these lakes are covered with snow from November to May. It consists of lakes: Livadičko lake, Mountain Vir lake, small Jezersko lake etc. The inhabitants of Štrpce still call it Štrebačko lake. It covers wide plains and deep circle land the peak of Livadica 2491 m reaching the height of 2.173 and its width of 220–124 m.

Churches

There are two Orthodox churches in Štrpce: St. Nikola (Sveti Nikola) and St. Jovan (Sveti Jovan). St. Nikola was built in 1576-77 by locals, and St. Jovan was built in 1911.

Traditions

One traditional holiday that is celebrated in Štrpce is Bele Poklade, also called Procka.

Historical monuments

Public services and infrastructure

Administration

The town of Štrpce is the seat of the municipality government. It also has a hospital and ambulances.

Education

There are primary and high schools in Štrpce. The high school is named for Jovan Cvijic. The high school has many courses of study including medicine, economy, law, gymnasium (general studies), and tourism. The primary school is named after Staja Marković, a 20th century guerrilla fighter.

There is also a kindergarten in Štrpce that is named ''Fawn of the Shara''.

See also

*Municipalities of Kosovo
* Cities and towns in Kosovo
* Populated places in Kosovo

References

External links

OSCE Profile of Štrpce/Shtërpcë

Official website
*

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Cities in Kosovo
Municipalities of Kosovo
Serbian enclaves in Kosovo