Upper Kolasin (

South Slavic languages The South Slavic languages are one of three branches of the Slavic languages. There are approximately 30 million speakers, mainly in the Balkans. These are separated geographically from speakers of the other two Slavic branches (West Slavic la ...

: ''Gornji Kolašin'', Горњи Колашин), is a historic region in the present-day municipality of

Kolašin Kolašin (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Колашин, ) is a town in northern Montenegro. It has a population of 2,989 (2003 census). Kolašin is the centre of Kolašin Municipality (population 9,949) and an unofficial centre of Morača region, nam ...

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. It is situated around the picturesque Tara River.

Demographics

According to the census of 2003, the area of Upper Kolašin has about 10,000 people, all of which are ethnic

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

and

Montenegrins Montenegrins (, or ) are a South Slavic ethnic group that share a common ancestry, culture, history, and language, identified with the country of Montenegro. Montenegrins are mostly Orthodox Christians; however, the population also includes ...

. Prior to the Treaty of Berlin in 1878, Muslims formed a majority in Upper Kolašin. However, all of them were expelled by 1886, opening up space for the settlement of ethnic

and

. Expulsion of Muslims from Upper Kolašin took place in three waves: * 1858 - Following the

Battle of Grahovac The Battle of Grahovac took place in the eponymous village of Grahovac from 11 to 13 May 1858, when the Montenegrin Grand Duke Mirko Petrović-Njegoš led the army of Principality of Montenegro against the Ottomans, ending in a decisive Monten ...

Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...

annexed Gornje Lipovo and Recine; * 1878 - According to the Treaty of Berlin,

Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...

annexed the town of Kolasin and all adjacent villages, all the way to Prepran, along both sides of the Tara River. The town was officially surrendered on October 4, 1878; * 1886 -

Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...

annexed those villages in the North that were promised to it by the Treaty of Berlin, but whose Muslim population rejected immediate occupation by

Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...

, namely Štitarica, Podbišće, Bjelojevići, Gornja and Donja Polja, Bistrica, and Dobrilovina. Effectively, the entire area of Upper Kolašin was ethnically cleansed of Muslim by July 2, 1886.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Upper Kolasin Historical regions in Montenegro Geography of Montenegro