Gjakova

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Gjakovë / Gjakova 1
Đakovica / Ђаковица 2
Coat of arms of Gjakova
Gjakova (Kosovo)
Paris plan pointer b jms.svg
Basic data
State : KosovoKosovo Kosovo 3
District : Gjakova
Municipality : Gjakova
Coordinates : 42 ° 23 '  N , 20 ° 26'  E Coordinates: 42 ° 22 '37 "  N , 20 ° 25' 55"  E
Height : 375  m above sea level A.
Residents : 40,827 (2011)
Telephone code : +383 (0) 390
Postal code : 50010-50100
License plate : 07
1  Albanian (indefinite / definite form) ,
2  Serbian (Latin / Cyrillic spelling)
3  Kosovo's independence is controversial. Serbia continues to regard the country as a Serbian province.

Gjakova ( Albanian  also  Gjakovë , Serbian Ђаковица Đakovica ) is the seventh largest city in Kosovo with almost 40,000 inhabitants and is located in the southwest of the country near the border with Albania . It is the official seat of the municipality and district of the same name . The city, which was founded in the 15th century, is today characterized by many historical buildings and large industrial areas.

geography

Geographical location

View over Gjakova in east direction

Gjakova is located in the southwest of Kosovo, about halfway between the major cities of Peja in the north and Prizren in the south. To the north-east of the city, the western Kosovar great plain of Metochien opens up , while in the south-west the mountain peaks of the Prokletije rise up. Gjakova is located exactly at the entrance of the Erenik valley, where the city river Krena flows from the north into the mountain river Erenik. After a few kilometers, it flows into the White Drin , the longest river in Kosovo, above the Drin Gorge . Eight kilometers as the crow flies north of the city behind some hills is the Radoniq reservoir . The local hydropower plants supply large parts of the area with electricity. It also plays an important role in the supply of drinking water.

climate

In Gjakova, as in the rest of the country, there is a continental climate with pronounced seasonal temperature fluctuations. The summers can be hot and with little precipitation, the winters cold and rich in precipitation.

history

Early phase

Gjakova was founded at the end of the 14th century. There are two theories trying to explain the name of the city. One theory is widely recognized by Serbian historians and claims that the city was named after a certain Jakov. This is said to have had his seat in Đakovica and was a vassal of Vuk Branković (1345-1397). This Jakov also minted his own coins. The other theory leads the Albanian city name Gjakova back to the Albanian word for "blood", gjak .

Various Serbian princes ruled the city in the late Middle Ages until it was conquered by the Ottomans in 1454 . According to the Ottoman land register of 1485, Đakovica or Yakova ( Ottoman ) was a village of 65 Serbian and possibly two Albanian households. In the 16th century the Đakovica church is mentioned as a metochi of the Dečani monastery . During this time, the Albanian immigration to today's Metochien (Albanian Rrafsh i Dukagjinit ) and thus also to the up to then Albanian-Serbian border region around Đakovica began.

Ottoman period

Mosque and church shape the historic city center

The history of Gjakova is closely linked to that of the neighboring high mountains. In the course of the early modern period - especially in the 17th and 18th centuries - people from the highlands settled in the plains around the city again and again, partly for economic reasons, partly at the instigation of the Ottomans. On the one hand, there are strong family ties between the inhabitants of the Gjakova area and those of the highlands; on the other hand, Gjakova is still a center of the small Roman Catholic community in Kosovo.

Even Gjakova was not spared from the growing nationalism on the Balkan Peninsula . In 1845 Albanians organized an uprising against the Ottoman Empire. They protested against the excessive taxes imposed on them and the policy of centralization. After the uprising was crushed, many Albanian residents of Gjakova were imprisoned or exiled to Asia Minor .

With the rise of nationalism all over the Balkan Peninsula in the 19th century, Albanian intellectuals in Gjakova began to campaign for the autonomy or independence of the Albanian people from the Ottoman Empire. Many of the city's sons became well-known personalities of the Albanian national movement Rilindja (Eng. Rebirth). The League of Prizren , founded in 1878, tried to realize the ideas of a unification of the Albanian nation and had a contact office in Gjakova.

In 1878 the Ottoman field marshal Mehmed Ali Pascha came to Gjakova on behalf of the sultan to enforce the cession of border areas of the Ottoman Empire to Montenegro, which was decided at the Berlin Congress . Thousands besieged the Kulla in which he was staying, stormed it and killed him.

Changing rulers in the early 20th century

In the Balkan Wars of 1912/13 Gjakova finally came to the Kingdom of Serbia , while the historical hinterland of the city in the south and west was separated by the new border and has since been part of Albania. The traditionally strong ties between today's northern Albanian mountainous region and the city on the plain were permanently disrupted. In the summer and autumn of 1913, Albanian Muslims in Gjakova and the surrounding area rose up against the Serbian military administration; however, the revolt of the so-called Kaçaks was suppressed. On September 7, 1913, Montenegro, allied with Serbia, annexed the area around Gjakova.

In the autumn of 1915 , Bulgarian troops marched into Gjakova in the course of the First World War , which was a de facto continuation of the Balkan Wars in southeastern Europe . After the war, Kosovo became part of the new Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes . In the 20s and 30s, as part of the Serbian population policy, around 13,000 Serbian settlers were settled in the Albanian-dominated area of ​​Gjakova, so that the Serbian population quadrupled from 8.3 to 33 percent.

Gjakova in Yugoslav times

Towards the end of the Second World War , the city was conquered by the Tito partisans . As a result, the first major demonstration in Kosovo took place on March 11, 1945 in Gjakova, when Albanian women protested against the conscription of their husbands and sons to the People's Liberation Army. One participant was subsequently sentenced to death.

In dictatorial Yugoslavia , the city experienced budding industrialization . For example, around 2000 people found work in the newly established Emin Duraku cotton processing factory . In this context, Gjakova, which at the end of the Second World War essentially consisted of its Ottoman old town, was significantly expanded.

Before and during the Kosovo war , the area around Gjakova was one of the strongholds of the Albanian resistance against the Yugoslav state power, from 1997 also one of the centers of the KLA , which both set up its own administrative structure here and acted against non-Albanian sections of the population , but was initially repulsed in the summer of 1998. During the war - especially when the Serbian troops withdrew in 1999 - the old town was badly damaged, but it has since been rebuilt. Not far from the city, the Meja massacre took place on April 27, 1999 , in which 294 people fell victim to members of the Yugoslav People's Army and members of various Serbian militant groups .

population

Ethnic structure

In 2011, 40,827 inhabitants were recorded in the actual place Gjakova.

The approximately 586 square kilometers large community of Gjakova consists of the city itself and 90 other localities that are located in the area. The community last had 94,556 inhabitants (2011). The population density was thus almost 161 inhabitants / km².

In 2000, UNMIK estimated the community (then with slightly different borders) to have around 152,000 residents. Ethnically , she was very homogeneous: 95.5 percent of the population were Albanians . The minorities included the Ashkali with 4 percent and the Roma with 0.4 percent . There was also a small Bosniak minority.

The few Serbs who had lived before the Kosovo war in 1999 fled the community as a result.

Age structure and life expectancy

Gjakova has a particularly young population, as is mostly the case across Kosovo. About 52 percent of them are under 25 years old; only 4.6 percent are over 65 years of age. The average life expectancy is 71 years.

Population development

The population structure of Gjakova was recorded for the first time by the Diocese of Skopje in 1638. At that time the city had 20 Catholic, 20 Orthodox and 320 Muslim houses. In 1641/42 16 Orthodox and 250 Muslim houses were registered. In 1853 there were 75 Catholic, 80 Orthodox and 4,000 Muslim houses as well as 300 households that were inhabited by Gypsies. In 1872 the population of the city of Gjakova was around 10,000, the majority of whom were Muslim.

Population development
Census 1948 1953 1961 1971 1981 1991 2011
Residents 15,190 17,065 21,368 31,281 42,031 59.008 40,827

politics

Since the last local elections in Kosovo in 2013, Mimoza Kusari-Lila from Aleanca Kosova e Re (AKR) has been the mayor of the municipality and city. According to the statute of the municipality, the municipality council has 41 members, including the mayor. The majority of them belong to the AAK.

Twin cities

Culture and sights

View over the old town to the Hadum Mosque
Roman Catholic Church of St. Peter and Paul
Close up of a typical wooden building

Gjakova has a rich traditional culture. The city is best known for its many sights from the last centuries, which attract a certain number of tourists. But its museums, the library, the theater and the many cultural events are also part of the city's cultural life.

Buildings

Gjakova has 33 mosques , some of which are centuries old. This includes the Hadum Mosque from 1592. Located in the middle of the old town, it is an architecturally unique mosque in Kosovo. The sacred building is richly painted with ornaments and decorated inside with wooden elements. The motifs of the many arabesques are landscapes and red, blue and yellow flowers. It was badly damaged in the Kosovo war. The renovation took place between 2003 and 2010.

The well-preserved old town ( bazaar ) is the city's greatest attraction. The narrow, cobbled streets are lined with low, mostly two-story rows of houses, which are built in typical Ottoman architecture . Important elements of such buildings are wooden beams and frameworks.

Also an important part of the old town are the Albanian town houses made of stone, which resemble towers.

The clock tower of Gjakova and the Schneider Bridge , Gerber Bridge and Fshajt Bridge near the Drin Gorge are other landmarks of the city.

Cultural institutions

The cultural palace " Asim Vokshi " was opened on July 7, 1977 and offers space for various cultural events. The "Emin Duraku" theater is another facility that primarily offers amateur actors the opportunity to perform. The literary club "Gjon Nikollë Kazazi" has been organizing the Mitingu i Poezisë (in German poetry meeting place ) annually since 1964 , where both Albanian and foreign writers appear.

The Ethnographic Museum houses a large collection of local traditional costumes, musical instruments and other artifacts depicting the past life of the Albanians in the area.

Traditions

Gjakova is known in the Albanian cultural area for its costumes, songs, dances and, above all, the typical "Sofra". Here, many men, sitting with instrumental accompaniment, sing various songs around a round, low wooden table (Albanian sofra ).

Sports

The local football club is called KF Vëllaznimi and currently plays in the second highest league, the Liga e Parë .

Infrastructure

Social

The "Bajram Curri" college of education is located in Gjakova and, since the 2002/03 school year, a branch of the Pristina University's educational faculty is located .

According to a 2011 census by the OSCE, there are 39 primary schools with 16,509 pupils, seven secondary schools with 5,911 pupils and six kindergartens with 626 children in the municipality.

traffic

Gjakova lies on an important route between Kosovo and Albania. About 17 kilometers to the northwest is the border crossing Qafa e Morinës (in English Morina Pass ), from where the M-9.1 leads via Gjakova to Klina . The pass road is in very good condition. Another road leads from Gjakova to neighboring Prizren in the southeast.

The Gjakova Airport , currently military airfield under control of the Italian Air Force , is to be developed into a civilian airport.

economy

Decommissioned factories from Yugoslav times in the industrial area

Companies

Due to the historical development, Gjakova is an important industrial and economic center of Kosovo. In 2008, many small and medium-sized textile and metal processing companies, trading companies and forwarding agents were located. Some other companies are still in the privatization process.

unemployment

The city suffers from very high unemployment , especially among women, and young people hardly find employment. According to a calculation by the United Nations Development Program , the following proportions of the respective age group and gender were unemployed in 2004:

Age Proportion of women Proportion of men All in all
15–24 years 81.08% 48.98% 62.79%
25–34 years 59.26% 34.44% 40.17%
35-49 years 16.00% 32.91% 28.85%
50–64 years 11.76% 49.12% 40.54%

Personalities

literature

Web links

Commons : Gjakova  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. a b Geography of the urban environment. (No longer available online.) In: Gjakova municipality website. Archived from the original on May 28, 2012 ; Retrieved June 6, 2012 (Albanian). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / kk.rks-gov.net
  2. Schmitt, Oliver Jens: Kosovo - A Brief History of a Central Balkan Landscape , Böhlau Verlag, Vienna, Cologne, Weimar 2008, p. 124 f.
  3. Miranda Vickers: Shqiptarët - Një histori modern . Bota Shqiptare, 2008, ISBN 978-99956-11-68-2 , Vazhdimi i shpërbërjes së Perandorisë Osmane, p. 48 (English: The Albanians - A Modern History . Translated by Xhevdet Shehu).
  4. Oliver Jens Schmitt : Debacle of a Great Power (July 4, 2015)
  5. ibid., P. 177
  6. ibid., P. 199 f.
  7. ibid., P. 224
  8. ibid., P. 325 ff.
  9. Susanne Dell: Kosovo: Informing, Travel, Recall. Munich 2008, p. 65
  10. Under orders: War crimes in Kosovo . ( Human Rights Watch ; PDF; 5.0 MB)
  11. Presentation of the Meja / Mejë register of killed or missing people. ( Memento of May 25, 2010 on the Internet Archive ), Humanitarian Law Center , 25-07-2009
  12. Poimenični popis ubijenih i nestalih April 27, 1999. u općini Đakovica . ( Memento from September 19, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 1.4 MB); Humanitarian Law Center , 25-07-2009
  13. a b Ethnic composition of Kosovo 2011. Accessed December 21, 2017 .
  14. Brief description of the city of Gjakova. (No longer available online.) In: Gjakova municipality website. Archived from the original on May 26, 2012 ; Retrieved June 6, 2012 (Albanian). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / kk.rks-gov.net
  15. a b c Demography and human resources of the Gjakova municipality. (No longer available online.) In: Gjakova municipality website. Archived from the original on May 25, 2012 ; Retrieved June 6, 2012 (Albanian). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / kk.rks-gov.net
  16. a b c OSCE Profile of Gjakova. OSCE , April 2008, accessed June 20, 2011 .
  17. Thede Kahl, Izer Maksuti, Albert Ramaj: The Albanians in the Republic of Macedonia . Facts, analyzes, opinions on interethnic coexistence. In: Viennese Eastern European Studies . tape 23 . Lit Verlag, 2006, ISBN 3-7000-0584-9 , ISSN  0946-7246 , Spiritual visitation reports as sources on Albanian folk and church history - The Archdiocese of Skopje, p. 26-27 .
  18. Kosovo censuses. In: pop-stat.mashke.org. Retrieved February 6, 2018 .
  19. ^ The functions and election of the municipal council. (No longer available online.) In: Gjakova municipality website. Archived from the original on May 26, 2012 ; Retrieved June 7, 2012 (Albanian). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / kk.rks-gov.net
  20. Gjakova binjakëzohet me Shëngjinin. (No longer available online.) In: Official website of Gjakova municipality. May 18, 2012, formerly in the original ; Retrieved March 15, 2014 (Albanian).  ( Page no longer available , search in web archivesInfo: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / kk.rks-gov.net  
  21. Më 11 Maj Gjakova Binjakëzohet Me Qytetin E Lodeve, Vendi Ku Vdiq Ali Podrimja. (No longer available online.) In: Radio Gjakova. April 15, 2013, archived from the original on March 15, 2014 ; Retrieved March 15, 2014 (Albanian). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.radiogjakova.info
  22. Gjakova Binjakëzohet Me Komunën E Çairit. In: Radio Gjakova. January 18, 2014, accessed March 15, 2014 (Albanian).
  23. ^ Kosovo: Sights. In: Goruma. Retrieved June 6, 2012 .
  24. ^ Hadum Mosque. (No longer available online.) In: inyourpocket. Formerly in the original ; accessed on June 6, 2012 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archivesInfo: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.inyourpocket.com  
  25. Mitingu i poezisë. (No longer available online.) In: Syri Vision. April 18, 2012, formerly in the original ; Retrieved June 6, 2012 (Albanian).  ( Page no longer available , search in web archivesInfo: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.syri-vision.tv  
  26. a b Culture in the Gjakova Municipality. (No longer available online.) In: Gjakova municipality website. Archived from the original on May 29, 2012 ; Retrieved June 6, 2012 (Albanian). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / kk.rks-gov.net
  27. “Sofra gjakovare,” Gjakovë (Đakovica), Kosovo. (No longer available online.) In: Geotourism Mapguide. Formerly in the original ; accessed on June 6, 2012 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archivesInfo: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / see.consensusdev.com  
  28. ^ Education in the Gjakova parish. (No longer available online.) In: Gjakova municipality website. Archived from the original on May 28, 2012 ; Retrieved June 6, 2012 (Albanian). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / kk.rks-gov.net
  29. Competition for congested Prishtina Airport. In: Deutsche Welle . January 3, 2004, archived from the original on March 15, 2005 ; Retrieved April 5, 2016 .