Gračanica (Kosovo Serb Enclave)
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The Serbian enclave of Gračanica is centered around the Gračanica monastery, near Priština, Kosovo, Serbia.
The estimated population is 13,000. [1] Others suggest up to 30,000 being there, in 15 villages that make up the enclave.[2] In 1999 there were 120,000.[3]
It has been an enclave since the recent war, and is the largest and most secure Serbian enclave in central Kosovo. It runs along the Skopje-Pristina road, and unites several neighboring Serbian villages. The Gracanica enclave is a major problem for Albanian extremists, as it contains rich farmland and is strategically located in the center of Kosovo, on major roads and near to Pristina. They view it as a potential threat, a den of Serbian intrigue. [4]
There have been failed plans to make this into a municipality, along with some others. Another will be Partesh, a mainly Serb community near Gjilan/Gnjilane. The other three are the ethnic Turkish village of Mamusha, near Prizren and two ethnic Albanian communities, Junik in Decan/Dečani and Hani i Elezit in Kacanik. The plan was that the new municipal bodies will function for a trial period of 18 months. [5]
[edit] References
- ^ B92 - Russian aid distributed to Kosovo Serbs, 7 May 2008
- ^ UmnikOnline - Many Kosovo Serbs see elections as last hope for a better life, Nov. 13, 2001
- ^ UmnikOnline - Many Kosovo Serbs see elections as last hope for a better life, Nov. 13, 2001
- ^ Balkan Analysis - Kosovo: The Deadly Game Continues, 6/7/2004
- ^ Bosnian Institute - Kosovo Decentralisation Plan Under Fire
