| Gusinje Гусиње |
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Gusinje
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Montenegro |
| Municipality | Plav |
| Elevation | 1,014 m (3,327 ft) |
| Population (2003) | |
| • Total | 1,704 |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
| Postal code | 84326 |
| Area code | +382 51 |
| Car plates | PL |
Gusinje (Montenegrin Cyrillic: Гусиње, Serbo-Croatian pronunciation: [gǔsiɲɛ]) is a small town in Montenegro. According to the 2003 census, the town has a population of 1,704.
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In Montenegrin the town is known as Gusinje (Гусиње); in Bosnian as Gusinje; and in Albanian as Guci or Gucia.
The history and origins of Gusinje are unknown prior to the Ottoman conquests. Before the Ottoman Turks took control of the region, Plav-Gusinje (as it is collectively known) was under the control of various Albanian Catholic tribes. Ottoman Turks conquered the area sometime in the 14th century.
The founder of modern-day Gusinje was Dedë Shala, an Albanian Catholic. In 1455, Shala converted to Islam and became known as Omer-aga Shala. Shala was then awarded lands throughout the region from Ottoman authorities. His son, Hasan-aga Omeragaj built the first house in Gusinje upon the Grnčar river, creating the Omeragaj branch in Gusinje. His other son, Tahir-aga Omeragaj created the Omeragaj branch in Plav. The Omeragaj (later Slavicised to Omeragići) family lead Gusinje from 1461 to 1590.
Throughout Turkish rule, the Turks were able to convert numerous citizens from Roman Catholicism to Islam. The majority of the citizens of Plav-Gusinje were of Albanian origin, hence the majority of the population was Catholic at the time, with the exception a few Eastern Orthodox families. By 1700 over 75% of the inhabitants of Plav-Gusinje embraced Islam.
Turkish rule was passed onto Montenegro by decision of the Congress of Berlin in 1878. However, this decision was unpopular among the local population and between 1878 and 1912, Plav and Gusinje existed as a de facto independent state.
Population of Gusinje:
Ethnicity in 2003
| Ethnicity | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Bosniaks | 1,175 | 68.95% |
| Muslims | 262 | 15.37% |
| Albanians | 173 | 10.15% |
| Montenegrins | 48 | 2.81% |
| Serbs | 37 | 2.17% |
| Croats | 1 | 0.05% |
| Macedonians | 1 | 0.05% |
| Others | 7 | 0.45% |
| Total | 1,704 | 100% |