Elez Han

"Đeneral Janković" redirects here. For the article about the Serbian army general, see Božidar Janković.
Elez Han
Municipality and city
Hani i Elezit
Ђенерал Јанковић / Đeneral Janković

Elez Han border control
Elez Han

Location in Kosovo

Coordinates: 42°08′51″N 21°17′57″E / 42.14750°N 21.29917°ECoordinates: 42°08′51″N 21°17′57″E / 42.14750°N 21.29917°E
Country Kosovo[lower-alpha 1]
District District of Ferizaj
Area
  Total 82.9 km2 (32.0 sq mi)
Population (2011)
  Total 9,389 (municipality)
  Density 113.0/km2 (293/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
  Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Car plates 05
Website Municipality of Elez Han

Elez Han (Albanian: Hani i Elezit; Serbian: Ђенерал Јанковић, Đeneral Janković; officially Елез Хан, Elez Han) is a town and municipality in the District of Ferizaj in southern Kosovo,[lower-alpha 1] near the border with the Republic of Macedonia. It is one of the new formed municipalities formed in September 2005. It was previously part of the Kaçanik municipality. The town is located in the south-eastern part of Kosovo. The municipality covers an area of 82.9 km2 (32 sq mi). It borders the Kaçanik municipality to the north and Skopje municipality of the Republic of Macedonia to the south.

History

The town has been inhabited since the 1500s. It was originally called Sharr, as reflected in the Ottoman censuses. In 1822, the name was changed to Elez Han. The town was renamed after Serbian general Božidar Janković in 1914 by a decision of the Serbian Council of Ministers.[1] In 2012, the Kosovo Assembly approved the renaming of the town to Elez Han in the Serbian and English languages; the name remains Hani i Elezit in Albanian.[2][3]

Population

In 2011, the population was 9,389. Apart from 30 Kosovo Bosniaks, the municipal unit is ethnically homogeneous (Kosovo Albanian). The municipality has ten villages, two of which are uninhabited.

Economy

Elez Han train station

The municipality has a total of 250 family shops and small businesses registered. The economy of Elez Han is mainly based on three companies/enterprises: Sharr-Çimentorja (cement factory), Kosovaplast (plastic factory), and Salonit (roof covers factory). All the aforementioned were part of the Šar Combinate before 1989. Sharr-Çimentorja employs 770 people, Salonit employs 280 employees, and Kosovaplast has 100 employees.

Cafes, restaurants and retail trade are also vibrant. Private shops and other commercial businesses operating in the Pilot Municipal Unit are mostly family-operated enterprises, with approximately 200 employees. Nevertheless, a considerable part of population works in the agriculture sector or remains unemployed.

Public Services

Health

There is one hospital providing primary health care. There are two doctors, one dentist, one lab technician and nine nurses. The hospital provides services until late afternoon, while emergency cases are treated by the hospital in Kačanik due to the lack of staff in Elez Han. The Municipal Unit is making efforts to hire two additional doctors to increase efficiency, but this process is very slow due to the lack of vacant positions in the staffing table.

Education

There are three primary schools (1,673 pupils) located in Elez Han and the villages of Paljivodenica and Gorance. There is a secondary school located in Elez Han with a total of 416 pupils.

Notes and references

Notes:

  1. 1.0 1.1 Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Kosovo. The latter declared independence on 17 February 2008, but Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own sovereign territory. Kosovo's independence has been recognised by 108 out of 193 United Nations member states.

References:

External links

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