Vitina

For other uses, see Vitina (disambiguation) and Viti.
Vitina/ Viti
town and municipality
Viti / Vitia
Витина / Vitina
Vitina/ Viti

Location in Kosovo

Coordinates: 42°18′N 21°23′E / 42.300°N 21.383°E / 42.300; 21.383
Country Kosovo[lower-alpha 1]
District District of Gjilan
Government
 • Mayor Sokol Haliti
Area
 • Total 270 km2 (100 sq mi)
Elevation 499 m (1,637 ft)
Population (2014)
 • Total 47,434
 • Density 180/km2 (460/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 61000
Area code(s) +381 280
Car plates 06
Website Municipality of Vitina

Vitina or Vitia (Albanian: Viti, Vitia, Serbian: Витина/Vitina) is a town and municipality in the District of Gjilan of south-eastern Kosovo.[lower-alpha 1]

Municipality

  • Ballancë/Balance
  • Begunce
  • Binça/Binač
  • Budrikë e Epërme/Gornja Budrika
  • Buzovik
  • Çifllak/Čiflak
  • Debelldeh/Debelde
  • Devajë/Devaja
  • Drobesh/Drobeš
  • Gërmovë/Grmovo
  • Gjylekar/Đelekare
  • Goden i Madh/Veliki Goden
  • Gushicë/Gušica
  • Kabash/Kabaš
  • Letnicë/Letnica
  • Lubishtë/Ljubište
  • Mjak/Mijak
  • Novosellë/Novo Selo
  • Podgorc/Podgorce
  • Požaranje
  • Radivojc/Radivojce
  • Ramjan/Donje Ramnjane
  • Ramnishtë/Ravnište
  • Remnik/Ribnik
  • Sadovinë e Çerkezëve/Čerkez Sadovina
  • Sadovinë e Jerlive/Jerli Sadovina
  • Shasharë/Šašare
  • Sllatinë e Epërme/Gornja Slatina
  • Sllatinë e Poshtme/Donja Slatina
  • Smirë/Smira
  • Stubëll e Epërme/Gornja Stubla
  • Stubëll e Poshtme/Donja Stubla
  • Tërpezë/Trpeza
  • Tërstenik/Trstenik
  • Vërban/Vrban
  • Vërnakollë/Vrnavokolo
  • Vërnez/Vrnez
  • Zhiti/Žitinje

History

A protest in Vitina, monitored by KFOR troops, January 2000.

Ottoman period

The municipality has several settlements historically inhabited by the Laramans, crypto-Catholics.

Kosovo War and aftermath

Following the 1999 Kosovo War, it was the home of A Company, 2/505 Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, the first KFOR troops to begin stabilization efforts in the municipality. After the initial unit left, Vitina was the site of a subsequent international scandal when a Staff Sgt. Frank J. Ronghi, from A company, 3/504 Parachute Infantry Regiment raped and killed a local girl. The subsequent investigation uncovered serious training and leadership deficiencies in the 3/504 Parachute Infantry Regiment, and catalysed a tremendous change in the training of units deploying for peacekeeping operations.[1]

During the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, the Orthodox cemetery in Vitina and the village of Dobreš were hit by missiles.[2]

In August 2003, explosive devices planted in Klokot destroyed five Serb houses, with several injuries, including two American KFOR soldiers.[3]

Serbian Orthodox cemeteries have been destroyed in Vitina, among other towns, and in 2004, nuns of the Binča monastery were physically attacked, by ethnic Albanians.[4]

Contemporary

In 2013, a Kosovo Albanian crowd demolished a Yugoslav-era memorial for anti-fascist Partisans that were killed during the Second World War. Members of the Kosovo Police were present but did nothing to intervene. The incident was filmed and posted to YouTube.[5]

Demographics

Ethnic Composition, Including IDPs
Year/Population Albanian  % Serbs  % Croats  % Roma  % Total
1961 20,496 60.92 10,442 31.04 2,077 6.17 21 33,642
1971 26,927 67.69 9,649 24.26 2,613 6.57 126 0.32 39,780
1981 35,105 73.38 8,369 17.49 3,722 7.78 229 0.49 47,839
1991 45,078 78.68 7,002 12.22 4,331 7.56 373 0.65 57,290
2011 46 669 99,3 113 0,24 70 0,12646 987
Reference: Yugoslav population census data, and the 2011 census in Kosovo.

See also

Notes and references

Notes:

  1. 1 2 Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Serbia. The Republic of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence on 17 February 2008, but Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own sovereign territory. The two governments began to normalise relations in 2013, as part of the Brussels Agreement. Kosovo has been recognised as an independent state by 108 out of 193 United Nations member states.

References:

  1. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2000/08/02/world/us-sergeant-gets-life-in-murder-of-kosovo-girl-11.html|date=May 2008
  2. ↑ Civilian Deaths in the NATO Air Campaign. Human Rights Watch. 2000. p. 59.
  3. ↑ Serbian Studies 18. North American Society for Serbian Studies. 2004. p. 315.
  4. ↑ Savo B. Jović (2007). Ethnic Cleansing and Cultural Genocide on Kosovo and Metohija: Testimony to the Suffering of the Serbian Orthodox Church and Serbian People from 1945 to 2005. Holy Synod of Bishops of The Serbian Orthodox Church. pp. 113, 157. ISBN 978-86-7758-017-9.
  5. ↑ "Serb cemeteries, memorials desecrated in Kosovo". B92. Beta/Tanjug. 21 January 2013. Retrieved 11 January 2015.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vitina.
 
Largest cities or towns in Kosovo
2014 estimate
Rank Name Districts Pop. Rank Name Districts Pop.

Pristina

Prizren		 1 Pristina Pristina 208,230 11 Glogovac (Drenas) Pristina 60,687
Ferizaj (Uroševac)

Peć
2 Prizren Prizren 183,810 12 Lipljan Pristina 59,773
3 Ferizaj (Uroševac) Ferizaj (Uroševac) 112,657 13 Orahovac Gjakova 58,259
4 Peć Peć 98,603 14 Mališevo Prizren 57,136
5 Gjakova Gjakova 97,127 15 Skenderaj (Srbica) Mitrovica 52,175
6 Gjilan Gjilan 92,369 16 Vitina Gjilan 48,288
7 Podujevo Pristina 90,568 17 Deçan Peć 40,954
8 Mitrovica Mitrovica 84,949 18 Istok Peć 40,388
9 Vučitrn Mitrovica 71,977 19 Klina Peć 39,943
10 Suva Reka Prizren 61,976 20 Kamenica Gjilan 35,931

Coordinates: 42°19′N 21°21′E / 42.317°N 21.350°E / 42.317; 21.350

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, February 05, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.