Vitina

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For other uses, see Vitina (disambiguation).
"Viti (town)" redirects here. For other uses, see Viti.
Vitina
Town and municipality
Vitia.JPG
Flag of Vitina
Flag
Official logo of Vitina
Emblem
Location of the municipality of Vitina within Kosovo
Location of the municipality of Vitina within Kosovo
Coordinates: 42°18′N 21°23′E / 42.300°N 21.383°E / 42.300; 21.383
LocationKosovo[a]
DistrictGjilan
Government
 • MayorSokol Haliti
 • Municipal270 km2 (100 sq mi)
Elevation
499 m (1,637 ft)
Population
 (2011)
 • Urban
4,924
 • Municipal
46,987
 • Municipal density170/km2 (450/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
61000
Area code(s)+381 280
Car plates06
Websitekk.rks-gov.net/viti

Vitina (Serbian Cyrillic: Витина) or Viti (definite Albanian form: Vitia), is a town and municipality located in the District of Gjilan in Kosovo.[a] According to the 2011 census, the town of Vitina has 4,924 inhabitants, while the municipality has 46,987 inhabitants.

Municipality[]

  • Ballancë/Balance
  • Beguncë/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
  • Pozharan/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] The Church of the Holy Mother of God, Podgorce was looted during the conflict.

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 during unrest, nuns of the Binča monastery were physically attacked, by ethnic Albanians.[4]

Contemporary[]

In 2013 in response to a KLA monument being removed by Serbian authorities in Preševo, a Kosovo Albanian crowd in Vitina demolished a Yugoslav-era memorial for anti-fascist Partisans that were killed during the Second World War.[5] Members of the Kosovo Police were present but did nothing to intervene. The incident was filmed and posted to YouTube.[6]

Demographics[]

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
196133,642—    
197139,780+1.69%
198147,839+1.86%
199157,290+1.82%
201146,987−0.99%

According to the last official census done in 2011, the municipality of Vitina has 46,987 inhabitants. Based on the population estimates from the Kosovo Agency of Statistics in 2016, the municipality has 47,370 inhabitants.

Ethnic groups[]

The ethnic composition of the municipality:

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 0.1 26 46,987
Reference: Yugoslav population census data, and the 2011 census in Kosovo.

See also[]

Notes and references[]

Notes:

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b 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. 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 2013 Brussels Agreement. Kosovo is currently recognized as an independent state by 97 out of the 193 United Nations member states. In total, 113 UN member states are said to have recognized Kosovo at some point, of which 15 later withdrew their recognition.

References:

  1. ^ https://www.nytimes.com/2000/08/02/world/us-sergeant-gets-life-in-murder-of-kosovo-girl-11.html%7Cdate=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. ^ Ristic, Marija; Peci, Edona (22 January 2013). "UN Seeks Calm After Serbia Monument Protest". Balkaninsight. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  6. ^ "Serb cemeteries, memorials desecrated in Kosovo". B92. Beta/Tanjug. 21 January 2013. Archived from the original on 16 February 2015. Retrieved 11 January 2015.

External links[]

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

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