Gjilan | |
|---|---|
City andmunicipality | |
 Flag  Seal | |
  Gjilan  Gjilan | |
| Coordinates:42°27′53″N21°28′1″E / 42.46472°N 21.46694°E /42.46472; 21.46694 | |
| Country | Kosovo |
| District | Gjilan |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor–council |
| • Mayor | Alban Hyseni (LVV) |
| • Council | Gjilan Municipal Council |
| Area | |
• Municipality | 391.84 km2 (151.29 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 10th in Kosovo |
| Population (2024)[1] | |
• Municipality | 82,901 |
| • Rank | 4th in Kosovo |
| • Urban | 53,279 |
| • Ethnicity | |
| Demonym(s) | Albanian:Gjilanas (m), Gjilanase (f) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 60000 |
| Area code | +383 (0) 28 |
| Vehicle registration | 06 |
| Website | kk.rks-gov.net/gjilan/ |
Gjilan (Albaniandefinite form:Gjilani) orGnjilane (Serbian Cyrillic:Гњилане) is the third most populous city inKosovo and it serves as both a municipality and the administrative center of theGjilan District. According to the 2024 census, the municipality of Gjilan has a population of 82,901 with the majority residing in the city.[2]
The city is located in the east of Kosovo, in the region ofAnamorava, and is well connected with the capital city of Kosovo,Pristina, as well as other surrounding cities such asFerizaj,Kamenica,Preševo andBujanovac.
The etymology of Gjilan is disputed.Albanian sources claim that the town (initially a village) obtained its name from Bahti Beg Gjinolli of Gjinaj clan that ruled the region ofVushtrri (Llap andDrenica), and populated this area in the 18th century (around 1750).[citation needed] However, there is no definite evidence to support this claim and in fact no one can confirm who the first real inhabitants were or when they first settled. On the other hand, Serbian sources claim that the origin of the city's name comes from theSerbo-Croatian word "gnjio" (English:rotten).[3]
In 1342, a place calledMorava was visited bySerbian KingStefan Dušan (laterEmperor, r. 1331–1355).[4]A fort was built nearby in the 14th century.Gornja Morava ("Upper Morava") was known simply as Morava underOttoman rule, and it extended west of the UpperŽegra–Budriga–Cernica line, thus Gjilan stayed in theoblast (province) of Topanica, whose provincial seat wasNovo Brdo.[5]
In the 1455Ottoman defter of the District of Branković, there were 41Christian households registered in Gjilan.[6][7] The town was served by the priest Božidar.[8] After the conquest of Kosovo by the Ottoman Empire,Islam was introduced to the region.
Haji Kalfa (first half of the 17th century) mentions Morava being 17 days fromConstantinople.[4] Gornja Morava andIzmornik were organized into theSanjak of Viçitrina up until the 18th century.[9] Gjilan became akadiluk around 1780, and 20–25 years later a large village.[10]
The exact year of establishment of Gjilan to this day is not exactly determined. In the 17th century, Evlia Çelebija mentions Gjilan, but namedMorava, as a cadillac within theSanjak of Viçitrina. There is a tradition in the people that Gjilan as a settlement was formed around 1750, and as an urban center – in 1772. Gjilan as a town developed in addition to the extinction of Novo Brdo, which in the Middle Ages was one of the cities and the largest commercial, economic and mining centers in the Balkans. The feudal family "Gjinaj" in the second half of the nineteenth century transferred their headquarters from Novo Brdo and built their own houses in the place where Gjilani is now located.[11]
In 1985, Gjilan was the site of anincident involving aSerbian farmer who had a glass bottle shatter inside hisrectum, before going to the local police and blaming twoKosovar Albanians. The incident served to increase and inflame ethnic tensions throughoutYugoslavia, namely between Serbs and Albanians.[12]
In 1999,Camp Monteith was established outside the city as a base of operations forKFOR duringOperation Joint Guardian, on the site of a destroyedYugoslav military base which was handed over to theKosovo Protection Corps in 2007 after the U.S. military downsized their number of troops. Gjilan has also served as the regionalheadquarters of theUNMIKInternational Police task force from 1999.
On April 24, 2002, a 5.7 magnitude earthquake was recorded in the municipality of Gjilan, killing one person.[13][14][15]
In 2020, the cities of Gjilan andKumanovo,North Macedonia came closer through a new border point which was built in the village of Stançiq.[16]
Gjilan is located in the southeastern part of Kosovo, the region ofAnamorava. Its geographic position makes it possible to make good connections with other centers of Kosovo and the region. Around the town of Gjilan lies the Hill of Martyrs (Popovica), Gllama, Dheu i Bardhë, the area of Malisheva (Gjilan), Zabeli of Sahit Agës and Bregu i Thatë. There are three small rivers,Mirusha, Banja and Stanishori, which join and flow toBinačka Morava, west of the Uglara village.
Gjilan is 46 km (29 mi) fromPristina, 27 km (17 mi) fromKamenica, 25 km (16 mi) fromNovo Brdo and 22 km (14 mi) fromVitia. The municipalities of the region are bordered in the southeast byPreševo (33 km (21 mi)) andKumanovo (53 km (33 mi)), and in the east byBujanovac (40 km (25 mi)).[17]
The Gjilan area is defined by theMorava River, which collects all the small rivers, with an average monthly flow rate of 6.7 cubic meters/second. In the southeast it is surrounded by themountains of Karadak.[17]
Gjilan has ahumid subtropical climate (Cfa) as of theKöppen climate classification with an average annual temperature of 10.9 °C (51.6 °F).[18] The warmest month in Gjilan is August with an average temperature of 22.1 °C (71.8 °F), while the coldest month is January with an average temperature of −0.5 °C (31.1 °F).[18]
As of 2018 there were 4,100 registered private businesses in the municipality employing some 6,900 people.[19]
Prior to 1999, Gjilan was an important industrial centre in Kosovo. Still in operation are the radiator factory and tobacco factory, which has been recently privatized. The new city business incubator, supported by the European Agency for Reconstruction, was inaugurated in the summer of 2007.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1953 | 48,748 | — |
| 1961 | 52,415 | +0.91% |
| 1971 | 67,893 | +2.62% |
| 1981 | 84,085 | +2.16% |
| 1991 | 103,675 | +2.12% |
| 2011 | 90,178 | −0.69% |
| 2024 | 82,901 | −0.65% |
| Source:Division of Kosovo | ||
According to the most recent census in 2024, Gjilan is home to 82,901 residents, making it the fourth biggest city in Kosovo.[20]
The population of Gjilan has always been mixed, but with a predominant majority of Albanians in both periods during Turkish and Serbian-Yugoslav rule.
According to the 2011 census, the municipality of Gjilan had 90,178 inhabitants. The population consisted of 87,814Albanians (97.38%), 978Turks (1.08%), 624Serbs (0.69%), 121 (0.13%)Bosniaks, and 541 (0.60%) from smaller groups, includingRoma,Ashkali,Gorani andEgyptians.[21] In the city live 54,239 inhabitants, while in rural areas – 35,939. Division of population by gender: male – 45,354, female – 44,824.
Albanian,Serbian andTurkish are all official languages in the municipality.[22]
Education in Gjilan includes pre-school, primary and secondary education, and a public university (Kadri Zeka). As of 2018, there were 12,370 students in 29 primary schools, of which 12,023 were ethnic Albanians and 347 members of ethnic minorities (Serbs, Roma and Turks). There were nine secondary schools with 5,650 students of which 5,449 were Albanians and the rest minority groups.[19]
Flaka e Janarit is a cultural event that starts on 11th of January in Gjilan with a symbolic opening of the flame, to keep up with various cultural activities to 31st of January of each year. It gathers thousands of artists and art lovers from all the Albanian lands, who for three consecutive weeks transform the city into a cultural metropolis. The nation's martyrs are honored through values of art by this event, which began before the 10th anniversary of the assassination of writer, activist and patriotJusuf Gërvalla, along with Kadri Zeka and Bardhosh Gërvalla. It was exactly the tenth anniversary without these three martyrs of freedom and from coincidence of these murders in a same date on 11 January, this event got this name "Flaka e Janarit".[23]
There are 41 mosques in Gjilan.[24]
Gjilan is home to thebasketball clubKB Drita,[25] the football clubsSC Gjilani andFC Drita,[26] and the volleyball clubKV Drita.[27] It also has theKF Bashkimi Gjilan football club which competes in theThird League.[28]
Gjilan hosts the biggest derby in Kosovo, theKosovo Derby, between FC Drita and SC Gjilani. Both of the clubs are from the city, which draw thousands of viewers inside theGjilan City Stadium.[26]
Gjilan is linked to its surrounding settlements mainly by a network of roads. It is connected to the capital of Kosovo,Pristina, via the national road N25.2.
A highway that connects Gjilan with Pristina is being built, as well as connecting with the city ofKamenica. The highway which is 47 kilometers long, is expected to be completed at the end of 2024 or early 2025.[29][30][31]
Transport in Gjilan is mainly done by viechles, bicycles and walking.Walking and biking in gjilan is a lot easier than other cities because of its pedestrian-friendly nature, especially in places like the town square.
Gjilan is also connected to other cities and countries by its bus station which has lines that go to Prishtina, Dardan (Kamenica), Hogosht, Ferizaj, Prizren, Gjakova, Munich, Tirana, Belgrade, London and Zurich. There have also been discussions for adding city buses but no desicion has been made yet.
Gjilan istwinned with:
Kumanovo, North Macedonia[32]
Nazilli, Turkey[33]
Sarandë, Albania[34]
Sioux City, United States[35]Yıldırım, Turkey[36]"ГЊИЛАНЕ. ИЛИ. ГИЉАНЕ. У 14. веку помиње се неко место Морава, где се 1342. год бакио краљ Душан. Хаџи Калфа (прва половина 17. века) помиње неко место Мораву, на 17 дана од Цариграда. Јањева, Новог Брда и Кача- ..." Gnjilane or Giljane. In 14th century some place Morava was mentioned, where king Dusan rested in 1342. Haji Kalfa (first half of the 17th century) mentioned some place Morava, on 17 days (distance) from Istanbul. Janjeva, Novo Brdo and Kaca-..."
"Горња Морава се под турском управом звала само Морава, а протезала се западно од линије с. Жегра–Будрига–Церница, тако да је Гњилане остајало у области Топонице, чије је обласно средиште било Ново Брдо." "Upper Morava under Ottoman rule was called just Morava. It was located Western of the line s. Žegra–Budriga–Cernica, so Gnjilane was in area of Toponica, which regional center was Novo Brdo."
"Из турског дефтера (1455) види се да је насељено Србима и да је у њему служио свештеник Божидар. Старо Гњилане налазило се у Петиковиди (Петковици) предграђу данашњег насеља које је подигнуто на месту" "From the Ottoman Defter (1455) it is seen that it was inhabited by Serbs and that in it the priest Bozidar served. Old Gnjilane was located in Petikovida (Petkovica) suburb of today's settlement which was created in that place"
"Гњилане је дакле могло постати тек после овог кадије, око 1780 године, тако да је после 20–25 година, на крају 18 века, могло бити велико село – варошица. При доласку Џинића у новобрдски" "So, Gnjilane was founded only after this kadi, around the year 1780, so it was after 20–25 years, at the end of 18th century, a large village – varošica"
{{cite magazine}}:Missing or empty|title= (help)
Definitions from Wiktionary
Media from Commons
News from Wikinews
Quotations from Wikiquote
Texts from Wikisource
Textbooks from Wikibooks
Resources from Wikiversity
Travel information from Wikivoyage| District of Ferizaj |  | |
|---|---|---|
| District of Gjakova | ||
| District of Gjilan | ||
| District of Mitrovica | ||
| District of Peja | ||
| District of Pristina | ||
| District of Prizren | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
