Skenderaj | |
|---|---|
Town andmunicipality | |
   From the top, Skenderaj Town Centre, Skenderaj Mosque, Ilaz Kodra Sports Hall | |
 Flag  Emblem | |
  Skenderaj  Skenderaj | |
| Coordinates:42°44′N20°47′E / 42.733°N 20.783°E /42.733; 20.783 | |
| Country | Kosovo |
| District | Mitrovica |
| Named after | Skanderbeg[1] |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Fadil Nura (PDK) |
| • Rank | 11th in Kosovo |
| • Municipal | 374 km2 (144 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 620 m (2,030 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Urban | 9,372 |
| • Municipal | 50,858 |
| • Municipal density | 140/km2 (350/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 41000 |
| Area code | +383 28 |
| Vehicle registration | 02 |
| Website | Official site |
Skenderaj (Albaniandefinite form:Skënderaji) orSrbica (Serbian Cyrillic:Србица) is atown andmunicipality located in theMitrovica District ofKosovo. According to the 2021 census, the municipality of Skënderaj has 52,586 inhabitants.[2]
It is the largest city in theDrenica geographical region of Kosovo.[3] It is mainly populated by ethnicAlbanians. It is the place where theKosovo War began in 1998, and to which the most damage was done.[3]
Albanians use the name Skenderaj from the nameSkanderbeg,[1] while the Serbian name was applied after theFirst Balkan War in an attempt to naturalize the region.[4]
The settlement is by theKlina river, in the Klina field.[5] It is the main settlement of theDrenica region.[5] The Klina river belongs to theMetohija region, while the settlement morphologically and hydrologically gravitates towards theKosovo region.[5]
The municipality covers an area of378 km2, including the town of Skenderaj and 49 villages.
The village ofRunik, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) northwest of Skenderaj, is one of the most prominentNeolithic sites in Kosovo to date, contains artefacts from theStarcevo andVinca cultures. Research was conducted in about 35 private parcels in the Dardania neighborhood of Runik. Starcevo and Vinca pottery fragments dating to 6500-3500 BC have been found at the site. A significant find is a baked-clayocarina 8 centimetres (3.1 in) in length, known as the Runik Ocarina, the oldest musical instrument found in Kosovo to date.[6]
The municipality cadastral area includes several settlements that existed during the Middle Ages, among which some exist still today, such asLiqinë,Polac,Banjë, and others.[7] There are ruins of a church dating to the 14th century in southern Leqinë.[8] The Church of St. Nicholas was built in 1436, in Banjë, as the endowment of Serbian magnate Rodop.[9] TheDevič monastery was built in Llausha near Skënderaj in the 15th century, dedicated to the local monk,St. Joanikije (d. 1430).[10] The Church of St. John was built in the 16th century on the ruins of a 14th-century church, in Leqinë; the church is surrounded by an old and large Serbian graveyard with tombs dating to the 17th–19th centuries.[11] A 16th-century church and cemetery is located in Runik.[12]
In the early 20th century Albanian resistance began with theKachak movement led byAzem Bejta and his wifeShote Galica, who fought against Bulgarian, Austro-Hungarian and Yugoslav forces.[13] At the end of World War II in 1944, the leader of the Drenica BrigadeShaban Polluzha refused to lead his 12,000 men north and join the Partisans in order to pursue the retreating Germans, because Serbian Chetnik groups were attacking the Albanian population in Kosovo.[14]
During theKosovo War, Serbian forces reportedly emptied the town of its Albanian inhabitants and executed approximately 115 ethnicAlbanian males over the age of 18.[15] Serbian authorities reportedly were holding detainees in an ammunition factory in the town.[16]
Skënderaj has historically been the poorest municipality in Kosovo, with little investment having been made since the time of the former Yugoslavia. It suffers from low economic activity and continuous high unemployment. Agriculture is the major local industry but the municipality has not fully developed existing arable land. Today, the local economy consists of small enterprises such as family-run shops and restaurants while two privatized factories, a brick and a flour mill, employ a few hundred people. The other major sector of employment is the municipality's civil service.[3]
Skënderaj is home of thefootball clubKF Drenica, which plays their home games in the Bajram Aliu Stadium and competes in the second tier league calledFirst Football League of Kosovo. Skënderaj is also home of the Kosovar Superliga volleyball club KV Skenderaj women's and KV Drenica men's.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 23,744 | — |
| 1953 | 26,166 | +1.96% |
| 1961 | 30,308 | +1.85% |
| 1971 | 36,660 | +1.92% |
| 1981 | 46,927 | +2.50% |
| 1991 | 55,471 | +1.69% |
| 2011 | 50,858 | −0.43% |
| 2024 | 40,632 | −1.71% |
| Source:Division of Kosovo | ||
According to the last official census done in 2011, the municipality of Skenderaj has 50,858 inhabitants.
The ethnic composition of the municipality:
| Ethnic group | 1991 census | 2011 census |
|---|---|---|
| Albanians | 54,437 | 50,685 |
| Serbs | 713 | 50 |
| Bosniaks | - | 42 |
| Ashkali and Egyptians | 37 | 11 |
| Others | 284 | 70 |
| Total | 55,471 | 50,858 |
| District of Ferizaj |  | |
|---|---|---|
| District of Gjakova | ||
| District of Gjilan | ||
| District of Mitrovica | ||
| District of Peja | ||
| District of Pristina | ||
| District of Prizren | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
