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 fourth-largest city in Kosovo, functioning as both a municipality and the administrative centre of theGjilan District. According to the 2024 census, the municipality has a population of 82,901, with the majority of residents living in the city itself.[2]
The city lies in eastern Kosovo, within theAnamorava region, and enjoys strong transport links to the capital,Pristina, as well as to surrounding cities includingFerizaj,Kamenica,Preševo andBujanovac.
The etymology of Gjilan remains disputed. According to Albanian sources, the town—originally a village—derives its name from Bahti Beg Gjinolli of the Gjinaj clan, which ruled theVushtrri region (includingLlap andDrenica) and settled the area around 1750.[citation needed]
Alternatively, the toponym derives from the Serbian adjective gnjil (гњил), meaning “rotten,” “decayed,” or “marshy.” In place-name usage, this root often referred not to decay in a negative sense, but to wet, marshy, or waterlogged land, especially areas with stagnant water or rich, soft soil. The suffix -ane is a common Slavic toponymic ending indicating a place associated with a characteristic or condition. Gnjilane originally meant “the marshy place” or “settlement on wet ground.”[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 organised 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 date of Gjilan’s establishment remains uncertain. In the 17th century, the Ottoman traveller Evliya Çelebi referred to the settlement asMorava, describing it as a cadillac within theSanjak of Vučitrn. Local tradition suggests that Gjilan emerged as a settlement around 1750 and developed into an urban centre by 1772. Its growth was closely linked to the decline of Novo Brdo, which in the Middle Ages was among the largest commercial, economic, and mining centres in the Balkans. In the second half of the 19th century, the feudal Gjinaj family relocated from Novo Brdo and built their residences in the area that is now Gjilan, further shaping the town’s development.[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. The farmer later admitted that he put the glass bottle inside his rectum himself.[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 24 April 2002, a 5.7-magnitude earthquake struck the municipality of Gjilan, resulting in one fatality.[13][14][15]
In 2020, the cities of Gjilan andKumanovo,North Macedonia came closer through anew border point which was built in the village of Stançiq.[16]
Gjilan is located in the southeastern part of Kosovo, in the region ofAnamorava.
It 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 e Binçës, which collects all the small rivers, with an average monthly flow rate of 6.7 cubic metres/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, the municipality had 4,100 registered private businesses employing approximately 6,900 people.[19]
Before 1999, Gjilan was a significant industrial hub in Kosovo. Today, the radiator factory remains operational, along with the tobacco factory, which has recently been privatised. In addition, a new 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 2024 census, Gjilan has a population of 82,901, ranking as the fourth-largest city in Kosovo.[20]
Gjilan has historically maintained a mixed population, though Albanians have constituted the predominant majority during both the Ottoman and Serbian-Yugoslav periods.
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]
Gjilan offers a comprehensive education system encompassing pre-school, primary, and secondary levels, as well as higher education through the public Kadri Zeka University. In 2018, the municipality recorded 12,370 students enrolled across 29 primary schools, including 12,023 ethnic Albanians and 347 students from minority communities such as Serbs, Roma, and Turks. At the secondary level, nine schools served 5,650 students, of whom 5,449 were Albanians, with the remainder representing minority groups.[19]
Built in 1944, the City Theatre of Gjilan is the city’s principal cultural institution. In 2024, it staged 116 performances and premieres, attracting more than 16,000 visitors.[23]
There are 41 mosques in Gjilan.[24]
“Flaka e Janarit” is a cultural festival held annually in Gjilan, beginning on 11 January with the symbolic lighting of the flame and continuing until 31 January with a diverse programme of artistic activities. The event brings together thousands of artists and art enthusiasts from across Albanian-speaking regions, transforming the city into a vibrant cultural hub for three consecutive weeks. Dedicated to honouring national martyrs through artistic expression, the festival was first organised to mark the tenth anniversary of the assassination of writer, activist, and patriotJusuf Gërvalla, alongside Kadri Zeka and Bardhosh Gërvalla. Coinciding with the date of their deaths on 11 January, the event was named “Flaka e Janarit” (The Flame of January).[25]
Gjilan is home to thebasketball clubKB Drita,[26] the football clubsSC Gjilani andFC Drita,[27] and the volleyball clubKV Drita.[28] It also has theKF Bashkimi Gjilan football club which competes in theThird League.[29]
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.[27]
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 kilometres long, is expected to be completed in early 2025.[30][31][32]
Gjilan istwinned with:
Kumanovo, North Macedonia[33]
Nazilli, Turkey[34]
Sarandë, Albania[35]
Sioux City, United States[36]Yıldırım, Turkey[37]"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"
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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 | |
