Štrpce (Serbian Cyrillic: Штрпце) or Shtërpcë (Albanian definite form: Shtërpca) is a town and municipality located in the Ferizaj District in Kosovo. As of 2024, it has a population of 10,771 inhabitants.[2]
Štrpce
| |
|---|---|
Town and municipality | |
 Town of Štrpce | |
 Flag  Seal | |
  Štrpce  Štrpce | |
| Coordinates: 42°14′N 21°01′E / 42.233°N 21.017°E | |
| Country | Kosovo |
| District | Ferizaj |
| Settlements | 17 |
| Government | |
| • Provisional president | Dalibor Jevtić (SL) |
| Area | |
• Municipality | 247.36 km2 (95.51 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 975 m (3,199 ft) |
| Population (2024)[1] | |
• Municipality | 10,771 |
| • Density | 44/km2 (110/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 2,431 |
| • Ethnicity | |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 73000 |
| Area code | +383(0)290 |
| Vehicle registration | 05 |
| Website | Official site |
History
editMiddle Ages
editIn Medieval Serbia, the župa (county, district) of Sirinić (Sirinićka župa), first mentioned in a 13th-century charter, covered the whole of modern Štrpce municipality, having the towns of Gradište (site in Brezovica) and Zidinac (site in Gotovuša).[3] Several remains of Byzantine forts exist in the region. At the top of the Čajlije hill, above the mouth of the Piljevac creek of the Lepenac river, there exists the remains of the Gradište fort, which has two layers, the first from the 6th century, and the second from the 13th century.[citation needed] The fort is in ruins, of which a donjon tower, and outlines of other buildings, can be identified. The entrance to the city, at the north, was protected by a tower. From that tower, a rampart continued, with another tower, from where a defensive wall stretched to the foot of the hill, towards the Lepenac.[citation needed]
World War II
editOn June 28, 1944, during World War II, Bulgarian soldiers executed 46 locals (of whom 12 were children) on the Rakanovac site in Brezovica, after the death of one of their soldiers.[citation needed]
Modern
editAfter the Brussels Agreement of 2013, representatives of Serbia and Kosovo agreed that the municipality was expected to become part of the proposed Community of Serb Municipalities.[4]
Demographics
edit
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 9,573 | — |
| 1953 | 10,348 | +1.57% |
| 1961 | 10,797 | +0.53% |
| 1971 | 11,664 | +0.78% |
| 1981 | 12,115 | +0.38% |
| 1991 | 12,712 | +0.48% |
| 2011 | 6,949[a] | −2.97% |
| 2024 | 10,771 | +3.43% |
| Source: [1] | ||
According to the 2024 census by the Kosovo Agency of Statistics, the municipality of Štrpce has inhabitants 10,771 inhabitants while the town has 2,431 inhabitants. The ethnic composition of the municipality is 75% Serbs, 24.4% Albanians, and 0.6% others.[5]
Ethnic groups
editThe ethnic composition of the municipality of Štrpce:[6]
| Ethnic group | 1961 census | 1991 census | 2015 est. | 2023 est. | 2024 census |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Serbs | 7,545 | 8,138 | 9,100 | 8,680 | 8,080 |
| Albanians | 3,637 | 4,300 | 4,500 | 5,120 | 2,626 |
| Romani | - | - | 30 | 38 | 37 |
| Turks | - | 74 | - | 20 | 2 |
| Others | 51 | 200 | - | - | 26 |
| Total | 11,239 | 12,712 | 13,630 | 13,858 | 10,771 |
Geography
editThe municipality of Shtërpcë is located in southeastern Kosovo and it covers an area of 247.36 km2 (95.51 sq mi).[7] It is located in a mountainous region in the north-eastern side of the Sharr Mountains, also known as the valley of Sirink which is the upper surface of the Lepenac river basin.
Tourism
editBrezovica ski center
edit
The Brezovica ski center is a popular center which lies in the north-western side of the Šar Mountains. Its distance from Prishtina Airport is 60 km. With its alpine nature and high mountainous environment, Brezovica and its surroundings remind you of most European and worldwide renowned touristic centers. Brezovica's surroundings cover different natural characteristics as the valley of Lepenac, its ridges reaching the height of 900m to 2.600 m. The lower zone of the tourism complex reaches a height of 900 to 980 m above the sea level and is wide slope covering the Lepenc.[8]
Šar Mountain National Park
editŠar Mountain National Park was established in 1986, covering a surface of 39.000 hectares.[9]
Natural lakes
edit
Traditionally they belong to the Štrpce municipality formed as a result of Iceberg erosions. The people of Štrpce know them as "mountains eyes" thanks to their beauty. Depending on the weather conditions, these lakes are covered with snow from November to May. It consists of lakes: Livadičko lake, Mountain Vir lake, small Jezersko lake etc. The inhabitants of Štrpce still call it Štrebačko lake. It covers wide plains and deep circle land the peak of Livadica 2491 m reaching the height of 2.173 and its width of 220–124 m.[10]
Churches
edit
There are two Orthodox churches in Štrpce: St. Nikola (Sveti Nikola) and St. Jovan (Sveti Jovan). St. Nikola was built in 1576-77 by locals, and St. Jovan was built in 1911.[11]
Traditions
editOne traditional holiday that is celebrated in Štrpce is Bele Poklade, also called Procka.[12]
Historical monuments
editPublic services and infrastructure
editAdministration
editThe town of Štrpce is the seat of the municipality government.[citation needed] It also has a hospital and ambulances.
Education
edit
There are primary and high schools in Štrpce. The high school is named for Jovan Cvijic. The high school has many courses of study including medicine, economy, law, gymnasium (general studies), and tourism. The primary school is named after Staja Marković, a 20th century guerrilla fighter.[13]
There is also a kindergarten in Štrpce that is named Fawn of the Shara.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Regjistrimi i popullsisë, ekonomive familjare dhe banesave në Kosovë 2024 - Popullsia sipas gjinisë, etnicitetit dhe vendbanimit" [Population, Household Economies, and Housing Census in Kosovo 2024 - Population by Gender, Ethnicity, and Place of Residence] (PDF) (in Albanian). Pristina: Kosovo Agency of Statistics. July 2025. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
- ^ "Regjistrimi i popullsisë, ekonomive familjare dhe banesave në Kosovë 2024 - Popullsia sipas gjinisë, etnicitetit dhe vendbanimit" [Population, Household Economies, and Housing Census in Kosovo 2024 - Population by Gender, Ethnicity, and Place of Residence] (PDF) (in Albanian). Pristina: Kosovo Agency of Statistics. July 2025. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
- ^ Kosanović, Saja; Folić, Branislav (2019). "A Study on the Sustainability of the Traditional Sirinić Houses in the Šar Mountain Region, the South-Western Balkans". Sustainability. 11 (17).
- ^ Vukoičić, Danijela; Milinčić, Miroljub (2020). "Kosovska Mitrovica as Two Parallel Cities in the Twenty-First Century". In Mihaylov, Valentin (ed.). Spatial Conflicts and Divisions in Post-socialist Cities. New York City: Springer. p. 61. ISBN 978-3-03061-765-3.
It is planned for the Serbian Municipalities Community (SMC) to have the President, the Vice President, the Council and the Parliament that consists of ten municipalities (Northern Kosovska Mitrovica, Zvečan, Zubin Potok, Leposavić, Parteš, Ranilug, Novo Brdo, Gračanica, Štrpce, and Klokot.)
- ^ "Regjistrimi i popullsisë, ekonomive familjare dhe banesave në Kosovë 2024 - Popullsia sipas gjinisë, etnicitetit dhe vendbanimit" [Population, Household Economies, and Housing Census in Kosovo 2024 - Population by Gender, Ethnicity, and Place of Residence] (PDF) (in Albanian). Pristina: Kosovo Agency of Statistics. July 2025. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
- ^ "Štrpce/Shtërpcë". osce.org. OSCE. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
- ^ Sadik Ymeri, Arsimi te Shqiptaret e Komunes se Shterrpces 1915-2006-Monografi, Prizeren: "Berati", 2007.
- ^ Dimitrije Racecovic and others, Guidebook, Komuna e Shterrpces, Prishtine, 2012, pg.28.
- ^ ^ Dimitrije Racecovic and others, Guidebook, Komuna e Shterrpces, Prishtine, 2012, pg.33.
- ^ Dimitrije Rakočević and others, Guidebook, Komuna e Shterrpces, Prishtine, 2012, pg.30.
- ^ Zaduzbine Kosova (Beograd, Prizren: Eparhija Rasko-prizrenska i Bogoslovski fakultet, 1987).
- ^ "Štrpce - Pročka - Bele Poklade". Youtube.
- ^ Video on YouTube
Notes
edit- ^ The 2011 census was partly boycottedd by the Serbs
External links
edit