Lipjan

Lipjan (Albanian definite form: Lipjani) or Lipljan (Serbian Cyrillic: Липљан) is a town and municipality located in the Pristina District of Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, the town of Lipjan has 6,870 inhabitants, while the municipality has 57,605 inhabitants.

Lipjan
Town and municipality
From the top, View of Lipjan, Town Park, House Museum of Shtjefën Gjeçovi
Flag Emblem
Lipjan Show map of Kosovo Lipjan Show map of Europe
Coordinates: 42°32′N 21°06′E
Country	Kosovo
District	District of Pristina
Named for	Ulpiana[1][2][3][4][5]
Government
• Mayor	Imri Ahmeti (LDK)
Area
• Municipality	338 km2 (131 sq mi)
• Rank	15th in Kosovo
Population  (2024)[6]
• Municipality	54,974
• Ethnicity	94.55% Albanians 5.45% Other
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	14000
Area code	+383 38
Vehicle registration	01
Website	kk.rks-gov.net/lipjan

Name

The town's name derives from Ulpiana,^[1][2] the Dardanian and Roman era settlement that preceded Lipjan, possibly due to either a Ul- to Li- shift seen elsewhere in Roman toponyms.^[3] Selami Pulaha states that the shift from Ulpiana to Lipjan is in accordance with early Albanian phonetic rules, and must therefore have been inhabited by Albanians to reach its current form.^[4] Lipjan (Lypenion) is considered to have preceded the Slavic migrations in the region.^[5]

The Roman city of Ulpiana was located near Lipjan and it was named in honor of the Roman Emperor Marcus Ulpius Nerva Traianus. In the early Middle Ages it was part of the Bulgarian Empire and a diocese of the Bulgarian Patriarchate. The neo-Latin form Lypenion for the city occurs for the first time in a Byzantine text from 1018 AD that confirmed the town as an episcopal seat of the Bulgarian Archbishopric of Ohrid following the Byzantine conquest of Bulgaria in the same year.^[7]

Geography

Lipjan is located in the central part of the Republic of Kosovo and at the crossroads of the most important roads in the region. The town is located south of Pristina at a distance of around 17 km (11 mi). The Municipality of Lipjan contains 422 km² (163 sq mi) of land, and it consists of 70 villages. It borders the municipalities of Drenas, Kosovo Polje and Pristina to the north, Malisheva to the west, Novo Brdo and Gjilan to the east and Ferizaj, Suva Reka and Shtime to the south.^[8]

History

Early Period

Main article: Ulpiana

The ancient predecessor of Lipjan, Ulpiana, was an important city in the Illyrian and Dardanian spheres. By the 2nd century CE, it was the economic, political and culture centre of the province of Dardania.^[9] It was situated on a road between ancient Naissus and Lissus, called Via de Zenta. It suffered from barbarian raids, especially the incursion of 517CE, and from a great earthquake that damaged much of Dardania. By the time Justinian I began his restoration of the Byzantine Empire, Ulpiana was in a ruinous condition - after repairing the town, Justinian labelled it Justiniana Secunda. Ulpiana also played an important ecclesiastical role, having had a local bishop present at the Council of Serdica in 347CE and at the Ecumenic Synod of 553CE. Florus and Laurus were said to have settled in Ulpiana. The old Byzantine church in Lipjan serves as a reminder of the ecclesiastical importance the area once held - it continued to hold a bishopric seat in the Bulgarian empire and once again in the Byzantine empire once the region was recaptured.^[10]

Middle Ages

Lipjan is the birthplace of the Albanian noble, Lekë Dukagjini,^[11] who was born here in 1410. He was a close friend of the Albanian military commander and ruler, Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg, and a participant in the Albanian League of Lezhë. He was a member of the Dukagjini family, whose principality extended from Northern Albania to modern-day Kosovo.^[12][13]

Kosovo War

Lipjan was the sight of war crimes during the Kosovo War. Ethnic Albanians were forced out of the area on April 20 by Serb forces, and Albanian residences were looted and burned by said forces. Serbian paramilitary forces were alleged to have shot more than 50 civilians in 3 surrounding villages.^[14]

Demographics

Municipal historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1948	29,700	—
1953	33,132	+2.21%
1961	38,573	+1.92%
1971	47,526	+2.11%
1981	57,705	+1.96%
1991	69,451	+1.87%
2011	57,605	−0.93%
2024	54,974	−0.36%
Source:

About 57,605 people live in the municipality of Lipjan, and of those about 6,870 people live in the town of Lipjan, while the rest live in rural areas (villages).^[15]

Most of the population are Albanians (89%) and other nationalities consist of Serbs (6%), Croats (1%), Roma (1%) and 2.9% others. The age of the population is young, of which about 40% are aged 0-14 years, 45% are aged 15-65 years and 15% are aged over 65 years. The average family size is five members.^[15]

Municipality

• Akllap/Oklap
• Babush i Muhaxherëve/Muhadžer Babuš
• Baicë/Banjica
• Banullë/Bandulić
• Breg i Zi/Crni Breg
• Brus
• Bujan/Bujance
• Bukovicë/Bukovica
• Divlakë/Divljaka
• Dobrajë e Madhe/Velika Dobranja
• Dobrajë e Vogël/Mala Dobranja
• Gadime e Epërme/Gornje Gadimlje
• Gadime e Ulët/Donje Gadimlje
• Gllanicë/Glanica
• Gllavicë/Glavica
• Gllogoc/Glogovce
• Grackë e Vjetër/Staro Gracko
• Grackë e Vogël/Malo Gracko
• Gumnasellë/Guvno Selo
• Hallaç i Madh/Veliki Alaš
• Hallaç i Vogël/Mali Alaš
• Hanroc/Androvac
• Janjevo/Janjevë
• Kleçkë/Klečka
• Kojskë/Konjsko
• Konjuh
• Kraishtë/Krajište
• Krojmir/Krajmirovce
• Leletiq/Laletić
• Lipovica
• Livađe/Livagjë
• Llugaxhi/Lugadžija
• Llugë/Lug
• Magura
• Marec/Marevce
• Medvec/Medvece
• Mirenë/Mirena
• Okosnicë/Okosnica
• Plitkoviq/Plitković
• Poturoc/Poturovce
• Qellapek/Čelopek
• Qyqylagë/Čučuljaga
• Resinoc/Rusinovce
• Ribar i Madh/Veliko Ribare
• Ribar i Vogël/Malo Ribare
• Ruboc/Rabovce
• Rufc i Ri/Novo Rujce
• Rufc i Vjetër/Staro Rujce
• Shalë/Sedlare
• Shisharkë/Šišarka
• Sllovi/Slovinje
• Smallushë/Smoluša
• Teqë/Teća
• Topličane
• Torina/Torinë
• Trbovce/Tërbuc
• Varigoc/Varigovce
• Vërshec/Vrševce
• Vogaçicë/Vogačica
• Vrelo
• Vrellë e Goleshit/Goleško Vrelo
• Zlokućane

See also

• Municipalities of Kosovo
• Cities and towns in Kosovo
• Populated places in Kosovo
• Staro Gracko massacre
• Lekë Dukagjini

References

1. Illyés, Elemér (1988). Ethnic Continuity in the Carpatho-Danubian Area. East European Monographs. p. 172. ISBN 9780880331463.
2. Du Nay, André (1977). The Early History of the Rumanian Language. Jupiter Press. p. 17. ISBN 9780933104037.
3. Lafe, Emil (1976). "Toponymes latino-romans sur le territoire de l'albanais". Iliria. Page 116
4. Pulaha, Selami (1984). Popullsia shqiptare e Kosovës gjatë shek: studime dhe dokumente. XV-XVI. 8 Nëntori. p. 11.
5. Origins: Serbs, Albanians and Vlachs Chapter 2 in Noel Malcolm's Kosovo, a short history (Macmillan, London, 1998, p. 22-40) - "The scholar who first developed this argument also noted that, in the area dividing the early Serbs from the Bulgarians, many Latin place-names survived long enough to be adapted eventually into Slav ones, from Naissus (Nish), down through the Kosovo town of Lypenion (Lipljan) to Scupi (Skopje)."
6. "Population and housing census in Kosovo preliminary results - July 2024" (PDF). Retrieved 21 July 2024.
7. Collective (1965). Greek Sources about Bulgarian History (GIBI), volume VI (in Bulgarian and Greek). Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Press. p. 44.
8. Elsie, Robert (15 Nov 2010). Historical Dictionary of Kosovo. Scarecrow Press. p. 178. ISBN 9780810874831.
9. Warrander, Gail; Knaus, Verena (2010). Kosovo: The Bradt Travel Guide. Bradt Travel Guides. p. 139. ISBN 9781841623313.
10. Evans, John (1885). "Antiquarian Researches in Illyricum". Archaeologia, or, Miscellaneous Tracts, Relating to Antiquity. 49 (1): 62–64.
11. Nogueira, Adeilson (31 Mar 2018). Moedas De Kosovo. Clube de Autores. p. 16.
12. Sellers, Mortimer; Tomaszewski, Tadeusz (23 July 2010). The Rule of Law in Comparative Perspective. ISBN 9789048137497.
13. Warrander, Gail; Knaus, Verena (2007). Kosovo. ISBN 9781841621999.
14. Erasing History: Ethnic Cleansing in Kosovo. Department of State. 1999. p. 18. ISBN 9780160500657.
15. "Plani Zhvillimor Komunal i Lipjanit 2013-2023+" (PDF).

External links

• OSCE Profile of Lipjan

42°31′48″N 21°08′19″E