Andrijevica

Andrijevica (Cyrillic: Андријевица, pronounced [andrǐjɛv̞it͡sa]) is a town in Montenegro in the northern region and it is the seat of Andrijevica Municipality. According to the 2023 Census of Montenegro, it had a population of 988.^[1]

Andrijevica Андријевица
Town and municipality
Church in Andrijevica
Coat of arms
Andrijevica Location of Andrijevica
Coordinates: 42.73°N 19.79°E / 42.73; 19.79
Country	Montenegro
Region	Northern
Municipality	Andrijevica
Government
• Type	Mayor-Assembly
• Mayor	Željko Ćulafić (SNP)
Population  (2023 census)
• Rank	22nd in Montenegro
• Urban	988
• Rural	2,990
• Municipality	3,978
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	84320
Vehicle registration	AN
Climate	Cfb

Name

The town is named after Andrija, a descendant of the Nemanjić dynasty.^[2]

History

The town developed in the 19th century.^[2]

Archaeological research of the Institute for monuments protection from Cetinje in 1956 discovered that traces of material culture from the Neolithic period exist in Berane valley.^[3] In addition, traces of Illyrian culture were also found, so it can be assumed that the environment of Andrijevica was an ecumenical space of numerous groups of people. Remainders of Roman settlements are also present in Berane valley, as well as in the vicinity of Andrijevica.^[3]

During the Middle Ages, the fort of Grace existed, 1 km from today's town of Andrijevica. The fort was probably guarding the road along the Lim River, which was part of the main road network between the regions of Raška and Zeta. This period saw emergence of a number of smaller villages and settlements, all of which predate the town of Andrijevica.^[3]

During the rule of House of Nemanjić, it was noted that the area of Andrijevica was densely populated with Orthodox Christian population. In the Nemanjić era, the center of the area was Budim grad, some 15 km from today's town. A descendant of the Nemanjić house, Andrija, built a church called Andrijevina, which was razed by the Ottomans in 1765.^[2]

In the nineteenth century, the warrior tribe of Vasojevići, which was frequently rebelling against Ottoman rule, began forming a settlement around the new church of Andrijevina, which would eventually become Andrijevica.^[4] In 1858, Vasojević Duke Miljan Vukov proclaimed the Vasojevići region a part of Montenegro.

From that point, the settlement gradually expanded into a town, but World War I interrupted its development. Andrijevica was the center of the county (Okrug) from 1918 to 1921, and the inter-war period was a time of rapid development for the town.

In July 1944, the German SS Skanderbeg division massacred more than 400 Orthodox Christian civilians in the town.^[5] After World War II, the town was first the seat of the district (srez), and then of municipality (opština) until 1960. Andrijevica was restored with municipality status in 1991.

The economy of Andrijevica was struck heavily by the decline of industry during the Yugoslav Wars, hence the population of the municipality declined slowly but steadily.

Demographics

According to the 1948 census, the town had 10,058 inhabitants. Since then, the town's population has gradually declined.^[3] In 1953, there were 10,267 inhabitants, in 1961 there were 9,791, in 1971 9,299, in 1981 7,488, in 1991 6,696. The 2003 census listed 5,785 inhabitants.^[3] The 2011 census registered 1,048 inhabitants.^[6]

According to the 2023 census, Andrijevica had 988 inhabitants.^[1]

Ethnicity	Number	Percentage
Serbs	643	61.35%
Montenegrins	350	33.39%
other/undeclared	55	5.26%
Total	1,048	100%

Sports

The local football team is FK Komovi, who have spent recent seasons in the country's third tier. They play their home games at the Stadion Prljanije. The town's handball team is RK Komovi.