Bujanovac is a town and municipality in
Pčinja DistrictThe Pčinja District expands to the southern parts of Serbia, bordering Bulgaria and the Republic of Macedonia. Its seat is in the city of Vranje....
of southern
SerbiaSerbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
, located at the South Morava basin.
It is known for its source of mineral water, so it is also known as
Bujanovačka BanjaBujanovačka Banja is a spa town situated in the south of Serbia, at the height of 400m above sea level....
(Бујановачка Бања).
The town and municipality were the battlegrounds for an insurgency in 1999–2001, following the
Kosovo WarThe term Kosovo War or Kosovo conflict was two sequential, and at times parallel, armed conflicts in Kosovo province, then part of FR Yugoslav Republic of Serbia; from early 1998 to 1999, there was an armed conflict initiated by the ethnic Albanian "Kosovo Liberation Army" , who sought independence...
, it is part of the geo-political
Preševo ValleyThe Preševo Valley , is an Albanian political catchphrase used to describe the two south Serbian municipalities of Bujanovac and Preševo, which have a majority ethnic Albanian population. Medvedja municipality is sometimes also included under this term, although it has a majority Serbian population...
.
The population of the town and municipality is unknown, due to 2011 census boycott by mainly Albanian people who live there. Officially, there are only 18,542 inhabitants, but that is unreal number as 10 years before there was more than 40,000 inhabitants.
Ancient history
Kale-KrševicaKale-Krševica is an Ancient Macedonian archaeological site of more than 4 hectares and so far some 1,000 squares have been excavated with a former fortified town in the hills of Krševica overlooking Bujanovac and Vranje, to the south of Ristovac in southern Serbia...
, located south of
RistovacRistovac is a small town in the Municipality of Vranje located in the Pčinja District of south-east Serbia. Ristovac has 342 according to the 2002 census....
, is an archaeological site of a 5th century BC
Ancient GreekAncient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
city of
MacedonMacedonia or Macedon was an ancient kingdom, centered in the northeastern part of the Greek peninsula, bordered by Epirus to the west, Paeonia to the north, the region of Thrace to the east and Thessaly to the south....
, thought to be
DamastionDamastion was an ancient city in the area of central Balkans. Various sites in Serbia and Macedonia and Albania have been considered as the location of this ancient town....
.
ThracianThe ancient Thracians were a group of Indo-European tribes inhabiting areas including Thrace in Southeastern Europe. They spoke the Thracian language – a scarcely attested branch of the Indo-European language family...
TriballiThe Triballi were an ancient tribe whose dominion was around the plains of southern modern Serbia and west Bulgaria, at the Angrus and Brongus and the Iskur River, roughly centered where Serbia and Bulgaria are joined....
and Paeonian
AgrianesThe Agrianians a Paeonian-Thracian tribe, who chiefly inhabited the area of present-day Northeastern statistical region of Republic Of Macedonia and Pčinja District of southern Serbia, north of the Thracian Maedi tribe, who were situated in what is now the Greek region of Macedonia and Western...
dwelled in the region, with the
ScordisciThe Scordisci were an Iron Age tribe centered in the territory of present-day Serbia, at the confluence of the Savus , Dravus and Danube rivers. They were historically notable from the beginning of the third century BC until the turn of the common era...
settling here after the
Gallic invasion of the BalkansGallic groups, originating from the various La Tène chiefdoms, began a south-eastern movement into the Balkan peninsula from the 4th century BC. Although Celtic settlements were concentrated in the western half of the Carpathian basin, there were notable incursions, and settlements, within the...
in 279 BC.
The region was conquered by the
RomansAncient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
after 75 BC.
Roman era
It became part of the Roman propraetoral province
MoesiaMoesia was an ancient region and later Roman province situated in the Balkans, along the south bank of the Danube River. It included territories of modern-day Southern Serbia , Northern Republic of Macedonia, Northern Bulgaria, Romanian Dobrudja, Southern Moldova, and Budjak .-History:In ancient...
in 29 BC (imperial from 27 BC). In 87 AD the region was re-organized into the
Moesia Superior (Upper Moesia).
Modern
After the Berlin agreement, signed in 1878, there were some administrative changes in the Ottoman Empire. Bujanovac and its surroundings became part of the "Preševo area" of the
Priština DistrictThe District of Pristina is a district in Kosovo, with seat in the city of Pristina.-Municipalities:It includes the municipalities of:* Pristina* Glogovac* Kosovo Polje* Lipljan* Novo Brdo* Obilić* Podujevo-Ethnic groups:...
and in 1905–1912 Bujanovac belonged to the 2nd category of borough covering 28 villages. After the
Balkan WarsThe Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe in 1912 and 1913.By the early 20th century, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia, the countries of the Balkan League, had achieved their independence from the Ottoman Empire, but large parts of their ethnic...
, the area belonged to Kumanovo District. After the establishment of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenians, in 1918, Bujanovac became part of Vranje Oblast, one of total 33, formed after the
Vidovdan ConstitutionThe Vidovdan Constitution was the first constitution of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. It was approved by the Constitutional Assembly on June 28, 1921 despite the opposition boycotting the vote. The Constitution is named after the feast of St. Vitus , a Serbian holiday. The Constitution...
, in 1921. With administrative changes in 1929, it became part of
Vardar BanovinaThe Vardar Banovina or Vardar Banate or Vardarska Banovina was a province of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia between 1929 and 1941. It was located in the southernmost part of the country, encompassing the whole of today's Republic of Macedonia, southern parts of Central Serbia and southeastern parts of...
, with the town of Skopje as capital. With the forming of Democratic Federal Yugoslavia, it was part of
Socialist Republic of SerbiaSocialist Republic of Serbia was a socialist state that was a constituent country of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. It is a predecessor of modern day Serbia, which served as the biggest republic in the Yugoslav federation and held the largest population of all the Yugoslav...
(1943–1990). After World War II, in 1947, Bujanovac was established as one of 117 cantons of Central Serbia, under its own name.
Insurgency in Preševo Valley
Between 1999 and 2001, an ethnic Albanian organization, subgroup to the Kosovo-Albanian
KLAKLA may refer to:*Kaella, a French Linux distribution based on Knoppix*KLA-Tencor, semiconductor equipment company*Kerala Library Association, professional association for librarians in Kerala*Klamath-Modoc language - ISO 639-3 code kla...
(UCK), known as the "
Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa and BujanovacThe Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac was a separatist militant group fighting for independence from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia for the three municipalities: Preševo, Bujanovac, and Medveđa, home to most of the ethnic Albanians of Central Serbia, adjacent to Kosovo.UCPMB's...
" (UCPMB) operated in this region, known in the
Insurgency in the Preševo ValleyThe insurgency in the Preševo Valley was a struggle between the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the local Albanian rebel organization, the Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac .- See also :...
(1999–2001). Though there were casualties and injuries on both sides, the events did not quite attract the same international media attention as what had been happening in Kosovo until 1999, and what was also happening south of the border in the
Republic of MacedoniaMacedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
during 2001. The situation as of 2007 is peaceful.
Demographics
According to 2002 census, the municipality of Bujanovac had a population of 43,302 people. The Bujanovac municipality has 461 square kilometers and 59 inhabited places.
Ethnic groups in the municipality
Settlements with the absolute Serb ethnic majority are
BaraljevacBaraljevac is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 316 people....
, Bogdanovac,
BožinjevacBožinjevac is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 376 people....
,
BorovacBorovac is a village in the municipality of Banovići, Bosnia and Herzegovina....
,
BratoselceBratoselce is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 71 people....
,
BrnjareBrnjare is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 114 people....
,
BuštranjeBuštranje can refer to the following villages in Serbia:* Buštranje * Buštranje * Buštranje...
,
VoganceVogance is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 51 people....
,
GramadaGramada is a town in northwestern Bulgaria, part of Vidin Province. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Gramada Municipality, which lies in the central part of Vidin Province. It is located in the western Danubian Plain, 30 kilometres from the provincial capital Vidin and 200...
,
Donje Novo SeloDonje Novo Selo may refer to the following villages:*Donje Novo Selo, Croatia*Donje Novo Selo , in Serbia...
,
DrežnicaDrežnica is a village in the Kobarid municipality in the Littoral region of Slovenia. It is located above the Soča river in a small plateau under the Krn mountain. Together with the neighboring settlements of Koseč, Drežniške Ravne, Jezerca and Magozd it has around 565 inhabitants.- History :The...
, Đorđevac,
ŽbevacŽbevac is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 804 people....
,
ŽuželjicaŽuželjica is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 166 people....
,
JablanicaJablanica or Yablanitsa may refer to:* Jablanica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, a town in Herzegovina* Yablanitsa, a town in Lovech Province, Bulgaria* Yablanitsa, Sofia Province, village in Sofia Province, Bulgaria* Jablanica, Zlatibor, village in Serbia...
, Jastrebac,
KaradnikKaradnik is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 455 people....
,
KlenikeKlenike is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 268 people....
,
KlinovacKlinovac is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 539 people....
,
KošarnoKošarno is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 105 people....
,
KrševicaKrševica is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac of the Pčinja District, Serbia. According to the 2002 there were 486 people . The archaeological site of Kale-Krševica is located in the village, the remnations of a 5th century BC Ancient Greek Macedon city....
,
KušticaKuštica is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 175 people....
,
LevosojeLevosoje is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 840 people....
,
LopardinceLopardince is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 825 people....
,
LukarceLukarce is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 31 people....
,
LjiljanceLjiljance is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 535 people....
,
PretinaPretina is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 53 people....
,
RakovacRakovac is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Beočin municipality which is in the Vojvodina province. Although, the village is geographically located in Syrmia, it is part of the South Bačka District. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and its population numbering 1,989 people as of...
, Rusce,
Sveta PetkaSveta Petka may refer to:*Saint Paraskevi*A monastery in the village Brajčino in the Republic of Macedonia*Sveta Petka church, in Kalemegdan, Serbia...
,
SebratSebrat is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 105 people....
,
SejaceSejace is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 246 people....
,
SpančevacSpančevac is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 533 people....
,
Srpska KućaSrpska Kuća is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 284 people....
,
StaracStarac is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 260 people.-References:...
and
TrejakTrejak is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 255 people....
. Mixed settlement with the relative Serb majority is Bujanovac.
Settlements with the absolute Albanian majority are
BiljačaBiljača is a village in the municipality of Bratunac, Bosnia and Herzegovina.-References:...
,
BreznicaBreznica is a South Slavic toponym that may refer to:* Breznica, Croatia, a village and municipality in Varaždin county, Croatia* Breznica Đakovačka, a village near Đakovo, Croatia* Breznica Našička, a village near Našice, Croatia...
,
Veliki TrnovacVeliki Trnovac is a small town in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 9,874....
,
VrbanVrban is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 123 people....
,
Gornje Novo SeloGornje Novo Selo is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 437 people....
,
DobrosinDobrosin is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 747 people....
,
ZarbinceZarbince is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 652 people....
,
KončuljKončulj is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 1306 people....
,
LetovicaLetovica is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 1126 people....
,
LučaneLučane is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 1091 people.-References:...
,
Mali TrnovacMali Trnovac is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 343 people....
,
MuhovacMuhovac is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 570 people....
,
NegovacNegovac is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 39 people....
,
NesalceNesalce is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 1203 people....
,
PribovcePríbovce is a village and municipality in Martin District in the Žilina Region of northern Slovakia.-Geography:The municipality lies at an altitude of 420 metres and covers an area of 5.971 km². It has a population of about 1058 people....
, Ravno Bučje,
SamoljicaSamoljica is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 1390 people....
,
SuharnoSuharno is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 309 people....
,
TurijaTurija is a village located in the Srbobran municipality, in the South Bačka District of Serbia. It is situated in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and its population numbering 2,562 people...
,
UzovoUzovo is a village in the municipality of General Toshevo, in Dobrich Province, in northeastern Bulgaria.-References:...
and
ČarČar is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 296 people.-References:...
. Mixed settlement with the relative Albanian majority is
OslareOslare is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 904 people....
.
| Ethnic Composition of the municipality |
| Year |
Serb |
% |
Albanian |
% |
Roma |
% |
Total |
| 1961 |
20,033 |
51.28% |
16,618 |
42.54% |
11 |
|
39,064 |
| 1971 |
18,840 |
43.29% |
21,209 |
48.73% |
2,749 |
6.32% |
43,522 |
| 1981 |
15,914 |
34.09% |
25,848 |
55.36% |
4,130 |
8.85% |
46,689 |
| 1991 http://www.anem.org.rs/mape/ops/dg70351-en.htm |
14,660 |
29.77% |
29,588 |
60.09% |
4,408 |
8.95% |
49,238 |
| 2002 |
14,782 |
34.14% |
23,681 |
54.69% |
3,867 |
8.93% |
43,302 |
|
Ethnic groups in the town
In 2002, the population of the Bujanovac town was composed of:
- Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
= 4,329 (36.04%)
- Roma = 3,859 (32.12%)
- Albanians
Albanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...
= 3,590 (29.88%)
- Others 233 (1.94 %)
Total : 12,011