Kuršumlija
Encyclopedia
Kuršumlija is a town and municipality located in the south of Serbia
, nearby the rivers Toplica
, Kosanica
and Banjska, on the southeast of mountain Kopaonik
, and northwest of Radan Mountain
. According to 2011 census, the town has 12,866 inhabitants, while municipality has 19,011.
. Its borders the municipalities of Brus
, Blace
, Prokuplje
, Medveđa, Podujevo
, and Leposavić
. Its southwest border (105 km) is with the disputed province of Kosovo
.
A 3rd century AD Roman
military base Ad Fines was situated here. There are also remains of churches from the Byzantine
period. The Serbian principality of Rascia
started to develop in this region. Stefan Nemanja
, a Serbian lord (župa
n), and the founder of Nemanjić dynasty
, built his residence here, as well as the two monasteries of St. Nicolas and the Holy Mother of God (before 1168).
There are a lot of historical sights in Kuršumlija from that era: Mara Tower, Ivan Tower, and many medieval churches. The name in that period was Bele Crkve (White Churches) and Toplica. After the invasion by the Ottoman Empire
in the 14th century, the Ottomans gave the town its current name, simply by translating the old name, Bele Crkve (White Churches). During Ottoman rule Kuršumlija was part of the Sanjak of Niš
. Since 1878, Kuršumlija has been a part of the modern Serbian state.
Ethnic groups in the municipality (2002 census):
Ethnic groups in the town (2002 census):
Serbia
Serbia , 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...
, nearby the rivers Toplica
Toplica River
The Toplica is the river in southern Serbia. The river is 130 km long and gives its name to the whole region it flows through, which constitutes most of the modern Toplica District of Serbia.- Upper course :...
, Kosanica
Kosanica
The Kosanica is the river in southern Serbia. The river is 34 km long and gives its name to the area it flows through, which constitutes with the south part of Kuršumlija municipality in south Serbia....
and Banjska, on the southeast of mountain Kopaonik
Kopaonik
Kopaonik ; is one of the larger mountain ranges of Serbia. It is located in the central part of Serbia, while a small portion extendeds to North Kosovo. Its highest point, Pančić's Peak, is above sea level....
, and northwest of Radan Mountain
Radan Mountain
Radan is a mountain in southern Serbia, near the town of Kuršumlija. Its highest peak, Šopot, has an altitude of 1408 metres above sea level.Radan separates the valleys of the Toplica and Jablanica rivers...
. According to 2011 census, the town has 12,866 inhabitants, while municipality has 19,011.
Geography
Kuršumlija sits on the area of 952 km² (367.57 sq mi) and administratively is in Toplica DistrictToplica District
The Toplica District expands in the southern part of Serbia. It has a population of 90,600 and has been named after the river Toplica. Seat of the District is in the city of Prokuplje.-Municipalities:It encompasses the municipalities of:*Prokuplje*Blace...
. Its borders the municipalities of Brus
Brus
Brus is a town and municipality located in the Rasina District of Serbia. According to 2001 census, the population of the town is 4,572, while population of the municipality is 16,263...
, Blace
Blace
Blace is a town and municipality located in the Toplica District of Serbia. According to 2011 census, the population of the town is 5,261, while population of the municipality is 11,686.-Demographics:Ethnic groups in the municipality :...
, Prokuplje
Prokuplje
Prokuplje is a town and municipality located in Serbia at 43.24° North, 21.59° East. According to 2011 census, the town has a total population of 27,163 inhabitants, while population of municipality is 43,631. It is the administrative center of the Toplica District of Serbia. It is one of the...
, Medveđa, Podujevo
Podujevo
Podujevo or Podujeva is a town and municipality located in the district of Pristina of north-eastern Kosovo.Podujevo is situated in a strategic position due to a regional motorway and railroad passing through it which links surrounding regions. Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, is located some to...
, and Leposavić
Leposavic
Leposavić is a town and [Municipalities of Kosovo|municipality]] in the district of Kosovska Mitrovica of northern Kosovo. It is a part of North Kosovo, a region with at least 98%ethnic Serb majority that functions largely autonomously from the remainder of the ethnic-Albanian-majority Kosovo...
. Its southwest border (105 km) is with the disputed province of Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
.
History and culture
Ancient Rome
Ancient 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....
military base Ad Fines was situated here. There are also remains of churches from the Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
period. The Serbian principality of Rascia
Rascia
Rascia was a medieval region that served as the principal province of the Serbian realm. It was an administrative division under the direct rule of the monarch and sometimes as an appanage. The term has been used to refer to various Serbian states throughout the Middle Ages...
started to develop in this region. Stefan Nemanja
Stefan Nemanja
Stefan Nemanja was the Grand Prince of the Grand Principality of Serbia from 1166 to 1196, a heir of the Vukanović dynasty that marked the beginning of a greater Serbian realm .He is remembered for his contributions to Serbian culture and...
, a Serbian lord (župa
Župa
A Župa is a Slavic term, used historically among the Southern and Western branches of the Slavs, originally denoting various territorial and other sub-units, usually a small administrative division, especially a gathering of several villages...
n), and the founder of Nemanjić dynasty
House of Nemanjic
The Nemanjić was the most important dynasty of Serbia in the Middle Ages, and one of the most important in Southeastern Europe. The royal house produced eleven Serbian monarchs between 1166 and 1371. It's progenitor was Stephen Nemanja, who descended from a cadet line of the Vukanović dynasty...
, built his residence here, as well as the two monasteries of St. Nicolas and the Holy Mother of God (before 1168).
There are a lot of historical sights in Kuršumlija from that era: Mara Tower, Ivan Tower, and many medieval churches. The name in that period was Bele Crkve (White Churches) and Toplica. After the invasion by the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
in the 14th century, the Ottomans gave the town its current name, simply by translating the old name, Bele Crkve (White Churches). During Ottoman rule Kuršumlija was part of the Sanjak of Niš
Sanjak of Niš
The Sanjak of Niš or Sanjak of Nish was one of the sanjaks of the Ottoman Empire and its county town was Niš. It was composed of the kazas of Niš, Pirot, Leskovac, Vranje, Kuršumlija, Prokuplje and Tran ....
. Since 1878, Kuršumlija has been a part of the modern Serbian state.
Features
Kuršumlija is known by the natural monument by the Radan Mountain, the so called Đavolja Varoš (Devil's Town), unusual natural formations from earth and stones. There are three spas: Prolom Spa, Kuršumlija Spa and Lukovo Spa. Famous Prolom water is produced in Prolom Spa.Notable people
- The Great ŽupanŽupaA Župa is a Slavic term, used historically among the Southern and Western branches of the Slavs, originally denoting various territorial and other sub-units, usually a small administrative division, especially a gathering of several villages...
Stefan NemanjaStefan NemanjaStefan Nemanja was the Grand Prince of the Grand Principality of Serbia from 1166 to 1196, a heir of the Vukanović dynasty that marked the beginning of a greater Serbian realm .He is remembered for his contributions to Serbian culture and...
established his first capital, Bele Crkve, near the location of today's Kuršumlija in 1166-1172. His wife Ana died and was buried here as the nunNunA nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
St. Anastasia. - Sultania Mara, daughter of DespotDespotesDespot , was a senior Byzantine court title that was bestowed on the sons or sons-in-law of reigning emperors, and initially denoted the heir-apparent...
Đurađ BrankovićGeorge, Prince of RasciaĐurađ Branković , also known under the patronymic Vuković and frequently called George Branković in English-language sources, was a Serbian despot from 1427 to 1456 and a baron of the Kingdom of Hungary...
, later wife of the Ottoman EmperorOttoman EmpireThe Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
Murad IIMurad IIMurad II Kodja was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1421 to 1451 ....
, and step mother of Emperor Mehmed IIMehmed IIMehmed II , was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire for a short time from 1444 to September 1446, and later from...
also at the end of her life came to live here as a nun in monastery of Holy Mother of God, where she made a fortress called Mara Tower. She died in around 1487. - Kosta PećanacKosta PecanacKosta Milovanović Pećanac was a Chetnik voivoda during the Second World War.-Origin:Kosta Milovanović was born in 1879, the exact date is not known as his military paper only has the year of birth. His father was a guardian of the Visoki Dečani monastery. His parents both died during an attack by...
, a notable Serbian soldier in the First and Second World War. His house is protected of by the municipality. - Dragoljub MićunovićDragoljub MicunovicDragoljub Mićunović, PhD is a prominent Serbian politician and philosopher.-Early life:...
(born in 1930. in Merdare, Kuršumlija), professor of at the University of Belgrade Faculty of PhilosophyUniversity of Belgrade Faculty of PhilosophyThe University of Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in Serbia, founded in the early 19th century within the Belgrade Higher School...
. He was a dissident during the Communist periodSocialist Federal Republic of YugoslaviaThe Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
, and the first president of the Democratic PartyDemocratic Party (Serbia)The Democratic Party is a political party in Serbia. It is described as a social liberal or social democratic party.-Pre-war history:The Democratic Party was established on 16 February 1919 from unification of Sarajevo parties independent radicals, progressives, liberals and the Serbian part of...
. He was the first president of parliament of State Union of Serbia & MontenegroSerbia and MontenegroSerbia and Montenegro was a country in southeastern Europe, formed from two former republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia : Serbia and Montenegro. Following the breakup of Yugoslavia, it was established in 1992 as a federation called the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia...
. - Rade Vučković, a famous composer of popular music from 70s until today. His greataest hits are: Isidora, Sneg je opet Snežana, Nisam te se nagledao, Ja sam dete Kuršumlije, Viki Viki Violeta and many others.
- Žarko Dragojević, director, born in Kuršumlija, professor at the Faculty of Drama at the University of BelgradeUniversity of BelgradeThe University of Belgrade is the oldest and largest university of Serbia.Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it merged with the Kragujevac-based departments into a single university...
. He is director of several notable films: Kuća pored pruge (House by the tracks), Noć u kući moje majke (Night in my mother's house). He also directed many documenataries, among them series on Serbian monasteriesSerbian monasteriesSerb Orthodox monasteries are found throughout Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, Greece, Macedonia, Montenegro, Canada and the United States. This foundation of monasteries followed the forming of the first semi-independent Serbian states starting in the 10th century...
for the Serbian national broadcaster (RTSRadio Television of SerbiaRadio Television of Serbia or Serbian Broadcasting Corporation is the public broadcaster in Serbia. It broadcasts and produces a variety of news, drama, and sports programming through radio, television and the Internet. RTS is, since July 2001, a member of the European Broadcasting Union. RTS is...
). - Vojin Šulović, academician, humanist, doctor of gynecology. Born in Kursumlija on 18. May 1923. Regular professor at Faculty of Medicine in Belgrade. Post Graduate tuition lectured in Kragujevac, Niš, Novi Sad and Priština. Overhead prelector at Post Graduate studies in Zagreb, as in Indonesia and Greece. July 7 and October awards of city of Belgrade winner. Also Serbian medical society award winner and Serbian warrior medalist. Smederevo and Kuršumlija municipality freeman. A number of domestic and foreign honours medalist among of rest - Order of Chevalier for National Service got under President of France. Honorary member of Gynecological society of France, Russia, Poland, Duchy of Poznan, Medical academy of Romania, Society of Surgeons of Jordan... Perished on 22. February 2008.more about Vojin Šulović
Demographics
Kuršumlija Municipality include one urban and 89 rural settlements. According to the 2002 census there are 21,608 inhabitants in the municipality, 35% of that number are rural.Ethnic groups in the municipality (2002 census):
- SerbsSerbsThe 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...
= 20,718 (95.88%) - Roma = 317 (1.47%)
- Montenegrins = 119 (0.55%)
- others = 454 (2.3%).
Ethnic groups in the town (2002 census):
- SerbsSerbsThe 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...
= 13,061 (95.76%) - Roma = 207 (1.52%)
- others.