Obilic
Encyclopedia
Obilić is a town and municipality in central Kosovo
, belonging to the Pristina district. The municipality includes the town of Obilić and 19 villages, with a total population of approximately 21,548.
The municipality is located immediately north-west of Pristina
on the main road to Kosovska Mitrovica
. It was created in 1989, prior to which it formed part of Pristina municipality.
The name for the town, Obilić, refers to Miloš Obilić
who is regarded as a Serbian
hero
of the 1389 Battle of Kosovo
, during which he killed the Ottoman Sultan Murad I
.
An Albanian version for the name for the town was produced in 2001, Kastriot, refers to George Kastrioti Skanderbeg, the national hero of the Albanian people, who lived during the time period of the Second Battle of Kosovo (1448). Skanderbeg was supposed to join the Hungarian-led Catholic coalition under John Hunyadi
, but failed to appear on the battlefield.
As of 2008 the municipality has a population of approximately 19,500. The majority -some 15,000- are Kosovo Albanian
; the minorities include some 2,200 Kosovo Serbs, 350 Roma
, 300 Ashkali
, 70 Bosnian Serbs and others.
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...
, belonging to the Pristina district. The municipality includes the town of Obilić and 19 villages, with a total population of approximately 21,548.
The municipality is located immediately north-west of Pristina
Pristina
Pristina, also spelled Prishtina and Priština is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous municipality and district....
on the main road to Kosovska Mitrovica
Kosovska Mitrovica
Kosovska Mitrovica , is a city and municipality in northern Kosovo. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous district....
. It was created in 1989, prior to which it formed part of Pristina municipality.
Name
Miloš Obilic
Miloš Obilić was a medieval Serbian knight in the service of Prince Lazar, during the invasion of the Ottoman Empire. He is not mentioned in contemporary sources, but he features prominently in later accounts of the Serbian defeat at the Battle of Kosovo as the legendary assassin of the Ottoman...
who is regarded as a Serbian
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...
hero
Hero
A hero , in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion...
of the 1389 Battle of Kosovo
Battle of Kosovo
The Battle of Kosovo took place on St. Vitus' Day, June 15, 1389, between the army led by Serbian Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović, and the invading army of the Ottoman Empire under the leadership of Sultan Murad I...
, during which he killed the Ottoman Sultan Murad I
Murad I
Murad I was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1361 to 1389...
.
An Albanian version for the name for the town was produced in 2001, Kastriot, refers to George Kastrioti Skanderbeg, the national hero of the Albanian people, who lived during the time period of the Second Battle of Kosovo (1448). Skanderbeg was supposed to join the Hungarian-led Catholic coalition under John Hunyadi
John Hunyadi
John Hunyadi John Hunyadi (Hungarian: Hunyadi János , Medieval Latin: Ioannes Corvinus or Ioannes de Hunyad, Romanian: Iancu (Ioan) de Hunedoara, Croatian: Janko Hunjadi, Serbian: Сибињанин Јанко / Sibinjanin Janko, Slovak: Ján Huňady) John Hunyadi (Hungarian: Hunyadi János , Medieval Latin: ...
, but failed to appear on the battlefield.
Demographics
In 2011, the municipality had a population of 21,548.As of 2008 the municipality has a population of approximately 19,500. The majority -some 15,000- are Kosovo Albanian
Albanians in Kosovo
Albanians are the largest ethnic group in Kosovo . According to the 1991 Serbian census, boycotted by Albanians, there were 1,596,072 ethnic Albanians in Kosovo or 81.6% of population...
; the minorities include some 2,200 Kosovo Serbs, 350 Roma
Roma in Kosovo
Roma in Kosovo are Serbian Roma , polylingual Roma and Albanian Roma who self-identify as Ashkali or Balkan Egyptians...
, 300 Ashkali
Ashkali
In the Balkans, the Ashkali and Egyptians are Albanian-speaking ethnic minorities of Kosovo and Albania. Observers consider them Albanized Romanies, but they do not self-identify as such...
, 70 Bosnian Serbs and others.