Lipjan

Lipjan or Lipljan 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.
Name
The town's name derives from Ulpiana, the Dardanian and Roman era settlement that preceded Lipjan, possibly due to either a Ul- to Li- shift seen elsewhere in Roman toponyms. 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. The same theory is supported by Noel Malcolm and van Wijk.
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.
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 . The Municipality of Lipjan contains 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.
History
Early Period
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. 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.
Middle Ages
Lipjan is the birthplace of the Albanian noble, Lekë Dukagjini, 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.
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.
Demographics
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).
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.
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
References
External links
OSCE Profile of Lipjan
Municipalities of Kosovo
Cities in Kosovo
Illyrian Kosovo
Lipljan