page_title: Vučitrn
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Vučitrn / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Vushtrri
context_page_description: Vučitrn or Vushtrri, is a town and municipality located in the Mitrovica District in northern Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, the town of Vučitrn has 26,964 inhabitants, while the municipality has 69,870 inhabitants. Vučitrn is surrounded with the city of Mitrovica in the north, Podujevo in the east, Obilić in the south, Glogovac in the south-west, and Skenderaj in the west. The municipality of Vučitrn has 67 villages.
  In antiquity, Vučitrn was known as Viciana, allegedly meaning "The side of calves" in Albanian. When the Roman Empire invaded Dardania in the 1st century BC, the Romans added the Latin suffix 'um' to the name of Viciana, therefore becoming Vicianum. In Serbian, Vučitrn is the name of the plant Ononis spinosa, which is abundant in the region.
  The main characteristic of the city is its cultural and historic monuments. The city's castle, stone bridge, public bath and Cesme were built centuries ago and are the biggest attractions of the city.
  Vučitrn has a total area of 345 km², and the density of population is 202/km². The area accounts for approximately 3.2% of the total territory of Kosovo.
context_section_description: The Dardani tribe ruled the region in the Iron Age, until the Roman conquest in the 1st century AD. Archaeological sites exist at various places in the vicinity, including Samodreža, Pestova, and Breglumi.
  After the division of Roman Empire, Illyria was under the administration of the East (Byzantine) Empire. During the Early Middle Ages, the region was ruled by Slavs. In the first half of the 14th century Vučitrn was a capital of the lands of Branković dynasty (Vuk and Đurađ Branković). Đurađ Branković, as Despot, issued charters from Vučitrn. From that period there remain ruins of the Vojinovića Tower and a great stone bridge. After the Battle of Kosovo, Ottoman officers were stationed in Vučitrn. Ragusan colonies were established during the 14th and 15th centuries.
  In Ottoman documents, the town was known as Vıçıtırın, and it was established as the seat of the sanjak of Vıçıtırın. The sanjak was one of the more important European territories due to the high concentration of ore. It served as a larger military and commercial center until the fall of the Ottoman Empire.
  At the end of the 18th century, Vučitrn started to lose its importance because of the Austro-Hungarian wars, migration, internal economic crisis and the development of other regional centers. From 1877 to 1913, Vučitrn was part of the Kosovo Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire. Vučitrn was important in the general rebellions of 1910–1912. Hasan Prishtina, an intellectual of the time, was a key part of the development of education and the economy in the Albanian territories. In 1912, the Serbian army occupied Vučitrn. On 10 August 1913, the Treaty of Bucharest made Vučitrn part of the Kingdom of Serbia. The 1920s were characterized by the rebels activity; Azem Bejta and Shote Galica were the main activists of the time. From 1929 to 1941, Vučitrn was part of the Morava Banovina of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
  During the 1999 Kosovo Independence war, Vucitrn suffered greatly in loss of human life (see Vučitrn massacre) and arsoning and razing of historical buildings by the Serbian paramilitary forces. The destroyed monuments range from old ottoman style houses to many historical mosques, such as Gazi Ali Beg Mosque (1410).
caption: War memorial
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