Lipjan ( sq-definite, Lipjani) or Lipljan ( sr-Cyrl, Липљан) is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

located in the

District of Pristina The District of Pristina (; sr-Cyrl-Latn, Приштински округ, Prištinski okrug) is a districts of Kosovo, district in Kosovo. Its seat is the capital city of Pristina. It consists of eight municipalities and 298 villages. According ...

Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...

. According to the 2011 census, the town of Lipjan has 6,870 inhabitants, while the municipality has 57,605 inhabitants.

Name

The name of the town derives from ''Ulpiana'', a nearby Dardanian and

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

era settlement, possibly due to either a ''Ul-'' to ''Li-'' shift seen elsewhere in Roman toponyms.Lafe, Emil (1976). "Toponymes latino-romans sur le territoire de l'albanais". ''Iliria''. Page 116 Ulpiana was named in honor of Roman Emperor

Marcus Ulpius Traianus Trajan ( ; born Marcus Ulpius Traianus, 18 September 53) was a Roman emperor from AD 98 to 117, remembered as the second of the Five Good Emperors of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty. He was a philanthropic ruler and a successful soldie ...

. The neo-

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

form ''Lypenion'' occurs for the first time in a

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

text from 1018 AD . The name of the town was slavicised into ''Lipljan'' and albanised into ''Lipjan''. Albanian author Selami Pulaha states that the shift from ''Ulpiana'' to ''Lipjan'' is in accordance with early Albanian phonetic rules, and the town must therefore have been inhabited by

Albanians The Albanians are an ethnic group native to the Balkan Peninsula who share a common Albanian ancestry, Albanian culture, culture, Albanian history, history and Albanian language, language. They are the main ethnic group of Albania and Kosovo, ...

(besides Slavs).

Geography

Lipjan is located in the central part of the

Republic of Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...

and at the crossroads of the most important roads in the region. The town is located south of

Pristina Pristina or Prishtina ( , ), . is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. It is the administrative center of the eponymous municipality and District of Pristina, district. In antiquity, the area of Pristina was part of the Dardanian Kingdo ...

at a distance of around . The Municipality of Lipjan contains of land, and it consists of 70 villages. It borders the municipalities of

Drenas Drenas or Gllogovc/Gllogoc ( sq-definite, Drenasi or ''Gllogovci/Gllogoci'') or Glogovac ( sr-Cyrl, Глоговац) is a town and municipality in the District of Pristina in Kosovo. The municipality has an area of . According to the last cens ...

Kosovo Polje Kosovo Polje ( sr-Cyrl, Косово Поље, "Kosovo Field") or Fushë Kosova ( Albanian indefinite form: ''Fushë Kosovë''), is a town and municipality located in the District of Pristina in Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, the town o ...

and

to the north,

Malisheva Malisheva, ) is a List of cities and towns in Kosovo, town and Municipalities of Kosovo, municipality in Kosovo. The municipality is part of the District of Prizren and it is located in the central part of Kosovo. Malisheva has a population of 43, ...

to the west,

Novo Brdo Novo Brdo ( sr-Cyrl, Ново Брдо) or Novobërda and Artanë ( Albanian indefinite form: ''Novobërdë'' or ''Artanë''), is a town and municipality located in the Pristina district of Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, it has a populati ...

and

Gjilan Gjilan ( sq-definite, Gjilani) or Gnjilane ( sr-Cyrl, Гњилане) is the third most populous city in Kosovo and it serves as both a municipality and the administrative center of the District of Gjilan, Gjilan District. According to the 2024 ...

to the east and

Ferizaj Ferizaj or Uroševac,, or Uroševac sr-Cyrl, Урошевац, . Also formerly known as Ferizovići (). is a city and a municipality in Kosovo. It is the third largest city in Kosovo by population and also the seat of Ferizaj Municipality and ...

Suva Reka Suva Reka ( sr-Cyrl, Сува Река) or Suharekë () or Therandë () is a town and municipality located in the Prizren district of central-southern Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, the town has 10,422 inhabitants, while the municipality ...

and

Shtime Shtime ( sq-definite, Shtimja) or Štimlje ( sr-Cyrl, Штимље), is a town and municipality located in the Ferizaj District of Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, the town of Shtime has 7,225 inhabitants, while the municipality has 27,324 ...

to the south.

History

Early Period

The ancient predecessor of Lipjan, the

settlement of

Ulpiana Ulpiana was an ancient Roman city located in what is today Kosovo. It was also named Justiniana Secunda (, , ). Ulpiana is located in the municipality of Gračanica, 12 km southeast of Pristina. The ''Minicipium Ulpiana'' or ''Iustiniana ...

, was an important town in the Illyrian and

Dardani The Dardani (; ; ) or Dardanians were a Paleo-Balkan languages, Paleo-Balkan people, who lived in a region that was named Kingdom of Dardania, Dardania after their settlement there. They were among the oldest Balkan peoples, and their society wa ...

an 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 Via de Zenta ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Zetski put, Зетски пут) was a medieval road connecting the Adriatic coast with the city of Naissus (modern Niš). It started from the mouth of the Buna river, the Shkodër port, (alternativel ...

. 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 Justinian I (, ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was Roman emperor from 527 to 565. His reign was marked by the ambitious but only partly realized ''renovatio imperii'', or "restoration of the Empire". This ambition was ...

began his restoration of the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

, 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 The Council of Serdica, or Synod of Serdica (also Sardica located in modern-day Sofia, Bulgaria), was a synod convened in 343 at Serdica in the civil diocese of Dacia, by Emperors Constans I, Augustus in the West, and Constantius II, Augustus in ...

in 347CE and at the Ecumenic Synod of 553CE.

Florus and Laurus Saints Florus and Laurus are venerated as Christian martyrs of the 2nd century. According to a Greek tale, they were twin brothers who worked as stonemasons. They were originally from Byzantium but settled in Ulpiana, Dardania, south of modern P ...

were said to have settled in Ulpiana.

Middle Ages

In the early Middle Ages the town was part of the

Bulgarian Empire Bulgarian Empire may refer to: * First Bulgarian Empire The First Bulgarian Empire (; was a medieval state that existed in Southeastern Europe between the 7th and 11th centuries AD. It was founded in 680–681 after part of the Bulgars, led b ...

and a diocese of the

Archbishopric of Ohrid The Archbishopric of Ohrid, also known as the Bulgarian Archbishopric of Ohrid *T. Kamusella in The Politics of Language and Nationalism in Modern Central Europe, Springer, 2008, p. 276 *Aisling Lyon, Decentralisation and the Management of Ethni ...

. In 1018 it was recaptured by the

s. In the period between the 13th and 15th centuries Lipjan was part of the Kingdom (later Empire) of Serbia and of the

Serbian Despotate The Serbian Despotate () was a medieval Serbian state in the first half of the 15th century. Although the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 is mistakenly considered the end of medieval Serbia, the Despotate, a successor of the Serbian Empire and Moravi ...

. The church of the Presentation of the Mother of God was rebuilt to its present-day form as seat of the Serbian Orthodox

Eparchy of Lipljan Eparchy of Lipljan, later known as the Eparchy of Gračanica or the Eparchy of Novo Brdo () is one of the former historical Eastern Orthodox eparchies of Serbian Orthodox located in the central parts of Kosovo region. It is now part of Eparch ...

. According to some modern authors, Lipjan may also be the birthplace of

Lekë Dukagjini Lekë III Dukagjini (1410–1481), mostly known as Lekë Dukagjini, was a 15th-century member of the Albanian nobility, from the Dukagjini family. A contemporary of Skanderbeg, Dukagjini is known for the '' Kanuni i Lekë Dukagjinit'', a code of ...

(1410–1481), an Albanian noble whose realm was actually located in Northern

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

(where he could also have been born). Dukagjini was a close friend of Albanian military commander

Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg Gjergj Kastrioti (17 January 1468), commonly known as Skanderbeg, was an Albanian feudal lord and military commander who led a rebellion against the Ottoman Empire in what is today Albania, North Macedonia, Greece, Kosovo, Montenegro, and Ser ...

Ottoman Era

Since the second half of the 15th century until 1913, Lipjan was part of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

Kosovo War and Aftermath

During and after the

Kosovo War The Kosovo War (; sr-Cyrl-Latn, Косовски рат, Kosovski rat) was an armed conflict in Kosovo that lasted from 28 February 1998 until 11 June 1999. It ...

, Lipjan was the site of war crimes and atrocities which affected both Albanian and Serbian civilians. In July 1998, 22 Serb civilians were

murdered Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse committed with the necessary intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisdiction. ("The killing of another person without justification or excu ...

in the nearby village of Kleçka/Klečka, allegedly by KLA members. In April 1999, ethnic Albanians were forced out of the area by Serb forces, and their properties were looted and burned by said forces. Serbian paramilitary forces were alleged to have shot more than 50 Albanian civilians in 3 surrounding villages. Immediately after the war, during the

Staro Gracko massacre The Staro Gracko massacre (, ) was the mass killing of 14 Kosovo Serb farmers in the village of Staro Gracko in the Kosovo municipality of Lipjan on 23 July 1999. The killings occurred after Yugoslav troops withdrew from the region in the afterm ...

, 14 Serb farmers were slaughtered. During the 2004 unrest, the majority of local Serb families were forced out of the area, with their houses and properties burned down.

Demographics

The municipality of Lipjan has 55,044 inhabitants according to the 2024 census, compared to 57,605 in 2011. In the same year, 6,870 lived in the town, while the general age of the population was also young; 40% were aged 0-14 years, 45% 15-65 and 15% over 65. The average family size was also five people.

Ethnic groups

The ethnic composition of the municipality of Lipjan:

Religions

The religious composition of the municipality of Lipjan:

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 Llugaxhi (in Albanian, pronounced uga-dʒi or Lugadžija ( sr-Cyrl, Лугаџија) is a village in Kosovo, located south of Lipjan. The village was founded by Muhaxhir-Albanians all of whom fled the invasion of Niš (Albanian: Nish) during 1 ...

Lugadžija Llugaxhi (in Albanian, pronounced uga-dʒi or Lugadžija ( sr-Cyrl, Лугаџија) is a village in Kosovo, located south of Lipjan. The village was founded by Muhaxhir-Albanians all of whom fled the invasion of Niš (Albanian: Nish) during 1 ...

* 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

References

External links

OSCE Profile of Lipjan
{{Authority control Municipalities of Kosovo Cities in Kosovo Illyrian Kosovo Populated places in Pristina District Kosovo Field