Novo Brdo

Novo Brdo Fortress, built by Serbian king Stefan Milutin.

Administrative division of Novo Brdo

Novo Brdo is an archaeological site.[2] Novo Brdo was mentioned with its present name in historical documents as early as 1326. Previously it was known as Novus Mons or Novamonte in Latin and as Nyeuberghe in Saxon texts. The famous scribe Vladislav the Grammarian was born here.

Ragusan documents attest to the presence of a significant number of Albanians living in Novo Brdo throughout the 14th and early 15th centuries, including members of the Catholic Albanian clergy with names such as Gjergjash and Gjinko, Gjini, son of Gjergji, the presbyter (1382); the reverend Gjergj Gega, Nikollë Tanushi, Gjergj Andrea Pellini and Nikolla Progonovic. In the book of debtors belonging to Ragusan merchant Mihail Lukarevic, who resided in Novo Brdo during the 1430s, 150 Albanian household heads were mentioned as living in Novo Brdo with their families. They worked as miners, artisans and specialists in the mines of Novo Brdo. The anthroponomy of these figures is characteristically Albanian; distinctive Albanian names such as Gjon, Gjin, Tanush, Progon, Lek, Gjergj and Bibë are mentioned. Some families had a mixed Slav-Albanian anthroponomy - that is to say, a Slavic first name and an Albanian last name, or last names with Albanian patronyms and Slavic suffixes such as Gjonoviç, Gjinoviq, Progonoviq, Bushatoviq, Dodishiq, Kondiq, Lekiq and other such names. Many Albanian Catholic priests were registered as residing in Novo Brdo, as well as in towns like Janjevo, Trepça, Prizren and others.[3]

Novo Brdo was a metropolis during the Middle Ages, with a huge medieval fortress built on the top of an extinct volcano cone, the remains of which can be visited today, and residential sections sprawling all around. In the outer wall of the fortress a large cross is visible, built into the stones. The castle, or fortress, is thought to date back to the time of the Serbian Empire. At the first half of 15th century, Serbian Orthodox bishops of Lipjan resided in Novo Brdo. There were mines and smelting furnaces for iron, lead, gold and silver ores. Novo Brdo silver is known by its glam silver (Latin: argentum de glama; an alloy of silver with 1/6-1/3 gold). In 1450 the mines of Novo Brdo were producing about 6,000 kg of silver per year. The medieval settlement was an important producer of Serbian pottery and other goods.[4]

Novo Brdo was the last Serbian town to remain standing during the first Ottoman invasion. In 1439 the capital of Smederevo fell and Serbia resisted until finally Novo Brdo fell in 1441. Novo Brdo was by treaty restored to the Serbs in 1443. The fortress (named in Turkish Nobırda) came under siege for forty days by the Ottomans, before capitulating and becoming occupied by the Ottomans on 1 June 1455. This event is described by Konstantin Mihailović from Ostrovica near Novo Brdo, who was taken by the Ottomans along with some 300 other boys to be trained as Janissaries. All of the higher ranking Serbian officials were executed after the castle fell, with the younger men and boys being taken captive to serve in the Ottoman Army, and some 700 young Serbian women and girls being taken to be wives to Ottoman commanders. When the city fell to the Ottomans, it had an estimated population of about 40,000 people.[5][6]

In the Ottoman Defter of 1591, the city of Novo Brdo itself was recorded within the Sanjak Vuçitern - this defter included the household heads of the city. The city consisted of several Muslim neighbourhoods (Mahalla/Mëhalla); they were Xhamia Sherif (Sherif Mosque, 26 households), Kasap (11 households), Hamam (21 households), Darbbane (40 households) and Mehmed Çelebi (5 households). There was also 6 Jewish households, including 1 that hailed from Catalonia and 1 that hailed from Castille. Of the Christian neighbourhoods (Mahalla/Mëhalla), the following had inhabitants of mixed Albanian-Slavic/Orthodox anthroponomy: Sokraja (15 households), Pop Simoni (12 households), Çarshi (13) and Himandin (9). Slavic/Orthodox anthroponomy predominated in the following neighbourhoods:Sveti Petra (19 households), Sveti Nika (9 households), Marko Kërsti (26 households), Filip (9 households), Pop Krilovina (10 households), Kallogjer Gligorija (6 households), Kovaç Radosavi (16 households), Shagliçiq (8 households), Shuster (14 households) and Vuka Mrkshiq (8 households). Characteristic Albanian anthroponomy predominated in the following neighbourhoods: Protopop (9 households), Izllatar (9 households), Pop Grobani (Grubani) (5 households), Pop Bozha (4 households) and Kuriçka (13 households).[7]

By the early 20th century, Novo Brdo's population dwindled, with most inhabitants moving to the more easily accessible area of Gjilan. In 1999, with the entry into Kosovo of KFOR and the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), the area had a small military outpost occupied by US soldiers, as well as a station of International Police and Kosovo Police.

According to the 2013 Brussels Agreement, the municipality was to become part of the Community of Serb Municipalities.[8] Part of the agreement which pertained to the creation of the Association of Serbian municipalities was deemed unconstitutional by Kosovo’s Constitutional Court and since then the agreement has been blocked.[9]

Municipality of Novo Brdo consists of 26 settlements with following populations:

• Boljevce / Boleci, 72
• Bostane / Bostani, 487
• Bušince / Bushinca, 128
• Carevce / Careci, 27
• Draganac / Draganca, 17
• Izvor / Izvori, 442
• Jasenovik / Jasenoviku, 210
• Klobukar / Kllobukari, 114
• Koretište / Koretishti, 530
• Kosač / Kosaç, 175
• Gortnje Kusce / Kufca e Epërme, 890
• Labljane / Llabjani, 875
• Gornji Makreš / Makresh i Epërm, 58
• Donji Makreš / Makreshi i Poshtëm, 71
• Manišince / Manishinca, 67
• Mozgovo / Mazgova, uninhabited
• Miganovce / Miganoci, 34
• Novo Brdo / Novobërda, 183
• Paralovo / Parallova, 207
• Pasjak / Pasjaku, 1,176
• Prekovce / Prekoci, 214
• Stanišor / Stanishori, 320
• Straža / Strazha, 191
• Trnićevce / Tërniqeci, 50
• Tirince / Tirinca, 26
• Zebince / Zebinca, 165

According to the 1991 census the municipality of Novo Brdo is ethnically mixed, mostly consisting of Kosovo Serbs (60%), Albanians (39%) and other minorities.

The ethnic composition of the municipality of Novo Brdo, including IDPs: