Račak

Račak (Albanian: Reçak; Serbian Cyrillic: Рачак) is a village in the Shtime municipality of Kosovo. It was the site of the January 1999 Račak massacre, in which 45 villagers were killed by Serbian forces.

Reçak
Village
Reçak is located in Kosovo
Reçak
Reçak
Coordinates: 42.429296°N 21.017014°E / 42.429296; 21.017014
Location Kosovo
DistrictFerizaj
MunicipalityShtime
Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Total1,638
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)

Geography

Račak is located about half an kilometer southwest of the town of Shtime. The village lies on the Crnoljeva-mountain range. This mountain range divides the Kosovo field and Metohija.

History

The village was first mentioned in a chrysobull by the Serbian Emperor Stefan Dušan in 1343. Noted in an Ottoman defter of 1487, the village was home to a monastery, consecrated in the name of Saints Cosmas and Damian.[2]

Climate
Climate data for Zhur/Žur (1982-2012)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C 2.4 5.1 10.4 15 20 23.7 26.2 26.4 22.8 16.3 8.4 3.7 15.0
Average low °C −4.1 −2.5 0.9 4.6 8.7 11.9 13.5 13.3 10.3 6.1 1.4 −2.4 5.1
Average rainfall mm 64 57 59 63 79 60 52 47 58 69 84 76 768
Average high °F 36.3 41.2 50.7 59 68 74.7 79.2 79.5 73.0 61.3 47.1 38.7 59.1
Average low °F 24.6 27.5 33.6 40.3 47.7 53.4 56.3 55.9 50.5 43.0 34.5 27.7 41.2
Average rainfall inches 2.5 2.2 2.3 2.5 3.1 2.4 2.0 1.9 2.3 2.7 3.3 3.0 30.2
Source: [3]

Population

As of the census of 2011, Račak had a population of 1,638 of whom 1629 were Albanian, one was Bosniak and eight did not answer.[4] 1631 were Muslims and seven did not answer.[5]

Development[6]
YearPopulation
1948613
1953675
1961865
19711092
19811464
19911766
20111638

of whom 1629 are Albanian, one is Bosniak and eight did not answer.[7]

Račak massacre
Main article: Račak massacre

Prior to the summer of 1998, Račak had a population of around 2,000 people. Most of its population was displaced by fighting between the Yugoslav Army and soldiers from the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) in July 1998.

By January 1999, about 350 people had returned to the village, according to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). On 16 January 1999, OSCE monitors found the bodies of 45 people in and around the village in what became widely known as the Racak massacre. Following the incident, for which the international community blamed the Serbian military, the remaining population fled and did not return until the end of the Kosovo War in June 1999.

A memorial exists to the victims of the massacre at Reçak.[8] Kosovo annually holds a ceremony to honour the victims of the massacre.[8]

  1. 2011 Kosovo Census results
  2. Kalezić, Dimitrije (2002). Enciklopedija pravoslavlja - Knjiga 3. Beograd: Savremena administracija. p. 1611. ISBN 9788638706792.
  3. "Klima & Wetter in REÇAK". Climate-Data.org. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
  4. Tim Bespyatov. "Ethnic composition of Kosovo 2011". Retrieved May 30, 2017.
  5. Tim Bespyatov. "Religious composition of Kosovo 2011". Retrieved May 30, 2017.
  6. Tim Bespyatov. "Kosovo Census". Retrieved May 30, 2017.
  7. Tim Bespyatov. "Ethnic composition of Kosovo 2011". Retrieved May 30, 2017.
  8. Isufi, Perparim (15 January 2020). "Kosovo Commemorates Massacre that Prompted NATO Bombing". Retrieved 16 January 2020.



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