Prijepolje

Template:Infobox Serbia municipality Prijepolje (Serbian Cyrillic: Пријепоље) is a town and municipality in the Zlatibor District of Serbia. According to the 1991 census, the municipality of Prijepolje had a population of 46,525 people. It is in the Sandžak geographic region, and notable for its high Muslim by nationality and Bosniak population. The region is also known as the Sandzak or Raška oblast.

Name

One possible meaning of the name Prijepolje is "Prija's field"; according to this theory Prija was the owner of the land before the town was built and polje. More probably, is that the name origintes from the location of Prijepolje. When caravans were passing through Prijepolje, the side from which they arrived was before the fields (in today's Prijepolje, the villages of Ivanje and Velika Župa) and hence the name would mean "before the fields" (prije=before; polje=field).Coat of arms of Prijepolje also tells a lot about town.

Geography

File:Fall pr.jpg

Prijepolje in fall

Prijepolje is located at the confluence of the fast-flowing Lim and Mileševka rivers, along the road from Belgrade to the Adriatic sea and on the Belgrade – Bar railway. The Belgrade – Adriatic road is intersected here with the regional road Pljevlja - Prijepolje - Sjenica. This road runs along roughly the same route as the ancient Roman and Ottoman road, known as the Dubrovnik road. At Bistrića, north of Prijepolje, there is a road leading towards Priboj, Višegrad and Sarajevo. Prijepolje is surrounded by forests. There are also a lot of beaches on the Lim. The one considered most atrractive is in the centre of the town, under the bridge in Ivanje, and under the bridge in Petrovac.

History

File:25 totalni pogled na prijepolje.jpg

Prijepolje in the 19th century

Prijepolje has a very long history. It was established as a settlement in 1234, the same year the Mileševa Monastery was built. In this area life is beginning in younger stone age. It was settled by northern areas of from today's borders of Serbia when they were forced to leave the northern plains to the mountains and inaccessible region. The first settlers were Illyrians. After the arrival of the Celts, they intermarried. Later, the Illyrians were displaced again, but now by the Romans, again in to mountains, and when Slavs came they were infiltrated into them, but still the Slavs take some theirs attributes. The Goths, Huns, Gepids, Langobardians and Avars passed through this area. The most interesting archaeological site in the area is Roman necropolis in the modern settlement of Kolovrat where pieces of ancient glass, silver, ceramics, and gold have been unearthed.

Prijepolje was mentioned for the first time by 'Gijom Adam in 1332 while it was in Dubrovnik's and historical sources mentioned for the first time in 1343. In historical sources, Prijepolje was developed like a road settlement on caravans road know as "Dubrovnik's road", which was connecting central and east parts of the Balkans with the middle part of the Adriatic coast. On the caravan road was walking by foot or by horse over endless and abrupt mountains and through dangerous woods. The duty of the local villagers was to protect local roads, because there was a statute "If, on the road, someone has been killed or has had a bullet stuck into his body, let the local guardians gather together to pay the damage. "Hitting by one small drum, the passers by would know that there was no danger".

Also one of the oldest cartographic documents on which after Mileševa, Prijepolje for the first time was mentioned, was in "Regno della Servia detta altrimentri Rascia" which was made by Giacomo Cantelli da Vignola, cartographer to the Duke of Modena, in 1689.

During the very long Ottoman period it have been raised a many objects. Most famous are Ibrahim Pasha's mosque and Sahat Kula. Ibrahim Pasha's mosque in Shararampov (one of tree regions in town, other two are Vakuf and Center of town), probably was built in 16th century. That is a very beautiful and attractive mosque with one minaret, and it was covered by a "cheramida" (special cover of the houses in that time). The region of Prijepolje is known by very rough past which was part of First Serbian revolt, Banine's revolt 1875, the Javorian war 1876, the Raonic revolt, the Balkan wars as well as both World Wars. ^[1]

Demographics

In 1991, the population of the municipality was composed of:

Serbs and Montenegrins (54.78%)
Muslims by nationality (43.42%)
Others.

In 2002, the population of the municipality was composed of:

Serbs (56.82%)
Bosniaks (31.83%)
Muslims by nationality (9.26%)
Others.

Note: Most of those who at the time of the 1991 census considered themselves Muslims by nationality considered themselves Bosniaks in the 2002 census, while a smaller number of them still consider themselves as Muslims by nationality.

In the whole municipality there are 40,971 inhabitants, while the city of Prijepolje has 14,960 inhabitants (2002 census).

Administrative subdivisions

Prijepolje town is the seat of the Prijepolje municipality.The municipality covers an area of 824 km² with an extreme variance in altitude, from 440-1735 meters.

Prijepolje municipality consists of 96 ^[2] settlements: The settlements are: Template:MultiCol

Aljinovići
Gornje Goračiće
Muškovina
Karaula
Velika Župa
Vinicka
Kovačevac
Mioska
Miljevići
Gračanica
Milakovići
Točilovo
Bjelahova
Gostun
Borikovac
Zastup
Bare
Donja Drenova
Gornja Drenova
Zavinograđe

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Potok
Bukovik
Kruševo
Ivanje
Koševine
Divci
Brančiće
Divljaci
Jabuka
Gornje Junčeviće
Kaćevo
Gornja Kosatica
Donja Kosatica
Vranjak
Kolovrat
Čadinje
Ratajska
Suvodo
Kamena Gora
Kasice

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Mijane
Hrta
Dubravčiće
Svojčevo
Skokuće
Orašac
Gojakovići
Ivezići
Bojra
Pravoševo
Međani
Biskupiće
Srijeteži
Dušmanići
Zalug
Raišnjeva
Luke
Seljašnica
Donje Osoje
Orovac

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Čauševići
Seljane
Karoševine
Sedobro
Taševo
Gornji Stranjani
Donji Stranjani
Vodine
Mrčkovina
Koprivna
Slatina
Brvine
Oštra Stijena
Prijevoro
Rogojevac
Komadine
Crkveni Toci
Zabrdnji Toci
Hisardžik
Džurovo

| class="col-break " |

Kučin
Izbičanj
Zvjezd
Donje Junčeviće
Osoje
Mataruge
Brajkovac
Rasno
Miljanovica
Milešev Do
Gvozd
Sopotnica
Dečevo
Lučice
Mileševo
Bjelobabe

Template:EndMultiCol

Culture

There is a lot of historical monuments from the period of Christianity and from the Islam period as well. The Mileševa monastery is located 6 km to the east of Prijepolje on the Mileševka River. The monastery is famous for The White Angel fresco, a famous and widely-used religious icon in Serbia and as the former resting place of St. Sava, Serbia's most honored patriarch.

There is also a famous monument from the Turkish period, Sahat-Kula, and several mosques. There is Jusovicha's tower, made in the 18th century like house tower of rich person. It was built as safety living of rich owner. Reconstruction of this object, which is in plan, Prijepolje will get one more unique and interesting monument. Also in the mosque in Hisardzik (which is also specific,because it was made by wood),was recently found Kur'An old for about four centuries.

Museum of Prijepolje ,is very significant sight in cultural life of Prijepolje. It gathering most famous artists all over, to visit Prijepolje, and making the most largest projects to improve culture in this town. There is also amateurs of dramic scene of Home of culture (main cultural building after Museum in Prijepolje),leaded by Mesa Sendelj,and they are very active in refreshing the cultural life in Prijepolje.

Education

There are 2 kindergartens and one elementary school in the town. Prijepolje also has a Gymnasium, Technical high school, Economics high school, and a Higher Techical school.

Sport

In Prijepolje there is a many ways, for practising your sport skills. There is local football club "FK Polimlje", and "FK Jasen" from Brodarevo, place near town of Prijepolje, also there is voleyball clubs like "FAP-Livnica", "Putevi", and handball club "White angel", and chess clup "Priko". There is a lot of play fields in town, so the sport is very important over here. Traditionally every year on MOSI (regional sport games), both (male and female) voleyball team (which present Prijepolje) always win the first place.

Media

There is one weekly newspaper published in Prijepolje, "Polimlje", and there are three radio stations, there are a few web sites, like prijepolje.net, pr92.tk, prijepolje.co.sr, etc. There is two wireless internet operator,and one TV cable operator as well. Prijepolje has digital telephonic central since May of 2003. Also, there are two private TV and radio stations.

Night life

The night life in Prijepolje can be monotonous, with local cafes & night clubs all playing turbo folk music, but on the other hand, there is yearly regional festival called "Refract" where one can hear and see other cultural options. And it's worth to mention a new rock festival in Prijepolje, where is gathering rock bands from the local region. In 2005, the city hosted a Glaswegian Band, Quinn.The superstar of serbian hip hop, Marchelo,held a concert in this town.

Events

"Sopotnički izvori", near famous Sopotnica's waterfalls, which is stunning, where you can hear old national songs. - 29. of July
Also there is famous jumpings into water at Petrovac manifestation, where you can see most rated jumpers into water, from Balkan region. - 30. of July
There is a famous art colony called Mileševa,where you can see the most successful artist from this municipality. - August 5th to 12th
A sports entertaiment manifestation called "Gifts from Lim", where you can see beach volleyball contest of young sportists, a contest in best fish soup making and taste it, and the contest of best Prijepolje's son-in-law, where you can see some famous personalities, who have married women from Prijepolje. - 5. of August
"Rock fest", featuring performances by the best rock bands from Prijepolje and further afield.

Tourism

Turistic potential of Prijepolje is very large, Tichje Polje, Kamena Gora, Sopotnica and everything beneath them is wonderful...The nature is unrepeatable, cultural heritage fascinating, people are generous...Prijepolje was made for the development of transit tourism,everything is near main road, Lim, Gostun, everything is here...

are the words of Dragan Bosnić, journalist at Politika, the premier broadsheet in Serbia.

NGOs

There are registered 29 non-governmental organisations in Prijepolje, but the most active ones are New Vision, Integra, Argument, Woman Center, scout's "Bosko Buha",Cultural Front of Prijepolje, Friends of Brodarevo, Friends of Sopotnica and Friends of Kamena Gora.