| Janjevci |
|---|
| Total population |
|
10,000 approx. |
| Regions with significant populations |
| Croatia, Serbia (Kosovo) |
| Language(s) |
| Traditionally: Torlakian; officially Croatian |
| Religion(s) |
| Catholic |
| Related ethnic groups |
| Croats, Serbs, Bosniaks, South Slavs |
|
Janjevci are the inhabitants of the Kosovo town of Janjevo and surrounding villages, located near Priština as well as villages centered on Letnica near Vitina (Papare, Vrmez, Vrnavo Kolo).
Contents |
Origin and history
The Janjevci as a specific group are one of two regional communities in Kosovo who nationally identify as Croatian. They belong to the Slavic ethnicities and are believed to be mostly descended from traders who settled in Kosovo during the 14th century from the Republic of Dubrovnik, modern-day Croatia, and nearby Bosnia and Herzegovina. They have maintained their Catholic faith throughout the centuries. The first written mention is by pope Benedict XII in 1303, mentioning Janjevo as the center of the catholic parish of Sveti Nikola. Because of rising anti-Croat rhetorics and warmongering in Serbian media (especially in Serb media on Kosovo) in late 1980's and Serbia's war preparations for the conquest of Croatia in 1990/91 [1], and all the pressure and incidents arising from that, Croats from Janjevo and Letnica and other Croat-inhabited villages were more and more forced to leave Kosovo. They mostly migrated to Croatia.
The second wave of leaving Kosovo, came during Kosovo War.
In 1992, some inhabitants from Letnica, another Croatian village in Kosovo, emigrated to Croatia and settled in abandoned homes of Serbs in the villages of Voćin, Đulovac and Varešnica in western Slavonia. The previous Serb landlords, that sided with JNA and rebel Serbs, fled during the war (after successful liberating actions of Croatian police and military forces in late 1991), because of their participating in Voćin massacre, as well as in other attacks on Croatian civilians and civilian objects. Many of the Janjevci settled in Serb homes in inner Dalmatia in 1996, particularly the village of Kistanje, which was abandoned in 1995 following Operation Storm. After the return of Serb refugees, the village became divided between two hostile communities. The Janjevci have since returned the Serb houses to their owners and instead built properties for themselves in a new part of Kistanje called Novo Naselje (lit. New Settlement). Another population center of Janjevci is on and around Konjščinska Street in the Dubrava quarter of Zagreb. They have since turned this area into a vibrant shopping district. Janjevci families started migrating to Croatia in the 1950's, with most settling in Zagreb. By the beginning of the 1970's, there was a large community of Janjevci along and within the vicinity of Konjšćinska Street in Dubrava, Zagreb. Since that period, Konjšćinska Street became a synonym for Janjevci, a category of cheap trade.
Population
According to records in 2002, there are 966 families of Janjevci in Croatia, with the majority of them residing in the capital Zagreb (669 families), and the rest in other parts of Croatia (297 families). Before 1991, there were 8,062 Janjevci in Kosovo. In 1998 about 1,300 remained. After the Kosovo War, in Janjevo itself only around 350 remained, the rest fled mostly to Croatia.
Post war situation in Kosovo
The present situation for Croats in Kosovo is as described: 'With the downfall of Milošević's policy in Kosovo and with the exodus of most of the Serb population, the survival of the remaining Croat population also became uncertain. Albanian plunderers from neighbouring villages terrorised them and as a result they asked Croatia to help them leave Letnica collectively. [1] There is an attempt in progress to find a proper place for them in Croatia, and to enable it to take them all together on secure ground.
Present situation
In 2007, there are only 200 Croats left in Janjevo, with 60 of them being young people. The comunity is slowly moving all to Croatia, while Albanians and Roma are buying their properties in Janjevo. The remaining Croats of Janjevo have gave their support for an independant Kosovo, but they have said if their conditions in Janjevo do not get better very soon they will all leave Kosovo in one last group to Croatia. In the municipality of Vitina, which the village of Letnica is in, there is only 60 Croats left according to the 2003 Kosovo population census.
See also
External links
- http://www.vecernji.hr/newsroom/news/croatia/810342/index.do
- http://free-zg.htnet.hr/Janjevo/index.povijest.htm
- http://www.zvonik.org.yu/1041/ZV03.html
- http://www.hrt.hr/arhiv/hrvati_u_svijetu/izbor_iz_emisija/11-99/hrvati_s_kosova_eng.html
- http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:Iyc4F51NZ-UJ:www.unizd.hr/odjeli/geografija/Geoadria/Geo%25209-1/Siljkovic-Glamuzina%25209-1.pdf+Dubrava+janjevci&hl=en&gl=au&ct=clnk&cd=2
- http://www.hrt.hr/arhiv/hrvati_u_svijetu/izbor_iz_emisija/05-2001/kosovo.html
- http://www.hrt.hr/arhiv/hrvati_u_svijetu/izbor_iz_emisija/11-99/hrvati_s_kosova_eng.html
- http://www.klapa-janjevo.hr/
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