North Mitrovica

North Mitrovica, or North Kosovska Mitrovica (Albanian: Mitrovica e Veriut or Mitrovicë Veriore; Serbian: Северна Косовска Митровица / Severna Kosovska Mitrovica, known only as Ceвepнa Митровица / Severna Mitrovica), is a town and municipality located in Mitrovica District in Kosovo.[lower-alpha 1] As of 2015, it has a population of 29,460 inhabitants.[1] It covers an area of 11 km2 (4 sq mi).

North Mitrovica

North Kosovska Mitrovica
Town and municipality
View of North Mitrovica; Zvečan Fortress on the mountain to the left, and Trepča chimney on the right.
Flag
Emblem
Location of the municipality of North Mitrovica within Kosovo
Coordinates: 42°53′N 20°52′E
CountryKosovo[lower-alpha 1]
DistrictDistrict of Mitrovica
Settlements1
Established2013
Government
 • MayorAleksandar Spirić (acting) (Serb List)
Area
 • Total11 km2 (4 sq mi)
Elevation
515 m (1,690 ft)
Population
 • Estimate 
(2015)
29,460
 • Density2,678/km2 (6,940/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
38220
40000
Area code(s)+383(0)28
Car plates02
ClimateCfb
Websitewww.kosmitrovica.rs

North Mitrovica is a part of North Kosovo, a region with an ethnic Serb majority that functions largely autonomously from the remainder of ethnic Albanian-majority Kosovo. The municipality was established in 2013 after North Kosovo crisis,[2][3] previously being the settlement of the city of Mitrovica, divided by the Ibar river.

Following the 2013 Brussels Agreement, the municipality is planned to be the administrative center of the Community of Serb Municipalities.

Name

The northern part of Mitrovica (listen ; formerly "Kosovska Mitrovica") was commonly referred to as "North(ern) Kosovska Mitrovica" (Serbian: Северна Косовска Митровица/Severna Kosovska Mitrovica), however, as of late, the northern part is referred to as simply North Mitrovica (Albanian: Mitrovica e veriut; Serbian: Северна Митровица/Severna Mitrovica).

History

The city was officially part of Mitrovica, until its official separation in 2013. The separation came as a result of the North Kosovo crisis, following Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia in February 2008. The municipality was recognized by the Government of Kosovo in 2013 before the Kosovo local elections.

Monument to Serbian victims of Kosovo War

The city served as the de facto capital of the North Kosovo region which refused to work with the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo. Therefore, local Serbs formed the Assembly of Community of Municipalities, supported only by Serbia.

However, with the signing of the 2013 Brussels Agreement between the governments of Kosovo and Serbia, Serbia officially dropped its support for the assembly, agreeing to create a new Community of Serb Municipalities, an association of municipalities with Serb majority in Kosovo.[4]

Its assembly will have no legislative authority and the judicial authorities will be integrated and operate within the Kosovo legal framework.[5]

Demographics
Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
200822,000—    
201529,460+4.26%

According to the 2011 estimations by the Government of Kosovo, North Mitrovica has 3,393 households and 12,326 inhabitants.[6]

In 2015, according to a report by OSCE, the population of North Mitrovica Municipality stands at 29,460 inhabitants.[1]

Ethnic groups

The majority of North Mitrovica municipality is composed of Kosovo Serbs with more than 22,530 inhabitants (76.4%). Also, 4,900 (16.6%) Kosovo Albanians and 2,000 others live in the municipality.[1]

The ethnic composition of the municipality of North Mitrovica, including IDPs:[7][1]

Ethnic group 2015 est.
Serbs22,530
Albanians4,900
Bosniaks1,000
Gorani580
Turks210
Romani200
Ashkali40
Others-
Total29,460

Culture and education

North Mitrovica currently represents the most important political, cultural, educational and health centres for Serbs in Kosovo. It is the largest urban area in Kosovo where Serbs form the ethnic majority. The University of Priština is located in the area, having relocated from Pristina to Mitrovica during the Kosovo War. In 2013, after November elections in Kosovo, North Mitrovica officially became a separate municipality.[8]

Sport

The FK Trepča Sever and Rudar Kosovska Mitrovica are football clubs that are located in this part of the city. Currently FK Trepca plays in Serbian fourth-tier Morava Zone League while FK Rudar Kosovska Mitrovica plays in the fifth-tier Football First League of North Kosovo.

  • Church in North Mitrovica
  • Residential building in North Mitrovica
  • Kosovska Mitrovica Monument
  • Bridge dividing South and North Mitrovica
  • Trepča Mines factory

See also

Annotations
  1. Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Serbia. The Republic of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence on 17 February 2008, but Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own sovereign territory. The two governments began to normalise relations in 2013, as part of the 2013 Brussels Agreement. Kosovo is currently recognized as an independent state by 97 out of the 193 United Nations member states. In total, 112 UN member states recognized Kosovo at some point, of which 15 later withdrew their recognition.

References
  1. "North Mitrovica". osce.org. OSCE. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  2. "2013 Elections in Kosovo: North Mitrovica, a separate municipality". KQZ-Ks. Archived from the original on 2015-01-08. Retrieved 2015-01-08.
  3. "2013 Kosovo Elections (Page 38): North Mitrovica" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-01-09. Retrieved 2015-01-08.
  4. "Community of Serb Municipalities in Kosovo to be formed". InSerbia News. November 2013.
  5. "Brussels Agreement 2013" (PDF). Key number 10: 'The judicial authorities will be integrated and operate within the Kosovo legal framework ...
  6. "ESTIMATION of Kosovo population 2011" (PDF). ask.rks-gov.net. Government of Kosovo. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  7. osce.org. Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe https://web.archive.org/web/20110606091415/http://www.osce.org/documents/html/pdftohtml/1208_en.pdf.html. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 19 August 2017. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. "Official website". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2018.

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