Kosovska Mitrovica

in Kosovska Mitrovica

Kosovska Mitrovica - located in the northern region of Kosovo and Metohija, this city is also the center of the municipality of the same name. Kosovska Mitrovica is one of the oldest cities in this region. The first mentions of its existence come from old, medieval writings. The name "Mitrovica" originates from the 14th century, supposedly after the church of St. Dimitrije of Thessalonica, which King Milutin donated to the Banjska monastery in 1315, which was his endowment. According to reports, the Serbian cemetery surrounded the church, and since the 19th century Turks have also been buried there. Nearby today stands a monument dedicated to the insurgents-miners who joined the national liberation brigades in Serbia in 1941. After World War II, following the decision that one city in each province and republic of the SFRY should be named after President Josip Broz Tito, Kosovska Mitrovica was renamed Tito's Mitrovica, but in the 1990s the city got its previous name back. geographical position, the city is located on the southeastern edge of the Dinaric Mountains, where the Ibar turns before entering the gorge of the same name, in the north of the Kosovo region. The city is located north of the Kosovo Basin at 496m above sea level. Mountains Golija, Kopaonik and Mokra Gora surround Kosovska Mitrovica from the north, west and east, while in the south there are branches of Čičavica and in the north Rogozna. From the 19th century, the city entered a period of rapid growth because in that period an English company started the exploitation of zinc and lead ore in Trepča. This mine has been used since the time of Nemanjić, but now the process has been modernized and accelerated. Since then, Kosovska Mitrovica has grown into one of the most important, but unfortunately also the leading industrial centers in this region in terms of pollution. The Trepča mine goes hand in hand with the zinc and lead smelter that is also located here, and other large enterprises in the city are the superphosphate factory that produces sulfuric acid and artificial fertilizers, and the Trepča battery factory and others. Judging by numerous sources, the population of Kosovska Mitrovica used to be predominantly of Serbian origin, but after years of Turkish rule, the population structure changed to reflect a much larger presence of Muslim and mixed populations.