Vranje (, ) is a city in Southern Serbia and the administrative center of the Pčinja District. According to the 2022 census, the city itself had a population of 55,214 while the city administrative area had 74,381 inhabitants.
Vranje is the economical, political and cultural centre of the Pčinja District in Southern Serbia. It was the first city from the Balkans to be declared UNESCO city of Music in 2019. It is located on the Pan-European Corridor X, close to the borders with North Macedonia, Kosovo and Bulgaria. The Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of Vranje is seated in the city, as is the 4th Land Force Brigade of the Serbian Army.
Etymology The toponym Vranje is first attested in an 11th-century Byzantine text. The town's name is believed to be derived from vran, a word of Slavic origin meaning swarthy or dark, or the archaic Slavic given name Vran, which itself is derived from the same word.
History
The Romans conquered the region in the 2nd or 1st centuries BC. Vranje was part of Moesia Superior and Dardania during Roman rule. The Roman fortresses in the Vranje region were abandoned during the Hun attacks in 539–544 AD; these include the localities of Kale at Vranjska Banja, Gradište in Korbevac and Gradište in Prvonek.
During the Middle Ages, in the 9th-11th centuries, the territory of modern-day Vranje was a part of Bulgaria.
The first written mention of Vranje comes from Byzantine chronicle Alexiad by Anna Comnena (1083–1153), in which it is mentioned how Serbian ruler Vukan in 1093, as part of his conquests, reached Vranje and conquered it, however only shortly, as he was forced to retreat from the powerful Byzantines. The city name stems from the Old Serbian word vran ("black"). The second mention is from 1193, when Vranje was temporarily taken by Serbian Grand Prince Stefan Nemanja from the Byzantines. Vranje definitely entered the Serbian state in 1207 when it was conquered by Grand Prince Stefan Nemanjić.
Some time before 1306, tepčija Kuzma was given the governorship of Vranje (a župa, "county", including the town and neighbouring villages), serving King Stefan Milutin. At the same time, kaznac Miroslav held the surroundings of Vranje. Next, kaznac Baldovin (fl. 1325–45) received the province around Vranje, serving King Stefan Dečanski.Starinar 1936, p. 72: "... сродника и наследника кнеза Балдовина. Кнез Балдовин je из времена краља Стефана Уроша III Дечанског (1321–1331). Пре њега je, изгледа, био y Врањи тепчија Кузма, a пре овога казнац Мирослав (свакако онај исти који ce помиње y ..." Next, župan Maljušat, Baldovin's son, held the župa of Vranje. By the time of the proclamation of the Serbian Empire, holders with the title kefalija are present in Vranje, among other cities. During the fall of the Serbian Empire, Vranje was part of Uglješa Vlatković's possessions, which also included Preševo and Kumanovo. Uglješa became a vassal of Serbian Despot Stefan Lazarević after the Battle of Tripolje (1403); Vranje became part of Serbian Despotate.
The medieval župa was a small landscape unit, whose territory expanded with creation of new settlements and independence of hamlets and neighbourhoods from župa villages and shepherd cottages. Good mercantile relations with developing mine city Novo Brdo led to creation of numerous settlements. In 1455, Vranje was conquered by the Ottoman Empire, amid the fall of the medieval Serbian state. It was organized as the seat of a kaza (county), named Vranje, after the city and the medieval župa.
Vranje was part of the Ottoman Empire until 1878, when the town was captured by the Serbian army commanded by Jovan Belimarković. The urban population of Vranje consisted of 30,061 Christian and 12,502 Muslim males, with total number of 2,500 Serbian houses and 2,000 Muslim houses. The urban Muslim population of Vranje in the mid-19th century consisted of Turks and Albanians. para. 6. "According to the information about the language spoken among the Muslims in the cities, we can see of which nationality they were. So, the Muslim population of Niš and Pirot consisted mostly of Turks; in Vranje and Leskovac they were Turks and Albanians"; para. 11. "The Turks have been mostly city dwellers. It is certain, however, that part of them was of Albanian origin, because of the well-known fact that the Albanians have been very easily assimilated with Turks in the cities."; para. 26, 48. During the Serbian–Ottoman Wars (1876–1878), most of the Albanian population of Vranje was forced to flee to the Ottoman vilayet of Kosovo and others Muslims such as Turks fled from the city as well. The only Muslim population permitted to remain after the war in the town were Serbian speaking Muslim Romani of whom in 1910 numbered 6,089 in Vranje."Vranje itself became a major Gypsy centre, with a large population of Serbian-speaking Muslim Gypsies. After the nineteenth- century expulsions of Muslim Slavs and Muslim Albanians from the Serbian state, these Gypsies were virtually the only Muslims permitted to remain on Serbian soil: in 1910 there were 14,335 Muslims in the whole kingdom of Serbia (6,089 of them in Vranje), and roughly 90 per cent of the urban Muslims were Gypsies." Vranje entered the Principality of Serbia, with little more than 8,000 inhabitants at that time. Up until the end of the Balkan Wars, the city had a special position and role, as the transmissive station of Serbian state political and cultural influence on Macedonia.
In the early 20th century, Vranje had around 12,000 inhabitants. As a border town of the Kingdom of Serbia, it was used as the starting point for Serbian guerrilla (Chetniks) who crossed into Ottoman territory and fought in Kosovo and Macedonia. In World War I, the main headquarters of the Serbian army was in the town. King Peter I Karađorđević, Prime Minister Nikola Pašić and the chief of staff General Radomir Putnik stayed in Vranje. Vranje was occupied by the Kingdom of Bulgaria on 16–17 October 1915, after which war crimes and Bulgarisation was committed on the city and wider region.
After the war, Vranje was part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes in one of the 33 oblasts; in 1929, it became part of the Vardar Banovina. During World War II, Nazi German troops entered the town on 9 April 1941 and transferred it to Bulgarian administration on 22 April 1941. Per general Walter Oxley Vranje was captured Bulgarian Second Army during the Niš operation in the mid. of October 1944 and it was aided by the Yugoslav Partisans.
During Socialist Yugoslavia, Vranje was organized into the Pčinja District. In the 1960s and 1970s it was industrialized.
On 3 June 1993, a mass shooting occurred in Vranje where the perpetrator, Jožef Meneder fired upon the Yugoslav Army barracks in the South Morava bridge, killing 6 army privates and 1 ensign and injuring another 4 privates, before taking his own life.
During the 1990s, the economy of Vranje was heavily affected by the sanctions against Yugoslavia and the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia.
Geography Vranje is situated in the northwestern part of the Vranje basin, on the left waterside of the South Morava.
Vranje is at base of the mountains Pljačkovica (), Krstilovice () and Pržar (). The Vranje river and the city are divided by the main road and railway line, which leads to the north Leskovac (70 km), Niš () and Belgrade (), and, to the south Kumanovo (), Skopje () and Thessalonica (). It is from the border with Bulgaria, from the border with North Macedonia.
Vranje is the economical, political, and cultural centre of the Pčinja District in South Serbia. The Pčinja District also includes the municipalities of Bosilegrad, Bujanovac, Vladičin Han, Preševo, Surdulica, and Trgovište. It is located on the Pan-European Corridor X.
Climate
Demographics The city population has been expanded by Yugoslav-era settlers and urbanization from its surroundings. Serb refugees of the Yugoslav Wars (1991–95) and the Kosovo War (1998–99), especially during and following the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, as well as emigrants from Kosovo in the aftermath of the latter conflict have further increased the population.
According to the 2022 census results, there are 74,381 inhabitants in the city of Vranje.
Ethnic groups The ethnic composition of the city administrative area (2011 census): Ethnic group Population%Serbs76,56991.67%Roma4,6545.57%Bulgarians5890.71%Macedonians2550.31%Montenegrins480.06%Gorani430.05%Croats330.04%Yugoslavs220.03%Muslims170.02%Albanians130.02%Russians100.01%Others1,2711.52%Total83,524
Municipalities and settlements
The city of Vranje consists of two city municipalities: Vranje and Vranjska Banja. Their municipal areas include the following settlements:
Municipality of Vranje
Aleksandrovac Barbarušince Barelić Beli Breg Bojin Del Bresnica Buljesovce Buštranje Crni Lug Čestelin Ćukovac Ćurkovica Davidovac Dobrejance Donja Otulja Donje Punoševce Donje Trebešinje Donje Žapsko Donji Neradovac Dragobužde Drenovac Dubnica Dulan Dupeljevo Golemo Selo Gornja Otulja Gornje Punoševce Gornje Trebešinje Gornje Žapsko Gornji Neradovac Gradnja Gumerište Katun Klašnjice Koćura Kopanjane Kruševa Glava Krševica Kupinince Lalince Lepčince Lukovo Margance Mečkovac Mijakovce Mijovce Milanovo Milivojce Moštanica Nastavce Nova Brezovica Oblička Sena Ostra Glava Pavlovac Pljačkovica Preobraženje Ranutovac Rataje Ribnice Ristovac Roždace Rusce (Vranje) Sikirje Smiljević Soderce Srednji Del Stance Stara Brezovica Strešak Stropsko Struganica Studena Surdul Suvi Dol Tesovište Tibužde Trstena Tumba Urmanica Uševce Viševce Vlase (Vranje) Vranje Vrtogoš Zlatokop
Municipality of Vranjska Banja
Babina Poljana Bujkovac Crni Vrh Duga Luka Izumno Klisurica Korbevac Korbul Kriva Feja Kumarevo (Vranje) Leva Reka Lipovac Nesvrta Panevlje Prvonek Prevalac Sebevranje Slivnica Stari Glog Toplac Vranjska Banja
Society and culture Culture
Vranje was an important Ottoman trading site. The White Bridge is a symbol of the city and is called "most ljubavi" (lovers' bridge) after the tale of the forbidden love between the Muslim girl Ajša and Christian Stojan that resulted in the father killing the couple. After that, he built the bridge where he had killed her and had the story inscribed in Ottoman Arabic. The 11th-century Markovo Kale fortress is in the north of the city. The city has traditional Balkan and Ottoman architecture.
The well-known theater play Koštana by Bora Stanković is set in Vranje.
Vranje is famous for its popular old music. The best known music is from the theater piece with music, Koštana, by Bora Stanković. This original music style has been renewed recently by taking different, specific, and more oriental form, with the contribution of rich brass instruments. It is played particularly by the Vranje Romani people.
Vranje is the seat of Pčinja District and, as such, is a major center for cultural events in the district. Most notable annual events are Borina nedelja, Stari dani, Dani karanfila (in Vranjska Banja), etc.
Vranje lies close to Besna Kobila mountain and Vranjska Banja, locations with high potential that are underdeveloped. Other locations in and around Vranje with some tourist potential include Prohor Pčinjski monastery, Kale-Krševica, Markovo kale, Pržar, birth-house museum of Bora Stankovic.
Largest hotels are Hotel Vranje, near the center and Hotel Pržar overlooking the city and the valley. The city has traditional Serbian cuisine as well as international cuisine restaurants and many cafes and bars.
Culture institutions
National Museum (in former Pasha's residence, built in 1765) Youth Cultural Centre National Library Centre for Talents Theater "Bora Stanković" Tourist organization of Vranje
Sport The city has a football team, SU Dinamo Jug, since 2022. It has replaced Dinamo Vranje, which has since been disbanded.
Economy