Podujevë or Besianë ( or Besiana) or Podujevo () is a city and municipality in the Pristina District in Kosovo. Podujevë is the largest municipality of Kosovo since it covers and is located in the historical and geographical region of Llap, named after the Llapi River, which flows through the city. According to the 2024 census, Podujevë has 70,975 inhabitants, making it the seventh most populous city in Kosovo after Peja and Gjakova.
History Antiquity Llap Region, which Podujevë is part of, was inhabited early due to favorable natural conditions. Even though many monuments documenting antiquity have disappeared, some still remain. Such documents are archeological sources such as: foundations of forts, cemeteries, tiles, weapons as well as various denominations.
The oldest inhabitants of Llapi were the Dardanians. The first settlements were built near the rivers. Economic branches were: hunting, animal husbandry, etc. During the Roman occupation, this area suffered a lot of damage, especially the fortified parts. An important center of this time was Vendenisi (now Gllamniku).
In the year 395, this territory falls under the rule of the Byzantine Empire.
Middle Ages Towards the end of the 9th century, the region of Llapi falls under Bulgarian rule, whose king was Knyaz Boris I. At the end of the 12th century and the beginning of the 13th century Byzantine rule weakened.
The region includes many Medieval Serbian monuments. In 1355, Emperor Stefan Dušan gave the village of Braina to Mount Athos. In 1381, Prince Lazar gave Orlane (a village in Podujevë) to his endowment, the Ravanica monastery. Ruins of old Serbian monasteries and churches exist at Orlane, Murgula (destroyed in the 15th century), Palatna, Slatina, Svetlje, Rakinica, Metohija (2), Donje Ljupce (destroyed in the 15th century), Gornja Pakastica (destroyed in the 15th century), Brevnik, Braina (3) and graveyards exist in most of these villages. The village of Brevnik had a notable medieval mine, and a fort with a church. Albanians are cited in the middle of the 14th century as miners and farmers while Albanian toponyms have been recorded in the area since the 15th century.
Ottoman period Podujevë remained under Ottoman Rule from 1455 to 1912. Podujevë was initially organized as a Nahije, and it was the largest one of Vushtrria. During the 15th to 18th centuries, Ottomans attempted to develop agriculture, farming, vineyards, beekeeping and handicrafts within the region. Mining activities were also present, especially in Bellasica, which was recognized as one of the most important mining areas in the Balkans.
In the defter of jizya in 1485, Llapi had 5,952 Christian families, while in 1488-1489 Llapi had 7,399 households. In the 18th century the Nahije of Llapi was part of Pristina's Sanjak. At this time, Llapi lost many residents due to two plagues that struck the place. During the Austro-Ottoman war, the Austrian army destroyed and robbed the town twice. Later, the region fought against the Ottomans. During the Serbian Revolution, the Serbian rebels got into the village of Reçica and killed 30 people, including Demë Ahmeti, an Albanian national hero who is later mentioned in songs. This happened on 28 June 1811, during the feast of Eid.
A rebellion against the Ottomans arose when Sultan Abdulmejid I proclaimed the Tanzimat reforms in 1839, which increased taxes and brought about many rebellions in Albanian-populated lands. The population of Llapi fought against these reforms and, during 1843, the Ottomans temporarily left Llapi to organize its reoccupation. The rebels gathered many soldiers from the surrounding regions and they beat the Ottomans, taking Pristina and encouraging a bigger rebellion in other regions. The rebellion was extinguished in 1847.
When Serbia acquired the Sanjak of Nis in 1877, many Albanians were expelled from their homes in Niš and the surrounding regions, and Llapi was one of their first destinations as they settled in Kosovo. There is not a single village in Podujevë where Muhaxhirs or migrants cannot be found. Furthermore, they established new villages.
The Albanians of Llapi, since the League of Prizren, refused to pay taxes to the Ottomans. The Ottomans built a military cantonment during 1892 and 1899 as they detected Serbian Army movements near the border.
The Albanian rebellion against Ottomans during 1906 was primarily organized in the Llapi region. Another Albanian rebellion was that of 1910 which also started in the Llapi region. The relationships between the residents and The Sublime Porte were becoming very strained and when Sulltan Mehmed Reshid V came to visit Kosovo and very few Llapi residents were present. Llapi is also known for its cooperation with Isa Boletini, who, during 1911, operated around this zone. Many soldiers from the villages of Llapi and Gallapi promised their loyalty to Isa Boletini in 1912, in the Bradash pledge. Their goal was to initiate the general Albanian rebellion against Ottoman Rule and they were part of the rebellion until it ended.
1912 until World War I When the neighbouring countries formed the Balkan League, Albanians felt at risk of being subjugated to these nations. Serbian forces engaged the border region where 16,000 Albanians were placed. The largest battle was fought in Merdare and lasted three days, where the Serbian army had up to 70.000 soldiers. Soon they took Merdare and the war continued in other fronts. From that time on, the region remained under Serbian control. Llapi remained a region of Pristina. In 1913, Llapi numbered 27,081 residents, while 10 years beforehand, 38,520 residents were present. On 20 August 1914, Serbia announced a decree in which the colonisation of its newly acquired territories was planned. This, and the process of disarmament of the local population, were key factors to the rise of the Kaçak guerilla movement.
World War I and World War II During the First World War, most of the Serbian army, led by the Serbian king Peter I, retreated through the Llapi region. During the retreat, war crimes (including robbing, killing and destruction of property) took place. Llapi was later taken by Bulgaria, which, from time to time, organized grain and cattle requisition. Starting from 1916, any people were deported and sent to work in different countries, most of them never returning. After the Bulgarian surrender, Bulgarian soldiers killed a lot of people and robbed many places during their retreat. Albanians would later form their own military formations for a short period of two months.
The region fell to Yugoslavian Kingdom. In the beginning, the Llapi region had 12 municipalities with 27.084 residents. Later, the number of municipalities was reduced. From 1929 to 1941, Podujevë was part of the Morava Banovina of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia; between the two World Wars, Albanians living in the region had no political rights. They were poor and heavily taxed, and corruption was evident in the administration. The main problem, however, was the Yugoslav colonisation of Kosovo, which Yugoslavia disguised as "agricultural reforms". The Albanian language was not used at all in public administration and schools. Many residents were forced to migrate to Turkey, while their land was given to Serbian and Montenegrin colonists who would eventually take 62% of infields. Even mosques were controlled by the state.
Armed resistance was mostly pushed by the Kachak Movement, since it was impossible to organize large groups of people. They managed to expel the Serbian colonists, but the consequences were far greater, as in the beginning of 1921 many massacres against the Albanian population would occur. In Sharban, 35 people were killed and 28 houses were burned. In Bellopoja, 40 people were killed and 57 houses were damaged. In Keqekolla, 490 people were killed and 40 houses were burned. In Prapashtica, 1011 people were killed and 80 houses were burned, in Nishevc, 150 heads of cattle were robbed. In Orllan, 14 people were killed, in Kushevica over 12 people were killed, in Repë over 12 people were killed, and in Popovë 573 people were killed and 55 houses were burned. In Velikoreka, 2 houses were burned, while in Gerdoc 27 people were killed and 2 houses were burned. In Lupç, 11 people were killed, and in Lepaja, 5 houses were burned.
From 1912 to 1918, around 8,000 Albanians were forced to leave their lands to migrate to Turkey, while during 1920–1924,280 Albanian families were also forced to leave. In contrast, 420 Slavic families were settled in the territory between 1920 and 1928, and by 1932, 3,474ha of land were given to colonists and 756 houses were built.
During World War II, Llapi was taken by the German army. The residents of Llapi did not submit to Serbian conscription and fled to the mountains. Germany captured Podujevë with an army including two tanks. Under the German administration, this region was called Llapi's nenprefektura.
Albanians requested that the authorities unify Albanian-inhabited regions under one administration, but this did not occur. During that time, all of Llapi had 42,942 residents. At the end of World War II, Serbia, Germany and Bulgaria were struggling for control of the town. There were greater numbers of military troops around Podujevë than there were residents. The residents later fled to Pristina in a 5 km convoy during October 1944. Earlier, the Germans gave Jahja Fusha authority of the town. 5,000 Albanian soldiers fought to protect the town against Serbians and Bulgarians alike. The fighting ended on 8 November 1944, after a long battle. The residents were required to come back to the town, and afterwards, some 500 men were killed without trial. 10 places are recorded to be mass graveyards. During World War II, Albanians looted and demolished the Serbian church in Podujevo. Cemeteries were destroyed, and Albanians fired rifles through the church. Starting from December 1994, Albanians were conscripted and sent to fight in other part of Yugoslavia.
After World War II
After World War II, the Llapi region was incorporated into Yugoslavia. Serbian administration collected 11,297,067 dinars under the guise of it being a punishment for the illegal enrichment of some locals. During 1950–1955, the Yugoslav authorities founded many directorates. When the constitution of 1963 was approved, the municipalities were in a better situation. In 1966, Podujevë had 58,604 citizens.
The economic situation deteriorated after changes by Serbian authorities in 1990. Prior to this, Yugoslavia's five-year plan of 1981-1985 did not offer a viable solution to the economic problems of the region's residents. During 1981–1991, 51 ethnic Albanian soldiers were wrongfully murdered during their service in the Yugoslavian army. In 1981, demonstrations were organized in Pristina, which was later followed by massive demonstrations all around Kosovo. The town of Podujevë was locked down at this time, except for the Medical Center. The route near the border was blocked, and so was the route to Pristina. Some local police were shot while driving tanks. Thousands of people were imprisoned.
Under Serbian control, Albanians were organized into several political parties such as "NDSh", or Albanian National Democratic Party, the Albanian Youth National Democratic Committee, The Albanian League and others. Demonstrations were organized in March 1989 and 1990. During this period, many workers were fired from their jobs and funding for educational institutions was halted. This continued for a while, but Albanians had organized private funds themselves so that the education process would not stop. During 1989–1997, 22 people were killed in the region. These actions motivated the Albanian populations to resolve their societal disputes. During 1990–1992, 114 bloodfeud issues and 60 other disputes were resolved.