LeposaviÃÂ (, ), also known as Leposaviq or Albanik ( or Albaniku), is a town and the northernmost municipality in the Mitrovica District in Kosovo. As of 2015, it has an estimated population of 18,600 inhabitants. The municipality covers an area of which makes it the fifth largest in Kosovo, and consists of the town and 72 villages.
It is a part of North Kosovo, a region with an ethnic Serb majority. As per the 2013 Brussels Agreement, the municipality is expected to become part of a proposed Community of Serb Municipalities.
Although historically known as LeposaviÃÂ in Serbian and Leposaviq in Albanian and being an area of primarily Serbian settlement, the town has been referred to as Albanik on some maps produced by KFOR since Kosovo's declaration of independence. Albanik is preferred over Leposaviq in Kosovar governmental documents translated into English.
From 1877 to 1913 Leposaviàwas part of Kosovo vilayet. LeposaviÃÂ, then a village, was the scene of fighting during the SerbianâÂÂTurkish Wars from 1876-1878.
After the First Balkan War (1912), Kosovo was internationally recognised as a part of Serbia and northern Metohija as a part of Montenegro at the Treaty of London in May 1913. In 1918, the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, later named Yugoslavia was established by the merging of the Western South Slavic states. Between 1929 and 1941, the region was administratively part of the Zeta Banovina.
Leà ¡ak, Belo Brdo, VraÃÂevo, Berberià ¡te were incorporated into the Leposaviàmunicipality in 1953.
In the midâÂÂ1950s, the Assembly of PR Serbia decided that the Leposaviàmunicipality be ceded to Autonomous Region of Kosovo and Metohija, after requests by the Kosovo leadership. It had up until then been part of the Kraljevo srez, of which the population was wholly Serb. After this, the number of Serbs drastically fell. In 1959, Leposaviàwas incorporated into the province.
After the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, the political group Pokret za LeposaviÃÂ ("Movement for LeposaviÃÂ") was established, which sought to bring together those committed to cooperation and communication with the international community and the Albanians.
Aside from the town of LeposaviÃÂ, the municipality includes the following villages:
According to the 2011 estimations by the Government of Kosovo, LeposaviÃÂ has 4,193 households and 13,773 inhabitants. In 2015 report by OSCE, the population of LeposaviÃÂ municipality stands at 18,600 inhabitants. The municipality of LeposaviÃÂ includes the town and 72 villages.
The majority of Leposaviàmunicipality is composed of Kosovo Serbs with around 18,000 inhabitants (96.4%), while 350 Bosniaks and 270 Kosovo Albanians live in the municipality. Kosovo Albanians live in the three southern villages of Bistrica e Shalës, Cerajë, and Koshutova.
The ethnic composition of the municipality of LeposaviÃÂ, including IDPs:
Almost all industrial facilities are closed or work with reduced capacity. The unemployment rate is also high, and it has been considerably increased due to the closing down of most of the TrepÃÂa conglomerate facilities. The municipality is rich in natural, infrastructure and management, but current circumstances blocked all the potentials. The municipality adopted the Development Agenda 2006 â 2009, in cooperation with United Nations Office for Project Services and with the support of UNMIK and the Italian Government, which foresees improvement in the local economy. However, with the current difficult situation, there is not much hope that the agenda will be properly implemented. The municipality, led by a very proactive chief executive officer, pays noteworthy efforts toward identifying and initiating projects ideas.
There are three lead and zinc mines operating on the territory of LeposaviÃÂ: Belo Brdo, Crepulje and Crnac.
The NGO Caritas Kosovo maintains a regional office in LeposaviÃÂ.
The municipality has several monuments protected by the Republic of Serbia as part of the cultural heritage list.
The following Serbian Orthodox churches are located in LeposaviÃÂ: