Decani
| Deçan | |
|---|---|
| Municipality | |
|
Deçan / Deçani Dečani / Дечани |
|
 Deçan
|
|
| Coordinates: 42°32′N 20°17′E / 42.533°N 20.283°ECoordinates: 42°32′N 20°17′E / 42.533°N 20.283°E | |
| Country | Kosovo |
| District | District of Gjakova |
| Municipalities | Deçan |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Rasim Selmanaj |
| Area | |
| • Total | 297 km2 (115 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 550 m (1,800 ft) |
| Population (2014) | |
| • Total | 40,847 |
| • Density | 140/km2 (360/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
| Postal code | 51000 |
| Area code(s) | +383 390 |
| Car plates | 03 |
| Website | Municipality of Deçan |
Deçan or Dečani (Albanian: Deçan, Deçani; Serbian: Дечани, Dečani, pronounced [dɛ̌t͡ʃani]) is a town and municipality in the Gjakova district of western Kosovo. It is a mountainous area which borders Montenegro and Albania. There is a total of 36 villages within the municipality. The territory of the municipality is 371 km2.
During the 1998–1999 war, Deçan was one of the strongholds of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and subsequently suffered a large amount of infrastructure destruction by the Serbian military and paramilitary forces. Much reconstruction has taken place with the assistance of the international agencies and support from the Kosovo Albanian diaspora. It is widely known amongst the Serbian population for the Visoki Dečani monastery of the Serbian Orthodox Church.
Deçan lies in the Prokletije mountain region. It is surrounded by the Beleg Mountain.
List of settlements:
In 2011, the population of the municipality numbered 38,984. "Others" includes Bosniaks, Kosovo Ashkalia, Egyptians and Roma. The non-Albanian communities mainly reside in the villages of Babaloq, Dubovik, Gramaçel, Posar, Rastavica, Shaptej. There are Serbian Orthodox clergy in the Visoki Dečani monastery.
The Serbian Orthodox monastery Visoki Dečani near the town is 36 meters by 24 meters with a tower 29 meters high. It was built between 1327 and 1335 by the medieval king Stefan Uroš III Dečanski of Serbia, and was dedicated to the Ascension of the Lord. The monastery is situated in the valley of the Dečanska Bistrica river surrounded by the mountains and forests of the Prokletije mountain range. It is regarded as the largest and best preserved medieval monastery in Kosovo. The founding charter of the monastery is dated 1330. The following year the King Stefan Uroš III died and was buried at the monastery, which henceforth became his popular shrine. Indeed, the epithet Dečanski refers to geographical location of the king's foundation of the monastery. Construction was continued by his son Emperor Stefan Uroš IV Dušan until 1335, but the wall-painting was not completed until 1350.
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Wikipedia