Istok

Istok or Istog (Albanian: Istog, Istogu, Serbian: Исток, Istok) or Burim[1] is a town and municipality located in the Peć District of western Kosovo[lower-alpha 1]. According to the 2011 census, the town of Istok has 5,115 inhabitants, while the municipality has 39,289 inhabitants. Based on the population estimates from the Kosovo Agency of Statistics in 2016, the municipality has 39,982 inhabitants.

This article is about a town in Kosovo. For other uses, see Istok (disambiguation).

Istog
Town and municipality
Albanian: Istog / Istogu Albanian: Burim / Burimi Serbian: Исток / Istok
Town panorama of Istog
Coat of arms
Location of the municipality of Istok within Kosovo
Coordinates: 42°47′N 20°29′E
Country	Kosovo[lower-alpha 1]
District	District of Peć
Government
• Mayor	Haki Rugova (LDK)
• Municipal	454 km^2 (175 sq mi)
Elevation	480 m (1,570 ft)
Population  (2011)
• Urban	5,115
• Municipal	39,289
• Municipal density	87/km^2 (220/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	31000
Area code(s)	+383
Car plates	03
Website	kk.rks-gov.net/istog

Name

The name of the town comes from the version of the Serbian word istok (variant istek), meaning "well, water source" referring to the springs of the Istočka river, a tributary to the White Drin river.[2] The name of the nearby village of Vrela, one of the largest settlements in the municipality, also means "springs", as does the newly proposed Albanian name of the town, Burimi.

History

The Ottoman defter (tax registry; census) of 1582 registered the Peć nahiyah as having 235 villages, of which Suho Grlo (Suvo Grlo) was located within modern Istok municipality. Suvo Grlo had three bigger mahala (neighbourhoods), whose inhabitants were Serbs. One of the neighbourhoods converted to Islam. There were several Orthodox priests in the village.[3]

Demographics

Municipal historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1948	25,292	—
1953	28,555	+2.46%
1961	33,779	+2.12%
1971	41,009	+1.96%
1981	50,104	+2.02%
1991	57,261	+1.34%
2011	39,289	−1.87%
2016 est.	39,604	+0.16%
Source: Division of Kosovo

Urban historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1948	2,074	—
1953	2,111	+0.35%
1961	2,657	+2.92%
1971	3,467	+2.70%
1981	4,478	+2.59%
1991	6,384	+3.61%
2011	5,115	−1.10%
Source: Cities of Kosovo

According to the last official census done in 2011, the municipality of Istok has 39,289 inhabitants.

Ethnic groups

The municipality of Istok has an ethnic Kosovo Albanian majority. Most of the Kosovo Serbs live in the village of Osojane.[4] Osojane is to the east of the city Istok; also part of the Serbs lives in northern part of the municipality.

The ethnic composition of the municipality:

Ethnic Composition, Including IDPs
Year/Population	Albanians	%	Serbs	%	Montenegrins	%	Bosniaks	%	Roma/Ashkali	%	Total
1961	19,067	56.45	9,097	26.91	3,804	11.25	881	2.6	16		33,799
1971	27,371	66.74	8,944	21.81	2,420	5.90	1,876	4.57	243	0.59	41,009
1981	35,972	71.79	7,736	15.44	1,856	3.70	3,545	7.08	747	1.49	50,104
1991	43,910	76.68	5,968	10.42	1,302	2.27	4,070	7.11	1,346	2.35	57,261
1998	51,000	80.1	7,270	11.4
2006	41,000	92	540	1.2			1,330	2.9	1,740	3.9	44,610
2011	36,154		194				1,142		151		39,289
Ref: Yugoslav Population Censuses for data through 1991, and Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe estimates for data in 1998 and 2006, 2011 estimate

Economy

After World War II, watermills on the river of Istok were nationalized and a new fish plant was built to operate as a socially owned enterprise. The company's name under Yugoslavia was "Ribnjak", meaning "piscatory" or "fishery" in Serbian. It was later privatized as Motel "Trofta", meaning "trout" in Albanian - the type of fish it has and is still producing, selling, and distributing. The company employs around 70 people. The company acts as a hotel and restaurant, often hosting traditional weddings. The hotel provides hotel rooms as well as small bungalows by the river.

Notable people

• Fadil Ferati, Mayor of Istok from 1999 to 2010
• Fatmire Bajramaj, footballer
• Mergim Brahimi, footballer
• Besim Kabashi, kickboxer
• Abdul Qader Arnaout, Islamic scholar
• Azdren Llullaku, footballer
• Ibrahim Rugova, former President of Kosovo
• Adnan Januzaj, footballer
• Radoš Ljušić, Serbian historian
• Mërgim Mavraj, footballer
• Donis Avdiaj, footballer
• Selman Kadria, local hero known for the assassination of a Serbian military commander

See also

• District of Peć
• Bosniaks in Kosovo
• KF Istogu

Notes and references

Notes:

1. Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Serbia. The Republic of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence on 17 February 2008, but Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own sovereign territory. The two governments began to normalise relations in 2013, as part of the 2013 Brussels Agreement. Kosovo is currently recognized as an independent state by 97 out of the 193 United Nations member states. In total, 112 UN member states recognized Kosovo at some point, of which 15 later withdrew their recognition.

References:

1. Robert Elsie (2010). Historical Dictionary of Kosovo. Scarecrow Press. p. 297.
2. Jovan Đ. Marković (1990): Enciklopedijski geografski leksikon Jugoslavije, page 87; Svjetlost-Sarajevo; ISBN 86-01-02651-6
3. Vasić, Milan (1991), "Etnički odnosi u jugoslovensko-albanskom graničnom području prema popisnom defteru sandžaka Skadar iz 1582/83. godine", Stanovništvo slovenskog porijekla u Albaniji : zbornik radova sa međunarodnog naučnog skupa održanog u Cetinju 21, 22. i 23. juna 1990 (in Serbo-Croatian), OCLC 29549273
4. Tanjug (12 July 2012). "Ivanović: Uspešan povratak Srba u Osojane". Blic.rs (in Serbian).

External links

• Media related to Istok at Wikimedia Commons
• Municipality website (in Albanian)