Novo Brdo

Novo Brdo () or Novobërda and Artana ( or "Artanë"), is a municipality located in the Pristina district of Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, it has a population of 6,729 inhabitants. The center of the municipality is the village of Bostane.
After the 2013 Brussels Agreement, the municipality became part of the Community of Serb Municipalities.
Name.
In Serbian (and also English) "Novo Brdo" is used, literally meaning "New Hill". The name was derived from the medieval Serbian mining town of Novo Brdo. In Albanian, "Novobërdë" or "Artanë" is used.
History.
Novo Brdo is an archaeological site. Novo Brdo was mentioned with its present name in historical documents as early as 1326. Previously it was known as "Novus Mons" or "Novamonte" in Latin and as "Nyeuberghe" in Saxon texts. The famous Bulgarian scribe Vladislav the Grammarian was born here.
Novo Brdo was a metropolis at the time, with a huge medieval fortress built on the top of an extinct volcano cone, the remains of which can be visited today, and residential sections sprawling all around. In the outer wall of the fortress a large cross is visible, built into the stones. The castle, or fortress, was thought at one point to have dated back to the time of the Serbian Empire. The population at its height was estimated to exceed 5,000 people. At the first half of 15th century, Serbian Orthodox bishops of Lipljan resided in Novo Brdo. There were mines and smelting furnaces for iron, lead, gold and silver ores. Novo Brdo silver is known by its glam silver (argentum de glama, an alloy of silver with 1/6-1/3 gold). In 1450 the mines of Novo Brdo were producing about 6,000 kg of silver per year. The medieval settlement was an important producer of Serbian pottery and other goods.
Novo Brdo was the last Serbian town to remain standing during the first invasion. In 1439 the capital of Smederevo fell and Serbia resisted until finally Novo Brdo fell in 1441. Novo Brdo was by treaty restored to the Serbs in 1443. The fortress (named in Turkish "Nobırda") came under siege for forty days by the Ottomans, before capitulating and becoming occupied by the Ottomans on 1 June 1455. This event is described by Konstantin Mihailović from Ostrovica near Novo Brdo, who was taken by the Ottomans along with some 300 other boys to be trained as Janissaries. All of the higher ranking Serbian officials were executed after the castle fell, with the younger men and boys being taken captive to serve in the Ottoman Army, and some 700 young Serbian women and girls being taken to be wives to Ottoman commanders.
By the early 20th century, Novo Brdo's population dwindled, with most inhabitants moving to the more easily accessible area of Gjilan. In 1999, with the entry into Kosovo of KFOR and the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), the area had a small military outpost occupied by US soldiers, as well as a station of International Police and Kosovo Police.
Economy.
There are two lead and zinc mines operating on the territory of Novo Brdo: Kišnica and Novo Brdo.
Demographics.
According to the last official census done in 2011, the municipality has a population of 6,729 inhabitants. In 2020 estimate, the municipality had 7,121 inhabitants.
Settlements.
Municipality of Novo Brdo consists of 26 settlements with following populations:
Ethnic groups.
The municipality of Novo Brdo is ethnically mixed, mostly consisting of Kosovo Serbs (60%), Albanians (39%) and other minorities.
The ethnic composition of the municipality of Novo Brdo, including IDPs: