Vusanje
| Vusanje Вусање Vuthaj | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
  Vusanje Location of Vusanje in Montenegro | |
| Coordinates: 42°31′46″N 19°50′25″E / 42.52944°N 19.84028°ECoordinates: 42°31′46″N 19°50′25″E / 42.52944°N 19.84028°E | |
| Country |
 Montenegro |
| Municipality | Plav |
| Population (2003) | |
| • Total | 866 |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
| Area code | +382 51 |
| Vehicle registration | PL |
Vusanje (Albanian: Vuthaj, Montenegrin and Serbian Cyrillic: Вусање) is a small town in Montenegro, located southwest of the town of Plav. According to the 2003 census, the town had a population of 866.
Geography
Vusanje is located within the Plav municipality, below the town of Gusinje. It is located in the geographical region of Upper Polimlje (Gornje polimlje), in the basin of the Lim river.[1] There is a notable waterfall in the area.
History
The village was formerly two separate settlements, Gornje Vusanje and Donje Vusanje (Горње и Доње Вусање). It has also been called Vusenje and Vušanje.
There is an old cemetery in the village, called "the Catholic cemetery".[2]
Culture
There are two mosques in the village (1990).[3]
Anthropology
The village is Albanian-inhabited, one of three Klimenti settlements along with Martinovići and Novšići in the Upper Polimlje region (1958).[1] The majority of families hail from the nearby village Vukël in Kelmend across the border in Albania.
Families
- Đonbaljaj and Đonbalić (Albanian: Gjonbalaj)
- Uljaj and Uljević (Albanian: Ulaj)
- Ahmetaj and Ahmetović (Albanian: Ahmetaj)
- Vučetaj and Vučetović (Albanian: Vuçetaj)
During SFR Yugoslavia, families wore Serbian(ized) surnames.[4]
Demographics
There is a high demographic vitality in Vusanje in relation to the other villages in the municipality.[5] The village is inhabited exclusively by Albanians,[6] Muslims by religion (2011 census).[7]
| Historical population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1948 | 781 | — |
| 1953 | 859 | +10.0% |
| 1961 | 935 | +8.8% |
| 1971 | 1,103 | +18.0% |
| 1981 | 1,399 | +26.8% |
| 1991 | 1,103 | −21.2% |
| 2003 | 866 | −21.5% |
| 2011 | 648 | −25.2% |
| Source: | ||
Notable people
- Isa Qosja, Albanian film director
- Rexhep Qosja (born 1936), Albanian writer and literary critic.
- Sadri Gjonbalaj, Retired Albanian-American soccer player
- Idriz Xh. Ulaj, Linguist, poet, newspaper editor, traditional oral history enthusiast and collector
- Zenun Çelaj, Journalist, newspaper editor, linguist, former political prisoner of the Serbian regime
- Lirak Çelaj, Actor, former member of KLA (Kosovo Liberation Army), politician
- Mimoza Ahmeti, Poet
- Ahmet Ulaj, Ulaj Family, Successful business family in the USA and the Balkans
- Isuf Ulaj, Doctor
- Jusuf Dedushaj, Doctor, Medical Professor
- Imer Alia Ahmetaj, Albanian intellectual, activist for Albanian educational rights in Montenegro, distinguished teacher of Plav-Guci region, former political prisoner
- Binak Ulaj, Linguist, professor, former director of "Xhevdet Doda", one of the most prominent high schools in the Balkans, former political prisoner of the Serbian regime
- Halil Ahmetaj, Doctor
- Bukurije Gjonbalaj, Ambassador of the Republic of Kosovo in Italy
- Brahim M.Ahmetaj, Professor
- Donat Qosja, Actor
- Ali Qosja, Lawyer
- Enver Dedushaj, Politician in the municipality of Guci (Gusinje)
- Rexhë Meta Ulaj (1906-1985), Albanian intellectual and patriot, distinguieshed alumni and scholar of Cambridge University, former prisoner of the Albanian Communist regime. He was sentenced with death penalty, but his sentence was later reduced to 27 years due to external interventions of the United States of America and the Great Britain
- Tale Ulaj Ahmetaj, first Albanian woman in Plave-Guci region to attend university
- Sulejman Çelaj, Medical Doctor, MD. Cardiologist, Director - Division of Cardiology at St. Barnabas Hospital in New York
- Çel Sh. Çelaj, Successful businessman in New York, NY
- Afrim Gjonbalaj, Journalist
- Dritan Gjonbalaj, General Director at Civil Aviation of Kosovo
- Enver Ulaj, Journalist
- Jeton Idriz Dedushaj, Albanian martyr, KLA (Kosovo Liberation Army)
- Rrustem Xh. Ulaj, Musician, Albanian traditional folklore
- Mustafë Qosja, Director of the Albanian School in New York, NY
- Ragip Goçaj, Politician at the municipality of Guci (Gusinje)
- Serena Bruçaj, Miss New York 2016
References
- 1 2 Barjaktarović 1958, p. 217.
- ↑ Barjaktarović 1958, p. 219.
- ↑ Madžida Bećirbegović (1990), Džamije sa drvenom munarom u Bosni i Hercegovini, Veselin Masleša, p. 192,
U okolini Gusinja, u selu Vusanje postoje dvije džamije sa drvenom munarom
- ↑ Vojska. 8. Vojnoizdavački i novinski centar. 1999. p. 48.
- ↑ Marko Knežević. "Проблеми привредног развоја општине Плав као узрок депопулације насеља". Velika.
- ↑ "Table N1. Population by etnicity by settlement". Census 2011 data - Settlements. MONSTAT.
- ↑ "Table N3. Population by religion by settlements". Census 2011 data - Settlements. MONSTAT.
Sources
- Barjaktarović, Mirko (1958). O grobljima i grobovima u gornjem polimlju. Bulletin du Musée ethnographique de Beograd. Muzej. pp. 217–219.