- Kolašin
Infobox Montenegro
city_name=Kolašin
city_name_cyr=Колашин
mayor=Mileta Bulatović (SNP - NS)
area=897
population=2,989
municipality=9,949
Time zone=UTC +1
founded=17th century
latitude=42.82
longitude=19.52
area_code=20
car_plates=KL
postal=81210
website=www.kolasin.cg.yu/
location_pic=
flag_pic=
coa_pic=Kolasin coat.gif
colour_scheme=background:#cccccc;Kolašin (
Serbian Cyrillic : Колашин, is a town in northernMontenegro . It has a population of 2,989 (2003 census).Kolašin is the centre of Kolašin municipality (population 9,949) and unofficial centre of Morača region, named after
Morača River .History
Kolašin , fortress - settlement, was raised by the Turks in the middle of the 17 th century in the namesake village in Nikšić district (nahiye). The village of Kolašin was first mentioned in the Sultan‘s Decree in 1565, by which the deceased Grand Duke Miloš was replaced by his son Todor. The Turkish town was named after the former village of Kolašin.
In 1651, Patriarch Gavrilo assignes Eparch of Zahumsko, the Eparchy of Nikšić,
Plana , the Kolašinovićevs and theMorača toBasil of Ostrog . This document also, like the one from 1667, shows that the Orthodox Christian population of this region called the Kolašinovići, was organized in a recognized and respected tribal community of the Kolašinovićs. The historical science and sources recognize the surname Kolašinović. By all odds, the name was also derived, same as the name of the region, fortress - settlement and the tribe from the same source - the village of Kolašin.The origin and the meaning of the word Kolašin is still unknown although there is a whole range of linguistic hypotheses.
According to one version there was a Slavic Duke Kolašin who erected the settlement of Kolašin. Maybe the village of Kolašin from Sultan‘s Decree was that Kolašin from oral tradition and the settlement of the Slavic Duke Kolašin whose title had been inheritable and the tribe influential.
By the decisions of the
Congress of Berlin , in 1878, Kolašin officially became a part of Montenegro. This was preceeded with fierce fighting with theOttoman Empire over the Kola [in region. Constant battles had been waged by the members ofRovca ,Drobnjaci , Morača,Vasojevići ,Uskoci and other Montenegrin tribes to liberate this and other parts of the land from the Ottomans.It was back in 1798 when young "Mina Radović", the son of tke "Duke Radule", who had been killed by the Turks, ambushed and killed Hasanbeg Mekić, who had come to collect taxes, in the vicinity of
Morača monastery . The attack had been arranged with the Montenegrin rulerPetar I Petrović-Njegoš . "Mina Radović" received the title of Duke and, in 1799, during the convention of the people‘s prominent representatives of Montenegro and the Hills held inCetinje , he was nominated a member of the Court Administration of Montenegro and the Hills, in charge of judicial and administrative power. This meant that the Montenegrin government considered the Morača region to be a legitimate part of Montenegro.There is a document written by "Duke Miljan Vukov", who headed the Vasojević tribe in that battle, about the attack on Kolašin in 1858. It was the bloodiest battle in whole Montenegro: "I participated in many a battle as ? Flag bearer, captain and war lord – he testified – but none of them had been so fierce and bloody as was the battle for taking Kolašin in 1858, which was, truly, one of the bloodiest that had ever happened in the vicinity of Montenegro."
The victory in that bloody battle established the new borders of Montenegro towards the regions that still remained under the Turkish rule. Fighting for liberation continued on the left bank of the
Tara River (Montenegro) around the Lower Kolašin villages. The Lipovo battle in 1872 is particulary remembered. There was no peace until the Congress of Berlin when Kolašin joined the principality and later the
Tara RiverKingdom of Yugoslavia created immediately after theWorld War I , all until it was disintegrated.A year or two after the Congress of Berlin, the Kolašin brigade of Montenegro's people's army was formed. During the World War I , by the end of 1915 and in the beginning of 1916, it played a mayor part under the command of Serdar
Janko Vukotić as part of theSandžak army. In the famousBattle of Mojkovac , it successfully defended the "gates of Mojkovac" having repelled all the attack by much more numerous soldiers of the Austro - Hungarian army.In the liberation wars between 1912 and 1918, the brigade lost more than 1000 soldiers and officers.In the
Second World War , the Kolašin region again suffered hardship, heavy human consualties and distruction. After the Italian capitulation, this part of Montenegro was free and so, onNovember 15 and 16, 1943, the "First Session of the National Antifascist Council of Montenegro and Boka" was held in Kolašin, attented by 544 delegates from all regions of Montenegro and 42 of them from Kolašin district, and its decisions were of critical importance for rerconstruction and rebuilding of the Montenegrin state. In those days, Kolašin was the "war capital" of Montenegro.The very town of Kolašin changed hands several times between 1941 and 1944. It was bombarded 18 times by the Germans and Italians. Finally, on
December 29 , 1944, the town was liberated by the soliders of the "fifth Montenegrin poletarian bigade". In the national liberation struggle in the period of 1941-1945, more than 1400 soldiers from the Kolašin region took part and almost 400 died. Around 250 patriots lost their lives in various aggressor‘s torture chambers and on execution sites, and there were quite a lot of futile victims of fratricidal war.Population
Kolašin is administrative centre of Kolašin municipality, which in 2003 had a population of 9,949. The town of Kolašin itself has 2,989 citizens.
Population of Kolašin:
*March 03 ,1981 - 2,439
*March 03 ,1991 - 2,807
*November 1 ,2003 - 2,989Ethnic groups (1991 census):
*Montenegrins (93.16%)
*Serbs (4.34%)Ethnic groups (2003 census):
*Montenegrins (50.65%)
*Serbs (44.77%)Administration
Mayor
Mileta-Mikan Bulatović is the mayor of Kolasin. He was elected in 2006 as a candidate of the
Socialist People's Party of Montenegro and the People's Party by a 56% majority or 3,381 of the popular vote, over a candidate of theDemocratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro , Milosav Bato Bulatović who received only 2,656 or 44%.Municipal Assembly
2006 election:
* Coalition SNP-NS - 1,936 - 11
* DPS - "Democratically and European for Kolasin -Milo Đukanović " - 1,525 - 9
* Coalition SNS-NSS-SRS - "Serbian List -Andrija Mandić " - 966 - 5
* SDP - "Because we can do better" - 699 - 4
*Movement for Changes -Nebojša Medojević - 427 - 2
*Democratic Serbian Party - Dragan Vulević - 282 - 1
* Alliance of Communists of Yugoslavia - Communists of Montenegro - 89 - 0Tourism
Kolašin is one of the centres of Montenegro's mountain tourism. Although
Žabljak is considered more attractive destination, Kolašin has the advantage of being easily accessible by road and rail.Kolašin is located on the foot of
Bjelasica andSinjajevina mountains, which offer great conditions forskiing . Because of Kolašin's altitude (954 m), the town is considered an air spa.Biogradska Gora national park is in the town's vicinity, and is considered a premium tourist attraction.The development of Kolašin as a tourist destination is bolstered by opening of [http://www.biancaresort.com/ Bianca Resort & Spa] , a luxury resort in town's center.Transport
Kolašin is connected with rest of Montenegro by two-laned motorways. It is situated on the main road connecting Montenegro's coast and
Podgorica with northern Montenegro andSerbia (E65, E80).Kolašin is also a station on
Belgrade - Bar railway .Podgorica Airport is 80 km away, and has regular flights to majorEurope an destinations.ee also
*Bjelasica Mountain
*Biogradska Gora National Park
*Tourism in Montenegro External links
* [http://www.kolasin.cg.yu/ Kolašin municipality]
* [http://www.destination-montenegro.com/kolasin.htm Destination-Montenegro.com]
* [http://www.visit-montenegro.com/cities-kolasin.htm Visit-Montenegro.com]
* [http://www.zlatnido.com/en/kolasin.html Kolašin info (English)]
* [http://www.visit-montenegro.org/english/gradovi/kolasin.htm Kolašin on site of NTO of Montenegro]
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