Perched atop an extinct volcano in the mountainous region of Novo Brdo, Kosovo, stands the ruins of a 14th century fortress known as Gumnishte. This medieval bastion was the center of a thriving metropolis; some historical experts say it exceeded London's booming population around the beginning of the 15th century. The stronghold, thought to have been built by the Byzantine Empire, had tremendous power and influence that was well-known throughout Eastern Europe because of the rich mines the hilly landscape produced.
This caught the attention of the nearby imperialistic Ottoman Empire who laid siege to the castle for 40 days, and, on June 1, 1455, the Serbian inhabitants capitulated. In the centuries that followed the ancient city was ruled by many but none cared for its upkeep. As merchants moved their mining trade routes into the more accessible valley town of Gnjilane/Gjilan the population of Fortress Gumnishte and its surrounding fortified settlements dwindled and its eventual decay began.
Despite Novo Brdo's rich history and the Institute of Monuments and the Regional Museum of Prishtina declaring the castle ruins and nearby dwellings the greatest archeological treasures in Kosovo, today the rural town, which means "New Hill" in Serbian, is considered one of the poorest municipalities in Kosovo, according to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. The residents are trying to stop this trend and are enlisting the help of every possible resource at their disposal. Luckily, the United States Army Reserve's 308th Civil Affairs Brigade, Detachment 26, based in Homewood, Ill., was assigned to the Novo Brdo region and willing to help. Another key resource that is a little closer to home is the community's youth (15-26 years old).
Fadil Llapashtica, the municipality's president of the youth network and center for training, information and tourism, believes his community's younger generation is the cornerstone to rebuilding what has been lost and securing a brighter tomorrow. His plan was to show them they are important to the future of their neighborhood and get them involved in the areas greatest income potential; tourism. He knows how to motivate them too, so he asked Ramush Mehmeti, Vice President of the Novo Brdo Municipality, to contact the KFOR MNTF-E Soldiers and ask for help. Mehmeti spoke to the CAB commander, Lt. Col. Michael Bogmenko, about purchasing sports equipment for their youth center since the area lacks any businesses to sponsor and provide contributions.
"We've tried different approaches within our framework to help the youth get involved and believe this is a good start. For the first time this year we are dedicating a lot of our attention to youth activities and hope it generates awareness in our municipality," Mehmeti said.
"Having sports in children's lives is special. Living here in a rural environment, the children are dispersed all about and sports can bring them together and this in turn develops into other beneficial things for the community," said Llapashtica. Fadil's plan was off and running when Bogmenko and his non-commissioned officer in charge, Sgt. German Moreno, showed up with soccer balls and uniforms.
"This is what civil affairs is all about. We love helping youths lead a production life and becoming a contributing citizen. With Novo Brdo's lack of infrastructure and few employment opportunities the town needs leaders to find a way to make something work. Kids are the leaders of tomorrow. So investing in their development is a smart decision. You can't go wrong," said Bogmenko, who has been a Chicago police officer for 30 years and works with the youth program in his precinct.
Novo Brdo's youth center (financed by the Netherland government) is located in a newly built log cabin-style building, on a hairpin turn, halfway up a mountain. The tourism office is next door so it only makes sense that helping one will help the other.
"The youth center and rural tourism project are one and the same. They were another factor to be managed by the youth network. It was a way of getting them involved," said Mehmeti.
With their backyard practically a Smithsonian exhibit it only made sense to capitalize on the institutes claim. Fadil wants his community to be the first to showcase these historical finds to anyone interested in the past and has created a business with the Youth Network and Inhabitants of Vllasali and Bostane (nearby villages) presenting "the very first rural tourism offer in Kosovo".
Some of the activities the youth would be involved in include mountain biking, visiting farms to pick mushrooms, making of soap, jam and rakija, a local fruit brandy drink, and a guided nature trail to a tour of the medieval town.
Before the youth went out and saved the day they first had to take on the KFOR team in a game of soccer in the local high school gym. Despite the fact that many of the troops and their interpreters grew up playing soccer, it was no contest. The kids won by pounding the new soccer balls into the back of the net more times than the referee could keep track of.
"My advice is to practice more," said Visar Ramadani, a 14-year-old boy, when asked how the Soldiers could improve their game.
After the game the Soldiers spoke to some of the youth about their thoughts on living in a rural area, 1000 feet above the neighboring valley villages and what their future holds.
"We know we are important because [KFOR] visits us. We are small but we have lots of history and people will want to come here to see it. My friends and I know how important it is to our future that is why we go up there to the castle and slowly rebuild it stone by stone," said Arta Gashi, a 16-year-old girl and managing editor for the youth networks newsletter.
Novo Brdo's fortress was mentioned in official documents more than 680 years ago and is again today in newly printed tourism flyers. The rustic municipality has a new outlook on their future and KFOR are a part of it. Many new things are happening in an area that has remained unfazed by its modern neighboring cities but maybe it is time the mountain village did a little reinventing. After all Novo Brdo does mean "New Hill".
| Date Taken: | 06.18.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 06.18.2009 10:05 |
| Story ID: | 35287 |
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| Web Views: | 346 |
| Downloads: | 285 |
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