Traveler to Mitrovica in 1907: I could hardly say goodbye to this wonderful sight

“On the slopes towards Mitrovica, the vineyards are green… First we passed through the vineyards… Below us to the south lies Mitrovica… After a good hour of brisk walking, we reached the outskirts of the city. I sat down on the highest peak to rest… Down at the foot of the hill, the Ibar River flows into the Sitnica River, which place is marked by a large rock. Mitrovica, with its houses, mosques and public buildings, stands white before me, as if it were a written book lying open. I could hardly say goodbye to this wonderful sight,” wrote a traveler from the then Austria-Hungary, after his visit to Mitrovica in 1907.

"In Mitrovica there is a division and the commander is the famous Shemsi Pasha, the fear of the Albanians. He is short but healthy and strong. He has spent almost his entire life in conflicts. Therefore, he is everywhere in Drenica, in Prizren, in Lumë, in Gjakova and Peja, but also on the Montenegrin border... Although he can barely write his name in Turkish, he nevertheless speaks Serbian wonderfully. In Mitrovica, the Serbs are building a church unique in both beauty and size... Trade in this city is very lively... while life is a little cheaper than in other Turkish cities, where in the evening everyone gathers in their homes, so there is not a single living soul on the streets...". Such was the situation in the eyes of foreigners only a year later, in Mitrovica in 1904.

Despite the opposition to the reforms, the signs of the disintegration of the existing Ottoman power in the Albanian lands were already evident. On the other hand, the political and ecclesiastical circles of the then Serbia did not retreat and tactfully began to realize their plans, first of all with a base full of religious-nationalist overtones, but with actions so disguised that the construction of religious buildings but also the opening of Serbian schools in the Vilayet of Kosovo, initially would carry a supposedly enlightened spirit, while the ultimate goal of the realization of these projects was the preparation of the territorial expansion of Serbia.

June 1904: "Construction of the church has begun in Mitrovica"

"The construction of a church in stone has begun in Mitrovica. I have not seen the plan of the church that will be built, but from what I see of how it is being built, I can say that the church here will be similar to the church in Gračanica," said one of the Serbian consular reports in the third week of June 1904. In order to follow the work more closely, in mid-October 1904, Consul Spaljaković himself stayed in Mitrovica.

"In Mitrovica I visited our people, teachers, priests, officials and other authoritative citizens. I also visited the new and old church. Until now, the church had been housed in a single-story house that was in a deplorable state. When I visited this house, I could not help but tell the Serbs there that it was unworthy of them to pray to God in such a building, that they should be ashamed of the Russian consul for this. Their complaints were that they did not have the means, and I replied that this was not true, because they knew how to build palaces, while as a shrine they had chosen the worst building in all of Mitrovica. Then they took me to see the new church, which is entirely made of stone. Half of it is already finished and it is located on an elevated site, so it will be a large and beautiful church. I was extremely happy that the people of Mitrovica would have such a church, since in terms of political importance Mitrovica is located at the crossroads, and as is known, Austrian propaganda is carried out here, which then spreads southward. Mitrovica should have the largest and most beautiful church in this part of the Raška-Prizren eparchy, therefore the works should be completed as soon as possible. The people of Mitrovica told me that you (the Belgrade government) have promised them financial assistance. This was also confirmed to me by Mr. Orlov (Russian consul) after the citizens had said the same thing to him, but while discussing this issue, Mr. Orlov instructed me that the money sent for the construction of the church should under no circumstances be entrusted to the (Serbs) from Mitrovica, as they are unreliable and may waste the money, while the church may not be completed immediately. Further, Mr. Orlov explained to me that in the past they had acted like this, so the money to be sent for the construction of the church should be handed over to him, or even better, to the Russian Consulate. Then, each worker (local Serb) after the work is completed will be paid based on accurate invoices that they themselves will bring to the consulate. But the Russian consulate in Mitrovica was not satisfied with that, as in parallel with the construction of the church in Mitrovica, the action of introducing weapons was also taking place, and the northern border of the Vilayet of Kosovo was already put in serious danger by armed gangs supported with money and weapons from Belgrade, which operated in full coordination with Russian diplomatic circles starting from Constantinople but also the capitals of the time in the Balkans. In the course of this coordination of activities throughout the Albanian regions, committees of the Chetnik Movement were also established, while in Kosovo they were most powerful along the border of the Kosovo Vilayet. Thus, in one of the telegrams that the Russian consul in Mitrovica, Orlov, had received in the last week of October 1904, from Ambassador Zinoviev in Istanbul, the latter asked "why he was not being informed about the Serbian chetas in the Sandzak of Novi Pazar, which had killed so many Turkish soldiers and about which killings the Austrian consul's reports had already reached Istanbul."

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Rejection of the Jews' request to move the market day

In the course of the organization of religious life and economic developments in Mitrovica in the first decade of the 20th century, it is worth mentioning the request of the local Jews to move the market day. Stating the number of Jews in the Sandžak of Priština, in one of the diplomatic reports of the beginning of May 1905 it was stated "that in this sandžak there are about 300 Jews, of whom three families live in Mitrovica, while the others in Priština. Those who live in Mitrovica last year requested that the market day not be on Saturday as it was until now, but be set on Friday or Sunday, but they were unsuccessful, because the Turks opposed it for Friday, while the Serbs for Sunday".

According to Jewish historian Zheni Lebl (1927 - 2009), Jews in the city of Mitrovica began to settle only a few years after the railway line connecting this center with Thessaloniki was opened.

The Ruben and Bivas families were the first to settle under the Mitrovica sky, and were soon followed by the Cohen and Axhiés families. The most prominent among them was Rabbi Johanan Ruben, who served the Jews in Mitrovica until 1915.

Belgrade circles' spotlights towards the Albanian Movement

On the other hand, in addition to the introduction of weapons into the Vilayet of Kosovo, the spotlights of the Belgrade circles were focused on the Albanian Movement.

"It is a fact that today, the Albanian-speaking population from Mitrovica to Epirus is rising up. Leaving aside Albania, we must be careful about the 'Arnauts' and the 'Arnauts' who are in direct contact with the Serbs in 'Old Serbia'", advised Consul Spaljaković in the summer of 1905.

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“Mitrovica is the most important point of Northern Turkey. The main trade routes to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Peja, Albania intersect here. Goods for the most distant regions are loaded and unloaded here… That is why Mitrovica is an extremely lively city, ….Mitrovica has many inns, Turkish cafes, but unfortunately there is no hotel where you can spend the night. In Mitrovica there are the consulates of Austria-Hungary and Russia, then there is also a large barracks here, since the main military garrison towards Sandzak and Montenegro is located here. I was told that it was not advisable to leave Mitrovica alone, but this issue was resolved for me by the Austrian consul Zambur, who offered me one of his trusted men as an escort…. An armed Albanian man assured me before we set off that we were already safe. We quickly crossed the Old Bridge over the river that divides Mitrovica in two. On the other side of Ibar, a new part of the city is rising, inhabited only by immigrants from Bosnia and Herzegovina. All the roads in this part are very well maintained, but there are also beautiful, new houses. On the slopes towards Mitrovica, the vineyards are green… First we passed through the vineyards… Below us to the south lies Mitrovica… After a good hour of brisk walking, we reached the outskirts of the city. I sat down on the highest peak to rest… Down at the foot of the hill, the Ibar River flows into the Sitnica River, which place is marked by a large rock. Mitrovica, with its houses, mosques and public buildings, stands white before me, as if it were a written book that stood open. I could hardly say goodbye to this wonderful sight”, wrote a traveler from the then Austria-Hungary, after his visit to Mitrovica in 1907.

Mitrovica in the first decade of the 20th century

However, although the crisis within the Ottoman Empire was not reflected as much in the economic well-being of Mitrovica and its inhabitants, this center was closing the decade of the 20th century as a militarized city. This is highlighted by the Frenchman Gabriel Louis-Jaray (1878 – 1954), who in the summer of 1909 was received by the kajmekam of Mitrovica, Hajdar Bey.

"He promised me and I immediately got permission to go see the most interesting character in Mitrovica, Xhavit Pasha... On the hill, near the barracks, a new and still clean building is the headquarters of his division. From his office, furnished in Western style, one can see the green and white city, separated by the winding waters of the Ibar... He told me about the campaign he has just launched against the Albanians."

So even from Jaray's description, it is clear that Xhavit Pasha was more concerned and fought with conviction against "internal enemies" in this specific case, the Albanians, than he was interested in the vital dangers that were now threatening European Turkey.

"The market is very lively and in the evening the streets are full of a crowd of people, of the most diverse kind; Muslim Bosniaks, fleeing from Austrian Bosnia, have found a temporary shelter while they wait for the government to settle them on nearby lands. And indeed in the outskirts of the city the land is now worked by farmers of various nationalities. The largest landowner in Mitrovica is Fuat Pasha...

At the end of his visit to Mitrovica, Gabriel Louis-Jaray described his stay at the Austro-Hungarian consulate in Mitrovica.

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"The consulate where I dine in the evening is a comfortable residence and at the same time the best information center. The consul here is Mr. Rudnay. The Vienna government places its best agents in these observation posts and spares no expense. The policy of Balkan informants has always been appreciated in the Ballplatz..."

Not long after Jaray's stay, the Jews in the city of Mitrovica continued to strengthen their foundations. Although the synagogue building was the property of the Jewish Community, in addition to the fact that in 1910 there were 93 registered Jewish citizens in the city, in this year the existence of land or property where the Jewish cemetery was located is also officially recorded. In the existing schools of Mitrovica in the first decade of the 20th century, 38 Jewish students attended classes: 5 in elementary schools, 5 in elementary schools for girls, 3 in civic schools, 11 in high schools and 14 in secondary schools.