Burrniku, the village that the inhabitants once abandoned, is now wanted for the construction of villas

Once upon a time, many residents lived in this place, but now, for a while, peace and solitude prevail in the village of Burrnik in Ferizaj.

Due to the conditions, the residents were forced to leave this impressive nature and go out near the city, but time is bringing them back to their place of birth.

The mountains and clean air are attracting former residents and foreigners to return and buy plots for building villas.

Shaban Qeli is one of the residents who left Greme village to once again start the life he once abandoned in Burrnik.

"We are from the village of Burrnik, the Qeli family, we live in the village of Greme, but there is no more profit there, we have returned you to livestock farming, this life in the village is better than down there. We have always dealt with livestock and we have never turned you away, but the state does not help us, because I need more livestock. I was once a foreign worker and my family forced me to buy them from the owner, I stayed with him for a year to pay for what I have now", he says.

Qeli says that he is managing to support his family from livestock farming, but he aims to increase them in order not to leave the place of his birth.

"Our day with little livestock is not a good day, I need over 100 sosh to be profitable, at the moment I have 62 pieces. I sell the products in restaurants and when it's time for sacrifices then I have a job, it pays well if you have more livestock. Burrniku used to be a very large village, only the Qeli families had 120 houses, and there are still more houses in the village, they all left due to lack of infrastructure conditions", he says.

Nehat Hasani lives a few kilometers away from Burrnik, but says that he visits and enjoys nature every day. 

He adds that day by day he notices the influx of residents who are interested in the village.

"I am from the village of Gaçkë, I go to Burrnik because of its natural beauty, I visit it almost every day, I have a passion for nature and wild animals, there is clean air here and there are not many people. I am part of the changes because I also bought land, there are residents who left due to the lack of conditions, but now some of them have started to return and engage in agriculture, and there are some who are buying land just for fun to build villas", says Hasani.

As a nature enthusiast, he says that Burrnik is rich in flora and fauna, which are rare in Kosovo.

"I want to protect wild fauna, I even have hidden cameras installed to follow the lifestyle of wild animals. This village, except for the lynx, all the wild animals are here, it is not very safe for the residents because of their presence, but so far there have been no incidents, I would like the hunters to protect nature and wild animals and not they harm the animals", emphasizes Hasani.

The head of the village, Ilir Shabani, talks about the former life in this place. He says that now the village has all the right conditions to live like before. 

"The village of Burrnik is known as a quiet village with a good and clean environment, earlier there were up to 1200 inhabitants, over time the poor income made them leave the village, and now there are all the conditions, there is public lighting , electricity, water and slowly they are returning to their homeland, they are becoming residential houses", says Shabani.

According to him, there are currently 2 residents in Burrnik, but the proximity to the city and the interest of the Municipality in the development of this space will soon increase their number.

"The municipality has already started works to connect Burrnik with the surrounding villages, the winter season is a bit difficult, but the operators take care to maintain the roads of this village as well. I believe that with the good infrastructure, this village will become even more lively, the inhabitants will return as before", says Shabani.

Since the pandemic, many citizens have returned to their villages to enjoy nature and away from urban life.

This is also happening in the village of Burrnik, which is about 15 kilometers from the city of Ferizaj, where recently it has started to populate and increase the number of houses and villas.