Kosovo genocide history sets stage for Avon art gallery
• Kalaveshi Arts Celebrates First Anniversary
This article first appeared as a key component of the Kalaveshi Arts cover story in Today Magazine, our monthly publication, under the headline "Kosovo: Brief History + Timeline"
By Bruce William Deckert — Today Magazine • Editor-in-Chief
The history of Eastern Europe — including Kosovo — is perhaps less well-known to most Americans than the history of Western Europe, so let’s get oriented and acquainted with some Kosovo history and geography in connection with our cover story on the Kalaveshi Arts Studio/Gallery in Avon, Connecticut.
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Sisters Saranda and Njomza Kalaveshi and their mother Drita moved to the United States from Kosovo, and they opened the gallery in November 2023 — for an in-depth feature, see links to our cover story above (Today Magazine version) and below (Today Online version).
Kosovo was part of Yugoslavia from 1929 to 2003. During those seven decades, per Britannica.com, Yugoslavia was organized as three different federated nations. From 1929 until World War 2, Kosovo was in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
In 1946, a year after WW2 ended, Yugoslavia became a communist regime under a new name — the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia — but was distinct from the Soviet Union.
In this rebranded Yugoslavia, Kosovo was a province of Serbia, one of six republics that made up the Yugoslav federation: Serbia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina — despite the twin nomenclature, Bosnia and Herzegovina described just one republic.
In 1991 and ’92, after the collapse of communism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, four of Yugoslavia’s six republics declared their independence as separate countries. So in 1992 the third Yugoslavia was inaugurated with only two republics, Serbia and Montenegro, and renamed the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
Two bloody and brutal wars ensued — the Bosnian War (1992-95) and the Kosovo War (1998-99).
In 2003, Yugoslavia was renamed Serbia and Montenegro, and in 2006 that union was dissolved and two independent countries were formed. Kosovo remained a distinct province of Serbia.
SEO keyword – Kosovo genocide history Avon gallery
SEO keyword – Kosovo genocide history Avon gallery
Then, in 2008, Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia and asserted its existence as a sovereign nation.
Kosovo is part of the Balkan region of Eastern Europe. Situated on the Balkan Peninsula, the region is sometimes called the Balkan states or simply the Balkans — the Balkan Mountains are a prominent geographic feature of the peninsula, and this rugged range runs right through Kosovo.
In the 21st century, newer nomenclature has gained traction as a description for the Balkan region: namely, South-East Europe — also styled South East or South-Eastern Europe.
There is no universal agreement on the nations that constitute the Balkans today, per Britannica.com, but the following are usually included: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina (one nation with a dual name), Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia (formerly Macedonia), Romania, Serbia and Slovenia. Parts of Greece and Turkey are also within the Balkan Peninsula.
Geographically, Kosovo is north of Greece — the distance from the southernmost border of Kosovo to the northernmost border of Greece is a mere 75 miles. Similarly, Connecticut stretches about 75 miles north-to-south. Albania and North Macedonia share Kosovo’s southern border and are in between Kosovo and Greece.
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TIMELINE — Key Events in Kosovo’s History
1st Century — Region comprising present-day Kosovo becomes part of the Roman Empire — the area’s population is believed to be descended from the ancient Illyrian people
1100s — Serbia gains control of Kosovo
1346-71 — Reign of Serbian Empire — Kosovo is at the heart of the empire
1389 — Battle of Kosovo — Serbia loses the battle as Ottoman Empire expands — Kosovo remains under Turkish Ottoman rule for 500-plus years
1878 — Serbia regains independence — Kosovo remains under Turkish and Ottoman control
1912-13 — Balkan Wars — Serbia takes control of Kosovo as Ottoman Empire dissolves
1918 — After World War 1, Kosovo becomes part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
1929-2003 — Yugoslavia is established in 1929 and exists as a federated nation until 2003 in three distinct phases: the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia — the name Yugoslavia comes from the Serbo-Croatian language and translates to English as Land of the South Slavs or simply South Slavia
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In 2008 Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia and asserted its existence as a sovereign nation
SEO keyword – Kosovo genocide history Avon gallery
1929 — Kingdom of Yugoslavia is inaugurated in 1929 — Kosovo is part of this kingdom
1946 — Yugoslavia rebrands after World War 2 as the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia — communist but distinct from the Soviet Union
1974 — Yugoslav constitution grants Kosovo autonomy — giving the province de facto self-government
1989 — Changes to constitution under new Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic abolish Kosovo’s autonomy and target Kosovo’s Albanian population via harsh Serbian policies
1992 — After four of six Yugoslav republics declare independence, the remaining republics of Serbia and Montenegro rebrand as Federal Republic of Yugoslavia — Kosovo continues as a province of Serbia amid growing unrest
1998 — Kosovo War begins in February — Serbian genocide of Kosovo’s Albanians occurs as the war progresses
1999 — Kosovo War ends in June — NATO intervenes in March via a bombing campaign that stops the genocide and ends the war — NATO’s peacekeeping patrol (Kosovo Force aka KFOR) enters Kosovo — Kosovo comes under UN administration
2003 — Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is renamed Serbia and Montenegro
2006 — Serbia and Montenegro separate into two independent nations — Kosovo remains a province of Serbia and under UN administration
2008 — Kosovo declares independence from Serbia in February
Today Magazine covers community news that matters nationwide and worldwide, focusing on the heart of Connecticut’s Farmington Valley — the five core towns of Avon, Canton, Farmington, Granby and Simsbury
• Related News
Sources for Today Magazine’s reporting — BalkanInsight.com • BBC.com • Britannica.com • DW.com: Deutsche Welle: German media outlet • History.State.gov: United States Department of State: Office of the Historian • InfoPlease.com • PBS.org • WashingtonPost.com • and other sources
SEO keyword – Kosovo genocide history Avon gallery
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