Mitrovica is a city divided by the Ibar River into two parts: Albanian (southern) and Serbian (northern). I say "Serbian", although in fact, Albanians, Gypsies, Bosnians live here, in addition to Serbs (about 3 thousand in total). But "in the south" there is not a single Serb. The northern part of the city is home to 20 thousand people, in the southern - more than a hundred.
In these houses across the bridge, conflicts constantly arise. Both Serbs and Albanians live here
The northern and southern parts are connected by several bridges, which are guarded by the KFOR and EULEX units. Serbs rarely appear on the bridge. They have nothing to do in the southern part. But the "northern" Albanians come or come to the southern part on business. I do not say "to work", because there is practically no work here. Unemployment in Mitrovica is 60-70%, despite the fact that in general in Kosovo - at the level of 40%. Mitrovica was once a large industrial center. The plant in Trepce employed 13 thousand people. Now almost all of them are out of work.
Neither Serbs nor Albanians in Mitrovica pay for electricity. Moreover, according to Pristina, they have not been paid for 10 years. Now the electricity was cut off. But in the Serbian part there is something like an underground power line, electricity comes here from Serbia, so there is electricity "in the north". But interruptions in water supply are regular for both.
Mitrovica Serbs do not want to hear anything about Kosovo. Even the Serbian currency is dinars, although the euro is also in use. Serbian car numbers. Or there are no numbers at all. Driving into the territory of northern Mitrovica, drivers rush to remove the plate with Kosovar numbers - there can be problems. The NATO, UN and European Union units (KFOR, UNMIK and EULEX), as well as the Kosovar police, keep order here. BMP on the streets of the city is a common sight. The military is everywhere, foreign speech is heard. Local residents have long been accustomed to this phenomenon and the question of what will happen if the foreign military leaves them, leads them to a dead end. It seems to them that it will always be so. They don't like peacekeepers here very much, they just endure them. Only UNMIK is trusted (recall that the UN mission in Kosovo is acting on the basis of UN Security Council Resolution 1244, which provides for the territorial integrity of Serbia). And they are still waiting for help from Russia, as evidenced by numerous slogans on the walls of buildings.
Head of NGO in Mitrovica Momchilo Arlov believes that international organizations themselves are to blame for the current situation:
- After 10 years of international assistance and 3.5 billion euros, I do not see any progress. The problem is that the international community has always imposed its own solution, and did not talk separately with both sides.
The attitude towards peacekeepers in the north and south is different. Rada Trajkovic, chairwoman of the Serbian National Council for Kosovo, who lives in the small enclave of Caglavice near Pristina, said:
- If not for KFOR, then the Serbs would not have been here for a long time.
The Serbs in Mitrovica believe that the peacekeepers are pandering to the Albanians. Thus, no one prevented them from killing 19 people in March 2004 during the Serbian pogroms throughout the region. Tens of thousands of Serbs were then forced to leave their homes. And they come back.
The Ibar River divides Mitrovica into two parts. In March 2004, the bodies of three Albanian teenagers were found here. This served as a pretext for Serb pogroms throughout the country. 19 Serbs were killed and tens of thousands were forced to flee their homes. Left - Serbian part, right - Albanian
But the Albanians are returning to their homes in northern Mitrovica. On the outskirts of the Serbian unit in the Brjani region, under the supervision and reliable protection of dozens of EULEX and KFOR soldiers, several Albanians are building houses at an accelerated pace. Every day, dozens and even hundreds of Serbs come here in the hope of interfering with the construction. More than once, the Serbs left here in tears - EULEX soldiers disperse the protesters with tear gas. The Albanians are not at all embarrassed by what is happening. The prospect of living among Serbs does not scare them.
EULEX soldiers shoot tear gas grenades at Serbs. Photo by Getty Images. May 4, 2009
The "return" of the Albanians to their homes is not a special case; it is part of a strategy to oust Serbs from the territory of Kosovo, the Serbs are sure. And one of the UNMIK employees says: if not for Mitrovica, then there would be no Serbs in Kosovo at all.
Serbs from all over Kosovo come to Mitrovica for shopping, solve all administrative issues here. There is a university in Mitrovica where Serbian youth from all over the region study.
There are 4 multi-ethnic settlements in the northern part of the city. In one of them, Serbs, Bosnians and Albanians coexist peacefully. From time immemorial, they lived together in the mahala behind the bridge.
But this situation is an exception for Mitrovica. Conflicts are frequent and spontaneous.
Political Advisor to UNMIK Andrey Efimov believes that Serbs are protesting not so much against the return of Albanians as demanding that they have the opportunity to return to their homes throughout Kosovo. Many of them are now occupied by the Albanians.
“Since 1999, more than 200,000 Serbs have left Kosovo,” Momchilo Arlov says. “Of these, only 7,000 have returned. Unfortunately, we have to say that these 200 thousand will not return here.
And the Serbs continue to leave.
- We would like to stabilize the situation with those who are still here, - says Rada Trajkovic bitterly.
However, the Kosovo Serbs are not very welcome in Belgrade. Today Serbia is the country with the largest number of refugees and displaced persons in Europe. Serbia invests 500 million euros in Kosovo every year (according to Momchilo Arlov). Most of this money ends up in Mitrovica and goes to the salaries of state employees - doctors, teachers and officials. At a meeting with journalists from Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova and Russia, Deputy Prime Minister of the Kosovo government Hayredin Kuchi he repeated twice that the Serbs in Kosovo are better off than in Serbia itself. Then this phrase seemed to us almost blasphemous. However, if we assume that the official was referring to the Serbs in the north of Kosovo, then the situation in part really looks like this. The fact is that in Mitrovica the Serbs receive two salaries: one is paid by Pristina, the other by Belgrade. Moreover, this last part is higher than the salary that representatives of similar professions receive in Serbia itself.
This fact cannot but anger those Serbs who live in the south of the region. They feel left out and abandoned by Belgrade. This state of affairs forces them to cooperate with the local Albanians, and for this the "northern" Serbs, in turn, consider them to be traitors.
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There is no Kosovar government in the northern part of Mitrovica. The city is governed by the UN mission - UNMIK. The head of the provisional administration of northern Mitrovica is Ukrainian Yaroslav Kozak... They do not make sure that taxes are paid, that laws are followed. There are no laws in Mitrovica. And from the point of view of the Kosovo authorities, northern Mitrovica is generally illegal (and from the point of view of Belgrade, the whole of Kosovo is a fake state).
Here, everyone makes a living as best they can. Those who are fortunate enough to have an official job receive a legitimate salary, even double the amount. Someone has their own business - mainly in the service sector. Someone sells contraband goods on the street and no one interferes with this, someone earns at a construction site, someone - as a cab. It is clear that even in this situation, not everyone is busy. During the day in Mitrovica, the streets are full of people, someone is sitting in a cafe, someone is discussing life with friends, but someone is protesting against the return of the Albanians.
At the University of Mitrovica - officially called the University of Pristina with a temporary residence in Mitrovica - students are mostly Serbs, either from the city itself or from Serbian enclaves in southern Kosovo. They study, they hope to find a job later. Many want to leave.
University students in Mitrovica
Albanian Valdet Idrizi once lived in the northern part of Mitrovica. She believes that Serbs and Albanians can live in peace. The public organization, which she heads, works with Albanian and Serbian children. They learn to cooperate with each other, organize exhibitions together and play in rock bands, although they live on opposite sides of the bridge and speak different languages. The instigators of the conflicts, Valdet believes, are Serbian radicals.
But, as political adviser Andrei Efimov says, the radicalization of the population in Mitrovica is so high that it is impossible to draw a line between radicals and non-radicals. Over the 10 years that have passed since the war, a generation of people has grown up who have not seen anything except confrontation, who do not know how, do not want and do not see the need to cooperate with representatives of another nation.
Until there are reasons for cooperation, there will be no dialogue, experts say.
The ideal cooperation between Albanians and Serbs is exemplified by the criminal sphere. Illegal fuel trade and car theft are flourishing in Kosovo.
- If a car is stolen in Pristina, then in 30 minutes it will be at the border with a Serbian driver behind the wheel- says Andrey Efimov.
It is also believed that a significant part of European drug traffic passes through the region.
Mitrovica is not just a hotbed of ethnic confrontation. Mitrovica reveals many of the problems that exist in the region. And this is not only and not so much a conflict between Albanians and Serbs. After all, first of all, it is a struggle for spheres of influence, and an ethnic conflict is a fertile ground for pushing through one's interests. In addition, it is in Mitrovica that it becomes obvious that not everything is in order in relations between various international structures operating in the territory of the region on the basis of various documents, or even on their own initiative. Not everything is in order in relations between the Kosovo Serbs themselves.
Kosovska Mitrovica(Serb. Kosovska Mitrovica, Alb. Mitrovica / Mitrovicë) is a city in Serbia, in the north of Kosovo. Until 1989 it was called Titova-Mitrovica. Today, the city is guarded, like all cities in Kosovo, by KFOR police units. According to the 2011 census, the city has 33,904 inhabitants. However, this figure cannot be accurate as the majority of the Serb population boycotted the census.
History. The city was originally one medieval settlement that quickly turned into a city. The name Mitrovica, apparently, appeared in the XIV century, and comes from the church of St. Demetrius of Thessaloniki, the Serbian king Stefan Urosh II Milutin in 1315 he granted Banjska to his monastery. Ottoman rule lasted for a long time in the city: from the end of the XIV century to the first Balkan vonya in 1912-1913. During the Ottoman expansion, Mitrovica was part of the Kosovo vilayet. In 1981, 105 thousand people lived in the city, of which 66.5 thousand were Albanians, 20 thousand Serbs and Montenegrins. After the war in 1999, the city split into a southern part, with an almost exclusively Albanian population (about 60,000 inhabitants) and a northern part with a predominantly Serb (about 13,000 inhabitants) population. Both districts are connected by two street bridges over the Ibar River. After the partition of the city, the Serbian Orthodox Church of St. Demetrius ended up in the Albanian part of the city and was inaccessible to the Serbs. For this reason, a new church on a hill in the Serbian region was built and inaugurated in 2005. In March 2004, riots broke out in the city, during which Serb houses were burned and looted. In the western part of the city, with international funds, the houses for the refugees, which were destroyed during the events, were restored. By September 2007, most of the brick houses were completed. In March 2008, after the unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo (February 17, 2008), armed clashes broke out in the city between a group of Serbs and the police.
Panorama of the city.
Geography. The city is located at the confluence of the Sitnitsa and the Ibar, in the north of the Kosovo Basin. In addition to the Ibar, which divides the city into northern and southern parts, and Sitnitsa, the Lushta River also flows through the city.
Industry. The city is the center of the mining industry and non-ferrous metallurgy of the region: mining of lead-zinc ore, lignite, lead and zinc smelting. There is a chemical plant, woodworking and paper enterprises, as well as the production of mining equipment and agricultural machinery.
Bridge over the Ibar river.
Cultural heritage. In the northern part of the city, there is the Mitrovica Technical Institute, the only higher education institution in Kosovo with a predominantly Serbian-language range of courses. In July, the English-language school Summer School operates here. In 1999, Serbian teachers and students of the University of Pristina moved to the northern part of the city, creating here the “University of Pristina with a temporary stay in Kosovska Mitrovica”.
Kosovska Mitrovica is a small town with a population of 70 thousand people, it is not indexed in the navigator. At the main city landmark - the bridge over the Ibar River - we are met by a person from hospit alityclub.org Ivan (with the stress on the first letter, the diminutive form "Vanya" is absent). Under his co-ordination we are going to his house.
Ivan lives in a house on the other side of the bridge, but you cannot cross the bridge - it is open only for pedestrians, the asphalt at the entrance to it is broken. On both sides of the bridge are the police, the Italian carabinere and the KFOR - Kosovo Force, a UN-led unit made up of fighters from different countries, incl. Russia. KFOR is on duty throughout Kosovo, not only in Mitrovica. This is done to prevent conflicts between Serbs and Albanians. The latter are the majority here - 60 thousand people out of 70 with a little. Although the park around the bridge is named for peace, the bridge is now a symbol of hostility and disunity.
Albanian flag with a double-headed eagle resembling a spider.
From Wikipedia: " The red color of the flag is a symbol of the blood of the Albanian patriots shed by them in the centuries-old struggle against the oppressors. "
The cars of the security forces now and then pass through the streets of the city - they are patrolling. Photographed them many times, no one objected. But the attempt to remove the armored jeep of the carabinieri together with the fighters themselves on the bridge ended in failure - I decided to ask the fighters for permission to take a photo, to which they refused. Nevertheless, having moved a little further, I took a picture of the car itself without any problems.
armorgel 
Kosovska Mitrovica is a town that is not particularly noticeable, except for the very "border" bridge. For some reason, my paper atlas of K-M roads is listed as Titova-Mitrovica - the city had this name until 1989. There is no interesting architecture here, except for two structures on the hill - the temple of Dmitry Solunsky and the monument to miners.
It is worth paying attention to the rock paintings: both football fans and those who are not indifferent to the political situation in the region (and there are probably all of them like that here) are also left on the walls of buildings.
Monument to the Miners - a trolley on two pillars 
On one of the central streets you can find curious graffiti: Crimea is Russia, Kosovo is Serbia. And on the square opposite the bridge, right on the balcony of a residential high-rise building, framed by clotheslines with linen, from posters, he looks at the people and the Russian President himself.
The pro-Russian position is also noticeable in the graffiti on the walls of houses: Putin, the USA and the EU with a swastika, the European Union crossed out crosswise.
Crimea 
There is no way back 
Putin's policies in Serbia and northern Kosovo are welcomed. Ivan's opinion: Serbia cannot join the European Union, because in this case, the country will automatically become one of the targets of Russian missiles. This is what our Kosovar friend thinks about the future of his country: “ Serbia (of course, the Serbian residents of Mitrovica consider Kosovo Serbia) has three development paths: join the EU, join Russia and thereby lose its own identity, or become an independent state. We have everything necessary for life - a rather large territory by European standards, natural and human resources. True, there is no oil, but there is no oil in Switzerland either. But only to defeat corruption ...Russia is the richest country, you have everything, Baikal alone with its water reserves is worth a lot! If you defeated corruption, every resident of Russia would be rich!»
Although Ivan said that the Albanians do not like Russians, he is not radical in his views and is friends with many of them, adhering to the position "there are no bad nations, there are bad people." But, apparently, the situation is still really tense. When we wandered around the city in search of "kramnash" and asked passers-by about the location of the painting, an English-speaking Serb volunteered to accompany us. "Be careful with Muslims, they are dangerous!" - Bronislav said, lowering his voice. And when he found out that we had traveled to the Albanian Pristina and Prizren, he grabbed his head: they don't like Russians there! Perhaps Bronislav “incites” and exaggerates, but apparently he has his own reasons for this. However, all the people on both sides of the bridge seemed to us equally welcoming and friendly, both Serbs and Albanians.
Although a number of countries consider the partially recognized self-proclaimed republic of Kosovo to be an independent state, Ivan is sure that this is part of Serbia: “In Kosovo, unlike Karabakh or Transnistria, does not have its own president, government, or army. How can Kosovo be independent? In fact, this is a region of Serbia with a very large autonomy, nothing more» .
Trade at the bridge 
Death Rows - Citizen Death Reports 
In Arkhangelsk there is also a restaurant "Sever", it looks about the same 
Serbian flag - like an inverted Russian 
View from the window 
What are these holes for? 
Transport 
Milic brothers square, three young Serbs - victims of the Serbian-Albanian conflict.
Two of them died, under what circumstances, I did not understand because of the difficulties of translation, and the third "died of grief." 
The difference in position regarding the status of Kosovo also affects the specifics of the conversation with the local security officials at the border. So, when dealing with the Albanians-Kosovars, in no case should you call Kosovo Serbia, and under the Serbs, on the contrary, you should not isolate Kosovo as a separate state, and the word itself, Kosovo, should not be pronounced at all.
There is a problem with parking lots in Mitrovica. There are sidewalks, and they are all occupied by parked clunkers. People have to walk along the carriageway, maneuvering between standing and moving vehicles. However, the terrain and the width of the streets do not allow cars to accelerate especially, and the drivers are used to pedestrians on the road and drive carefully. In Mitrovica, unlike Pristina and Prizren, parking in the center is free. On the main street, which goes up from the bridge, there is a darkness of cafes where young people hang out from morning to evening. Kosovo is a very youthful city because the Technical Institute Mitrovica works here, where children even come to study from neighboring countries.
The food in Kosovo was not impressive. In stores, products are mainly imported, milk and yoghurts that we bought were from Macedonia, Bosnia, Germany and even Turkey. The cafes have Serbian meat cutlets - pleskavica. It is better to order one dish, because the portions are very large. Smoking is allowed in Kosovo catering establishments. Wherever you go, there is smoke like a rocker. Probably, even in the children's cafe "Cheburashka" there would be smoky.
On one of the main streets of Mitrovica there is a Rio supermarket with groceries and household chemicals, cards are accepted, which is a rarity.
Fashion shoes 
Looks like boots from a chemical protection suit L-1 
Gas station 
To see Mitrovica, it is enough one full day. But you shouldn't go to Kosovo just because of K-M, you definitely need to visit other cities, especially the old Prizren, where we went the next day.
This is a translation of a phrase with graffiti on the wall of a house in the town of Kosovska Mitrovica.
This is actually the end of the territory of Serbia. The invisible border is 200 meters away from the graffiti.
Further - the bridge over the Ibar river, Italian carabinieri, and on the other side of the city live Kosovars.
One city, but two languages, two different currencies, two different peoples, two different architectural styles.
Today I will show you what the northern part of Kosovska Mirovica, a city divided in two, looks like.
Children grow up here not on good fairy tales, but on stories about borders, peacekeepers, bombing, terrorist attacks.
There are still similar cities in the world. I saw it divided between Catholics and Muslims along the Neretva River. I also saw the divided capital of Cyprus Nicosia between Turks and Greek Cypriots. But for some reason Kosovska Mitrovica left a heavy impression, caused dissonance, I did not expect to see such a picture ...
So, the photo story will be about that small part of the city that is higher than the river on the map. In the northern part of the city there are about 10-15 thousand Serbian population. Why approximately? They boycotted the latest population census, plus students from other cities study here.
This is the broken asphalt at the "Friendship Bridge", as it was named after construction in 2005. It did not correspond to reality, the name did not stick. As you can see, you can't cross the bridge, everything is rummaged and covered with some kind of junk
The Ibar Bridge serves as the de facto border between Serbia and the breakaway Republic of Kosovo, although maps and border posts tell us otherwise.
On the bridge everyone can walk freely from one part of the city to another, but there are few who want to. The Italian carabinieri and the police are responsible for security.
The policeman even greeted me in Serbian
The Serbian part looks a little dull from afar, there are almost no new buildings. On the Albanian side, the infusion of money is visible to the naked eye. For clarity, my video
Interestingly, there was a "smrtnitsa" hanging on the bridge - a notification about the death of a Muslim from the other side. Hmm ... why did they hang her in the buffer zone and not in the southern part of the city? Maybe this Kosovar lived on the north side, but the whole city wanted to notify his relatives? I watched one of the fresh programs, a local resident said that 1,800 Kosovar-Albanians, 300 Roma, 80 Turks now live quietly in North K-M.
The bridge is painted on all sides with slogans and flags.
The bridge has been the site of constant clashes between Serbs and Albanians since the 1998-1999 war. For example, in 2004, Kosovar Albanians burned cars and pelted police with stones. Violence erupted during the Kosovars protesting against the blocking of the bridge between the two parts of the city.
And nowadays people take pictures here, as if at some sight.
Kosovska Mitrovica is squeezed into a corner of northern Kosovo. In the Middle Ages, she was the heart of the Serbian kingdom. During the Ottoman Empire, it was part of the Kosovo vilayet. And only at the Berlin Congress in 1878, when Serbia and Montenegro were recognized as independent countries, this city became part of Serbia. In fact, the city is a pity, it is like a soccer ball, like a powder keg, like a geopolitical point between great powers.
The picture on the left shows the location of the city and the entire North Kosovo region today.
In the picture on the right - 1943, Kosovska Mitrovica, part of Serbia.
Before shouting the slogans "Kosovo is Serbia", study history, go to that region and see with your own eyes, whose it is - Serbia, Albania, or maybe America, Turkey, or is it ours, and there is some originality here? If you remove politics, but look at the country outwardly, at its inhabitants and mentality, at their language and faces, then you will understand that this is neither one nor the other, nor the third. For me, it's just Kosovo, and the people are Kosovars. Of course, I'm not talking about the region of Northern Kosovo, where ethnic Serbs live. I'm talking about 90% of the territory of the Republic of Kosovo, which is still unrecognized by many countries. But this is my point of view, this is how I saw the country. And how she crossed the border without a Kosovo or Schengen visa.
And the most popular graffiti in the city.
In general, the Serbs are different from the Kosovars in this regard, there are no aggressive graffiti or slogans on the other side of the river.
They rejoice at the arrival of the nationalist Seselj, a comrade-in-arms of Slobodan Milosevic. He spent 11 years in The Hague, and now he was released for health reasons, and he returned to Belgrade and Serbia as a national hero ...
And a dying poster with Serb idols on the background of linen :)
Northern Kosovo is shouting outright - we are Serbia, everything is hung with flags, we are holding our own elections, unrecognized by anyone. As for me, there are two ways out, or to give autonomy to this region, as in Bosnia there is the Republika Srpska. Or join Serbia, since multi-ethnicity and a quiet life here does not work.
Of course, the big blame falls on Josip Tito, that at one time he invented to annex Albania to Yugoslavia and played with the inhabitants of Kosovo as best he could. It prevented Serbs from returning to their homes after World War II, when they were expelled by Italians and Albanians from Kosovo. Conversely, Tito encouraged the Albanians to move to Kosovo. The standard of living here was higher than in their homeland - they moved with joy. When the Great Yugoslavia plan failed, Tito saw the threat of separatism towards Albania, in 1959 it was decided to increase the Serb element in the autonomous province of Kosovo and Metohija by excluding the Presevo Valley with the Albanians and annexing Northern Kosovo with the Serbs. But Muslims give birth to children more often, this step did not help. Someone thought that the number of Kosovar Albanians from the post-war period to the death of Tito increased threefold.
We all know the outcome of history - the strengthening of radical and national sentiments, the desire for separatism, the war and the bombing of NATO. This is a monument to the fallen Serbs in Kosovska Mitrovica
A woman with a child was sitting here with me, apparently someone is on the list
There is a nice park nearby. From the bench where the woman is sitting, you can enjoy either the Albanian side or look at the phone.
Let's better tell you about the good. And it is here too - this is the Mitrovica Technical Institute - the only one where they teach in the Serbian language in Kosovo. In 1999, Serbian teachers and students of the University of Pristina moved here, creating the “University of Pristina with a temporary stay in Kosovska Mitrovica”. There are indeed a lot of young people in the city from different cities, they dress fashionably, spend days in cafes and bars. In general - life is in full swing!
I personally felt comfortable walking this side of the city. I know the language, I could calmly ask something, the people outwardly familiar to me, everything said that I was in Serbia. Even license plates. But we rented a car in Albania, so we left it on the Albanian side so that the Serbs would not break it, you never know :))
Signs in many institutions, shops, firms bear national symbols. In this chat of the city, Serbian dinars go, and in the Albanian one behind the bridge - the euro. But it's worth noting that prices in Kosovo are significantly lower for food than in Montenegro.
The seller from this stall looked out and began to shout so that he would not be photographed. So why did you look out?
And even a road construction office in blue-red-white
Next to the most famous graffiti "Serbia - Kosovo, and Crimea - Russia" stands on the road a monument to Grigory Stepanovich Shcherbina - a Russian diplomat of Ukrainian origin :)) He was born and buried in Chernigov, and died in Kosovska Mitrovica during the Albanian riot in 1903
In 1928, on behalf of the townspeople and officers of the garrison, a monument to Grigory Stepanovich was erected in KM. Until 1999, it was on the Albanian side of the city, but was destroyed by Albanian fanatics. In November 2011, a new monument to Shcherbina was erected in the Serbian part of Kosovska Mitrovica. The sign on the left says "A drop of fraternal Russian blood has mixed in the stream of Serbian blood that has been flowing in Kosovo for centuries"
An important oppressive city is the economy, it was finished off by the war. But the region is rich in non-ferrous metals. There is mining of lead-zinc ore, lignite, lead and zinc smelting. There is a chemical plant, woodworking and paper enterprises, as well as the production of mining equipment and agricultural machinery. At least that's what Wikipedia says. And seemingly the famous Trepca plant is in a depressing state.
The market is the market, the Serbs got Trepcha, and we got the bus station. At the very least, we should be glad that we live on the sunny side of Kosovska Mitrovica, colder in the north ", - caustically remarked by one Kosovar Albanian satirist in December 1999.
Kosovska Mitrovica became an industrial center associated with a mining plant in the 19th century. In the days of Yugoslavia, 20 thousand people worked here. In 2005, an experimental resumption of production was carried out, but whether it works or not, and whether it is profitable, I did not understand.
Unrest in the city has not abated since 2008, when Kosovo declared its independence. The local population refuses to obey Pristina and periodically organizes attacks on UN peacekeeping posts and KFOR patrols.
15 years have passed since the war, and the wounds are not that they have not healed, everything speaks of the divided city and the desire to live in different states.
There is no place for enterprising and talented people here, they have clearly left, which is what young people are going to do after university. The city on the north side does not make the best impression, although I felt safe here and I repeat - it all looked like I was in Serbia. In general, it is strange to force people to live so different mentally, with different history, religion, language, national heroes in the same city and country. But time will definitely put everything in its place.
Soon there will be a continuation about the Albanian part of Kosovka Mitrovica and the city of Prizren.
The sun is the source of life on the planet. Its rays provide the necessary light and warmth. At the same time, the ultraviolet radiation of the Sun is detrimental to all living things. To find a compromise between the beneficial and harmful properties of the sun, meteorologists calculate the index of ultraviolet radiation, which characterizes the degree of its danger.
What UV radiation from the Sun is
Ultraviolet radiation from the Sun has a wide range and is divided into three regions, two of which reach the Earth.
-
UV-A. Long-wavelength radiation range
315-400 nmThe rays pass almost freely through all atmospheric "barriers" and reach the Earth.
-
UV-B. Medium wavelength range
280-315 nmThe rays are 90% absorbed by the ozone layer, carbon dioxide and water vapor.
-
UV-C. Shortwave range
100-280 nmThe most dangerous area. They are completely absorbed by stratospheric ozone before reaching the Earth.
The more ozone, clouds and aerosols in the atmosphere, the less the harmful effects of the Sun. However, these saving factors have a high natural variability. The annual maximum of stratospheric ozone is in the spring, and the minimum is in the fall. Cloudiness is one of the most variable characteristics of weather. The carbon dioxide content also changes all the time.
At what values of the UV index is there a danger
The UV Index gives an estimate of the amount of UV radiation from the Sun at the Earth's surface. UV Index values range from safe 0 to extreme 11+.
- 0 - 2 Low
- 3 - 5 Moderate
- 6 - 7 High
- 8 - 10 Very high
- 11+ Extreme
At mid-latitudes, the UV index approaches unsafe values (6–7) only at the maximum height of the Sun above the horizon (occurs in late June - early July). At the equator, the UV index reaches 9 ... 11+ points throughout the year.
Why the sun is useful
In small doses, UV radiation from the Sun is essential. The sun's rays synthesize melanin, serotonin, vitamin D necessary for our health, and prevent rickets.
Melanin creates a kind of protective barrier for skin cells from the harmful effects of the sun. Because of it, our skin darkens and becomes more elastic.
The hormone of happiness serotonin affects our well-being: it improves mood and increases overall vitality.
Vitamin D strengthens the immune system, stabilizes blood pressure and has antirachitic functions.
Why the sun is dangerous
Taking sun baths, it is important to understand that the line between beneficial and harmful Sun is very thin. Excessive tanning always borders on a burn. Ultraviolet radiation damages DNA in skin cells.
The body's defense system cannot cope with such an aggressive effect. It lowers immunity, damages the retina of the eyes, causes aging of the skin, and can lead to cancer.
Ultraviolet light destroys the DNA chain
How the sun affects people
Susceptibility to UV radiation depends on skin type. People of the European race are most sensitive to the Sun - for them protection is required already at index 3, and 6 is considered dangerous.
At the same time, for Indonesians and African Americans, this threshold is 6 and 8, respectively.
Who is most affected by the Sun
People with light
skin tone
People with many moles
Mid-latitude residents on holiday in the south
Winter lovers
fishing
Alpine skiers and climbers
People with a family history of skin cancer
In what weather is the sun more dangerous
It is a common misconception that the Sun is dangerous only in hot and clear weather. You can get burnt even in cool cloudy weather.
Cloudiness, no matter how dense it may be, does not at all reduce the amount of ultraviolet radiation to zero. In mid-latitudes, cloudiness significantly reduces the risk of sunburn, which is not the case with traditional beach destinations. For example, in the tropics, if in sunny weather you can get sunburned in 30 minutes, in cloudy weather - in a couple of hours.
How to protect yourself from the sun
To protect yourself from destructive rays, follow these simple rules:
Stay less in the Sun at midday hours
Wear light-colored clothing, including wide-brimmed hats
Use protective creams
Wear sunglasses
You are more in the shade on the beach
Which sunscreen to choose
Sunscreen varies in degree of sun protection and is labeled from 2 to 50+. The numbers indicate the proportion of solar radiation that overcomes the protection of the cream and reaches the skin.
For example, when applying a cream labeled 15, only 1/15 (or 7%) of the UV rays will penetrate the protective film. In the case of cream 50 - only 1/50, or 2%, affect the skin.
Sunscreen creates a reflective layer on the body. At the same time, it is important to understand that no cream is capable of reflecting 100% of ultraviolet radiation.
For everyday use, when the time spent under the sun does not exceed half an hour, a cream with protection 15 is quite suitable. For sunbathing on the beach, it is better to take 30 or more. However, for light-skinned people it is recommended to use a cream labeled 50+.
How to apply sunscreen
The cream should be applied evenly to all exposed skin, including the face, ears and neck. If you plan to sunbathe long enough, then the cream should be applied twice: 30 minutes before going out and, additionally, before going to the beach.
Specify the required amount for application in the instructions of the cream.
How to apply sunscreen when swimming
Sunscreen should be applied every time you bathe. Water washes away the protective film and, reflecting the sun's rays, increases the dose of ultraviolet radiation received. Thus, when bathing, the risk of sunburn increases. However, due to the cooling effect, you may not feel the burn.
Excessive sweating and towel drying is also a reason to re-protect your skin.
It should be remembered that on the beach, even under an umbrella, the shade does not provide adequate protection. Sand, water and even grass reflect up to 20% of UV rays, increasing their effect on the skin.
How to protect your eyes
Sunlight bouncing off water, snow, or sand can cause painful retinal burns. Use UV-filtered sunglasses to protect your eyes.
Danger for skiers and climbers
In the mountains, the atmospheric "filter" is thinner. For every 100 meters of altitude, the UV index increases by 5%.
Snow reflects up to 85% of UV rays. In addition, up to 80% of the ultraviolet reflected by the snow cover is again reflected by the clouds.
Thus, the Sun is most dangerous in the mountains. Protecting your face, lower chin and ears is essential even in cloudy weather.
How to deal with sunburn if you are burned
Sponge your body with a damp sponge to dampen the burn
Apply an anti-burn cream to the burned areas.
If the temperature rises, consult a doctor, you may be advised to take an antipyretic
If the burn is severe (the skin is very swollen and blistering), seek medical attention
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