Travel Guide Štrpce (Shtërpca)

The village is called Штрпце/Štrpce in Serbian (pronounced "shtrèp-tsé) and Shtërpcë/Shtërpca in Albanian ("shteurp-tsa"). With about 2,000 inhabitants, it is the capital of the municipality of the same name which includes 17 villages and 13,800 inhabitants, 75% of which are Serbs and 24% Albanians. Štrpce/Shtërpca is located 25 km southwest of Ferizaj/Uroševac, 37 km northeast of Prizren.This Serbian enclave is located in the green valley of the Lepenac River, at 975 m above sea level, in the heart of the Šar Mountains National Park. Dominated by the majestic Ljuboten Mountain (2,498 m above sea level), the village is famous for its production of Šar cheese, its old churches and its costume festival of pagan origin, Bele Poklade (or Pročka), which takes place in March, one week before the great Orthodox Lent (date varies). In the surrounding area, there are large forests (hairy oak, white ash, and birch), numerous mountain lakes, hiking trails, the ruins of Byzantine fortresses, and the ski resort of Brezovica. Štrpce/Shtërpca is the heart of the historic county of Sirinić. This former feudal stronghold of the Nemanjić family extends over 247 km2 along the northern Macedonia border and into Serbia. Due to its isolation, the municipality was relatively untouched during the Kosovo war. It even served as a refuge for Serbian inhabitants from other regions and has seen its population increase since the anti-Serbian riots of 2004. The village is served by 3-4 buses a day from Ferizaj/Uroševac and Prizren.