Rahovec

Rahovec
Town and municipality
Panorama of Rahovec
Rahovec Clocktower
Xhamia e Sokolit
Flag of Rahovec
Flag
Official logo of Rahovec
Emblem
Interactive map of Rahovec
Rahovec is located in Kosovo
Rahovec
Rahovec
Location within Kosovo
Coordinates: 42°23′58″N 20°39′17″E / 42.39944°N 20.65472°E / 42.39944; 20.65472
CountryKosovo
DistrictDistrict of Gjakova
Government
 • MayorSmajl Latifi (AAK)
Area
 • Municipal
278 km2 (107 sq mi)
 • Rank21st in Kosovo
Elevation
477 m (1,565 ft)
Population
 (2024)
 • Municipal
41,799
 • Density150/km2 (389/sq mi)
 • Urban
13,642
 • Ethnicity
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
21000
Area code+383 29
Vehicle registration07
Websitekk.rks-gov.net/rahovec

Rahovec (Albanian definite form: Rahoveci) or Orahovac (Serbian Cyrillic: Ораховац), is a town and municipality located in the District of Gjakova in Kosovo. According to the 2024 census, the town of Rahovec has 13,642 inhabitants, while the municipality has 41,799 inhabitants. It is also the center of the sports clubs KF Rahoveci, KB Rahoveci and KH Rahoveci.

Etymology

The name of the town and municipality is of Serbian origin and is derived from the Proto-Slavic word orěhъ, meaning 'nut'. The name Rahovec comes from an Albanised pronunciation of Orahovac.

Geography

Rahovec is located in southwestern Kosovo and is part of the district of Gjakova. To the north, it shortly borders Klina, to the northeast Malisheva, to the southeast Suhareka and Mamusha, to the south Prizren, and to the west Gjakova. The distance from the capital city of Kosovo, Prishtina, is approximately 60 km (37 mi). The municipality covers an area of approximately 276 km2 (107 sq mi) and it includes 35 villages.

Demographics

Municipal historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
194827,335—    
195330,095+1.94%
196135,461+2.07%
197146,788+2.81%
198161,178+2.72%
199185,698+3.43%
201156,208−2.09%
202441,799−2.25%
Source: ASK Data

According to the last census of 2024 of Kosovo Agency of Statistics, the municipality of Rahovec has 41,799 while the town in itself has 13,642 inhabitants.

Of the 41,799 inhabitants, 40,491 (96.87%) are Albanians and other ethnicities mostly include Serbs and other ethnic groups.

Language

The town was known for a language known locally as Rahovecionshe or Raveqki, which is a mixture of Albanian and Torlakian. Its use has declined rapidly after the Kosovo War and nowadays it is nearly extinct. It is thought that this pidgin language developed as a way for Albanian grape farmers to sell their products to wine producers, who were predominately Slavic-speaking.

Economy

Rahovec's vineyards

Rahovec is especially known for its vineyards and wines.

Notable people

References

  1. 1 2 "ASK Data - Regjistrimi popullsisë". Agjencia e Statistikave të Kosovës (ASK). 2025. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
  2. 1 2 "ASK Data - Regjistrimi popullsisë". Agjencia e Statistikave të Kosovës (ASK). 2025. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
  3. ↑ Skok, Petar (1988) [1971]. Etimologijski rječnik hrvatskoga ili srpskoga jezika (in Serbo-Croatian). Vol. 2. Zagreb: Jugoslavenska akademija znanosti i umjetnosti. p. 562. ISBN 86-407-0064-8. orah, pl. orasi ... praslav. orěhъ "nux". Pridjev na -ov orahov, poimeničen u topnimiji u sr. r. Orahovo, ... Orahov Do (Hercegovina), ... Oriovac, gen. -vca (toponim u Slavoniji) = Oravac, gen. -avca = Oraovac (1770, Kosmet) = Raovec u arbanaskom izgovoru.
    [Translation: orah, plural orasi ... from the Proto-Slavic orěhъ "nux". The adjective on -ov, orahov, is nominalised in toponymy into Orahovo, ... Orahov Do (Herzegovina), ... Oriovac (Slavonia) = Oravac = Oraovac (1770, Kosovo and Metohija) = Raovec in Albanian pronunciation. (N.B. Orahovac and Rahovec are shown here in h-less variants Oraovac and Raovec)]
  4. 1 2 "Kosovo's Mysterious Dialect Fades Away :: Balkan Insight". www.balkaninsight.com. 27 November 2010. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  5. ↑ "Wineries of Rahovec - KOHA".
  6. ↑ Asanaj, Dino (1996). Shekulli 21 (in Albanian). Gjonlekaj Publishing Company. p. 283. ISBN 9780962214127. Shkelzen Maliqi - Lindur më 1947, Rahovec, Kosovë.
  7. ↑ Elsie, Robert (2010). Historical dictionary of Kosovo. Scarecrow Press. p. 130. ISBN 9780810874831.
  8. ↑ Çollaku, Petrit (25 March 2015). "Kosovo Urged to Intensify Hunt for Missing Activist". Balkan Insight.
  9. ↑ Stanojević, Stanoje (1925). Narodna enciklopedija srpsko-hrvatsko-slovenac̆ka, Knjiga 2 (in Serbian). zdavac̆: Bibliografski zavod d.d. p. 562. O. H. - KUJUNDŽIĆ LAZAR, učitelj i čet- nički vojvoda ( uoči Lazareve subote 1880, selo Orahovac, srez podrimski, okrug prizrenski 25/5 1905, selo Ve- lika Hoča, srez podrimski, okrug pri- zrenski).