Dalibor Jevtić, the President of the Municipality of Strpce, has signed a proposal to declare the cultural and historical landmark „Stojko’s House“ a site of public interest. This proposal will be forwarded to the Štrpce Municipal Assembly for approval.
Jevtić made the announcement in a video posted on his official Facebook page.
„This is our way of defending the interests of the citizens of Strpce in a democratic manner, because Stojko’s House is not just a building of public interest, but it also holds significant cultural and historical value for all of us who live in the Sirinić Plain,“ Jevtić stated.
The municipality, led by Jevtić, also announced last week that the Privatization Agency of Kosovo had leased the Brezovica Ski Center to the Kosovo Intelligence Agency (KIA) on November 15. The Municipality of Strpce strongly opposes this decision.
„The Municipality of Strpce, all of us, will not back down on this issue or any others in our fight. Despite the political obstacles, we will protect the interests of everyone living in the territory of Strpce. Rest assured, we will achieve our goals, sooner or later, together with you. And I believe that the Municipal Assembly of Strpce will support this decision with a large, two-thirds majority,“ Jevtić declared.
A Symbol of Early Tourism in Kosovo
„Stojko’s House“ is considered a symbol of the early days of tourism in this part of Kosovo.
Built in the late 1950s, the house originally served as accommodation for skiers, laying the foundation for the development of Brezovica’s tourism industry, as Zoran Boškoćević, a long-time employee of the „Index Shara Mountain“ tourist company, recently testified to KoSSev. Boškoćević, a well-known expert on the history of the company, recalls that even before the construction of „Stojko’s House,“ the site housed a building known as the „Boss’s Villa,“ constructed during the war, during the German occupation.
The villa was used by the German manager of the chrome mine, a mountain enthusiast who often stayed there, Boškoćević explained. Local residents referred to the villa as „Boss’s Villa“ due to the significance of the mine’s administrator at the time.
The more intensive development of tourism began in the mid-1950s with the establishment of the „Shara Mountain“ company. The Breza hotel was opened, and by the late 1950s, a new building was erected on the site of the old villa. This building was named „Stojko’s House“ only after the war, Boškoćević elaborated.
The name „Stojko’s House“ came from a gamekeeper named Stojko, who used to stay there before the current structure was built. Locals and tourists who frequently visited Brezovica would say, „Let’s go to Uncle Stojko’s,“ and this nickname stuck, Boškoćević added.
The Property’s History and Recent Developments
During the 1990s, amid the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia, the property was handed over to the Yugoslav Army, which used it as a military outpost from 1991 to 1999. After the army withdrew, the house remained abandoned until 2020, further claimed Boškoćević.
In 2020, the Kosovo Privatization Agency took control of the property and leased it to a private individual from Pristina, who renovated the interior while the exterior structure was preserved. However, the building was never officially opened to the public.
The property remained largely out of public discussion until yesterday, when the Municipality of Strpce announced that the Kosovo Intelligence Agency had allegedly taken the building into its lease.
KoSSev contacted both the Kosovo Privatization Agency and the Kosovo Intelligence Agency last week for comment on these claims. However, as of the time of this publication, no response has been received.
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
