Konstantin Hotel Laplje Selo

Gracanica accommodation
Konstantin Hotel Laplje Selo

Konstantin Hotel Laplje Selo Gracanica

The Konstantin Hotel is brand new and modern tourist facility of high category in Laplje Selo village, few km from Gracanica, and 9 km away from Pristina.

Laplje selo village is located in the flat land, on the Gracanka River, on the road from Pristina to Lipjan, and spreads right between the Gracanka River on the south and its tributary of the Kravarica stream.

The Laplje selo village contains the Upper mahala /part/ on the east and the Lower mahala on the west, divided by the road. The present settlement was founded in 1830 by the Turkish beys of the Dzinic family who granted the cultivation land to the newcomer inhabitants – chifchijas /dependable peasants in feudal Ottoman organization/ who settled here from all over the Kosovo and Metohija.

Tradition of the Turks of Novo Brdo, and by the general tradition of the Gnjilane area, and especially by the tradition of the Dzinic Family of Gnjilane itself, the settlement of Gnjilane was established after the Novo Brdo lost its administrative and judicial power, what made the Dzinic Family overtook all the administration over the Novo Brdo region.

The Dzinic beys /lords/ settled in Kosovo and Metohija from the northern Albania the 18th century. Their reign became so powerful that they had overthrown the other Turkish lords in Pristina and took the whole reign into their hands.

The weak Turkish government had to grant their status and granted them the commander ship in Kosovo. In attempt to extend their power, Dzinic beys soon proclaimed themselves the rulers of the Novo Brdo region, after they have executed the dizdar who ruled the kaza, which contained the Gnjilane Morava area.

In Pristina and Gnjilance the Dzinic Family members enjoyed the second rank in regard with large estates after the Sultan. They paid to the Sultan 15000 groshes per year, and all income was collected from the local population. The present day Laplje selo village belonged to the Dzinic lords until the end of the First WW.

“The Laplje Selo is first time recorded in the Charter of Gračanica Monastery (1314-1316) by which King Milutin richly gifted his endowment with estates in the area of Priština.

The settlement and the entire village area belonged to the monastic estates until the Turkish conquest. Upon arrival of occupiers, their first inventory from 1455 of the areas in possession of Vuk Brankovic list 87 Serb homes in Laplje selo that made it among the largest villages of Kosovo and Metohija at that time.

Two priests with their sons Stephen and Oliver were especially distinguished among the villagers. As per census of that time there were ten unmarried girls and two widows living in the village which economically stood out by four water mills. The villagers paid land tax thanks to their income which also included tax for vineyards and flax production. Other taxes were paid for production of wheat, barley, oats, and cultivation of pigs and chicken…

The later written record on Laplje selo and its inhabitants were described kept in the Devic Monastery Katastich /book of monastic donors/.

Namely villagers of Laplje selo are several times described as donors of the mentioned shrine in Drenica in the period from 1766 till 1779. At the end of the 19^th century, the consul Svetislav Simić writes the following in his report to the President of the Government and the Minister of Foreign affairs, dated to 26 March 1899:„…

The villagers of Laplje selo are generally highly pert, united and brave. The solidarity is especially high – the misfortune of the other was treated their own and if bad luck strikes anyone – everyone is ultimately there to provide help and safe rescue.

Thanks to such characteristics of the Laplje selo villagers, the Albanian outlaws who plundered the surrounding villages refrained from attacks knowing that they might have been killed if they attack any villager. The Laplje selo was the example that I recommended the other villages to imitate.”

According to the later records of Atanasije Urošević, the village had the names of the Кadijino Selo or the Anumino Selo. During its existence, the village was several times plundered and destroyed, and its population expelled, to be last time restored around 1830 by the Dzinic Kosovo family who gifted the land to an ancestor of the Cacic family and then inhabited other people as their dependent peasants. The village estates belonged to the Dzinic family until the liberation in 1912.

At the final period of the Turkish rule there were 6 houses which possessed its land. Those were the families of Serafim Trajković, Кita Tokić, Tanaska Jović, Mita, Petar and Dima Janićijević. Having in possession half of the land were five households – the Jerinski К. Sima, Stanoje, M. Danče, B. Rista and Кosta Petković. The full dependent peasants numbered 45 houses.

The lord of the village was Ibrahim-bey, the descendant of the Jashar pasha Dzinic. He lived in Tsarigrad, but turned into drunkard.” Source: Kim, author historian Marko Marković

The Konstantin Hotel boasts comfortable accommodation capacity of 60 beds, organized in 25 double-twin room and 2 apartments of which some rooms feature terraces and balconies.

All rooms of the Konstantin Hotel in Laplje selo are equipped with comfortable single or king size beds and amenities which provide pleasant stay of both business people and leisure guests who come here to discover natural beauties and rich cultural heritage of Kosovo and Metohija – working desk, LCD TV satellite channels, free WiFi, phone, floor heating in nicely appointed modern bathrooms with showers and hair dryers, free private parking.

Food served at the Konstantin Hotel is fully authentic of Kosovo and Metohija and abounds in rich and variety of outstandingly tasty traditional meals prepared from fresh locally grown supplies.

The “Konstantin” Hotel in Laplje Selo village is also an ideal venue for successful organization of business events, meetings, seminars, family gatherings, festive meals and wedding parties. With the blessing of the Most Reverend Bishop of Ras-Prizren and Kosovo-Metohija Bishopric, Father Teodosije, the Konstantin Hotel and its tourist partners organize various interesting pilgrimages, visit to monasteries and churches of the Bishopric.

Our cooperation also provides visitors unique experiences and impressions of the best presentation of the rich inheritance of Kosovo and Metohija and the lifestyle of this part of the Serbian Province – the colorful folklore and music performances, memorable courses of preparation of authentic souvenirs of Kosovo and Metohija, or preparation of traditional dishes – pies, homemade bread, festive dishes that respect bread and wheat, attendance to the holy Liturgy and prayers for ill along needs of the faithful visitors…