Thanëza (Vrapçiqi) lies about 10 km southeast of Gjilan. At Lugu i Kishës, local memory preserves the site of an early church, while written records trace the settlement back at least to the 15th century.
A 1455 register records a settlement with six households, while the 1566–74 register preserves the form Virabçik with 22 households. Five Serbian colonist families were settled here during the interwar period.
At the beginning of 1999 the village had 38 houses and around 365 Albanian residents. On 6 April the population was largely expelled to North Macedonia, while some took refuge in Pozharan. Two residents were killed by Serbian police during the war.
Source
Source and further reading
Principal source: Prof. Dr. Jusuf Osmani, Vendbanimet e Kosovës 6 — Gjilani, Prishtinë, 2004.
Source entry: THANËZA (Vrapçiqi)
This page presents a selected summary from the published study of the settlement. For complete archival references, family histories, microtoponymy and the full treatment, consult the original volume.