Welcome to Pristina, also spelled Prishtina, the capital and largest city of Kosovo. In antiquity this area belonged to the Dardanian Kingdom, and the nearby settlement of Ulpiana preserves the heritage of the classical era. Over the centuries it passed between Byzantine, Bulgarian, Serbian and Ottoman rule. Pristina was first recorded in 1342 as a village, and in 1455 it had only about 300 households. It later grew into a mining and trading centre near the rich mines of Novo Brdo, known for its trade fairs, goatskin and even gunpowder. Let us explore its landmarks.
National Library of Kosovo
Photo: PrincLeka1914 · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsBefore you stands a building known for its unique history and unusual style, the National Library of Kosovo. It was designed by the Croatian architect Andrija Mutnjaković, and its striking outward appearance has long divided opinion. One travel website even ranked it among the ten ugliest buildings in the world. Its mission is serious: to collect, preserve and make accessible Kosovo's documentary and intellectual heritage, including an archive of national newspapers. Take a moment to make up your own mind about its look.
Newborn monument
Photo: Karrota · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia CommonsHere is a monument made of a single word. The Newborn sculpture spells out the English word in giant capital block letters, and it was unveiled on 17 February 2008, the day Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia. At first the letters were painted bright yellow, and it was announced that they would be painted differently each year on the anniversary. The monument caught the attention of international media and appeared prominently on the front page of The New York Times. You will find it in front of the Palace of Youth and Sports.
Cathedral of Saint Mother Teresa
Photo: Berishasinan · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsRising above the city is the Cathedral of Saint Mother Teresa, a Roman Catholic cathedral dedicated to the Albanian-Indian nun and missionary Teresa of Calcutta. Its foundation stone was laid in 2005 by Ibrahim Rugova, president of Kosovo and himself a Muslim. The unfinished cathedral was inaugurated on 5 September 2010, the anniversary of Mother Teresa's death, and consecrated exactly seven years later. It is one of Pristina's tallest buildings, and on its completion the Catholic diocese moved its seat here from Prizren.
King Mosque
Photo: Ardianlumi · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsStep up to the Imperial Mosque, also called the King's Mosque, built in 1461 by Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror. Look at the entrance portal: an Arabic inscription in six rows records the exact year of its construction. The mosque ranks among the most important works of Islamic architecture in Eastern Europe. Its history holds a dramatic episode. During the Austro-Turkish wars of the late 17th century it briefly became a Catholic church, and the writer Pjetër Bogdani was buried here, until Ottoman soldiers exhumed his remains in 1690.
Gračanica Monastery
Photo: Sasa Micic · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia CommonsA short journey from Pristina brings you to the Gračanica Monastery, a Serbian Orthodox monastery built by the Serbian king Stefan Milutin in 1321. It was one of the last great endowments of his reign. In 2006 it was placed on UNESCO's World Heritage List as part of the Medieval Monuments in Kosovo, which are listed as World Heritage in Danger. The monastery stands in Gračanica, close to Lipjan, the old residence of bishops.
Lomakuume
