Mitrovica

Mitrovica (Mitrovicë in Albanian, Косовска Митровица in Serbian) is a town divided in two communities, the north one (12,326 inhabitants, mostly Serbians) and south one (46,132 inhabitants, mostly Kosovar Albanians) on the banks of Ibar and Sitnica rivers in the north of Kosovo, not far from Serbia. Following the North Kosovo crisis, the Serb-majority municipality of North Mitrovica was created, dividing the city in two administrative units. 

How do I arrive to Mitrovica?

  Despite being an important town Mitrovica isn't well communicated, particulary with Serbia. 

• Train: there are railways to Mitrovica and Vučitrn from Pristina. 
• Bus: there are buses that reach Pristina and also buses to Serbian cities like Novi Pazar or Belgrade.
• Car: if you rented a car, from Mitrovica you can reach Vučitrn (aprox. 20 minutes), Pristina (aprox. 50 minutes), Podujeva (aprox. 1 hour 5 minutes) or Peć (aprox. 1 hour 20 minutes). Despite being very close to Serbia it can't be reached from there.

History

The region of Mitrovica has been inhabited since Neolithic. Mitrovica is one of the oldest known settlements in Kosovo, particulary Zvečan Fortress, that played an important role during the Kingdom of Serbia under Nemanjić rule. Under Ottoman rule Mitrovica was a typical small oriental town untill the 19th century, when it developed rapidly after lead ore was discovered and the region was mined, being one of Kosovo largest industries. It grew in size as a centre of trade and industry with the completion of the railway line to Skopje (linking Mitrovica to Thessalonika). During WW2 it was part of  Axis-occupied Serbia and till Yugoslavia Wars Mitrovica's population was multiplied by five. It suffered attacks of KLA guerrilla, came under the command of NATO's French sector. Mitrovica became the focus for ethnic clashes between the two communities (Serbian and Albanian) also during 2004 unrest in Kosovo and rose even more when Kosovo declared its independence in 2008. It wasn't till Brussels Agreement (2013) when Kosovo Serbs accepted the Pristina-run police force and courts, and vote on ballots with republic of Kosovo logos, achieving to establish the Community of Serb Municipalities, a self-governing association of municipalities with majority Serb population in Kosovo.

 

What can I visit in Mitrovica?

 Mitrovica is a town divided in two parts and even though the period of most unrest is gone, tension may escalate sometimes and the visitor should be careful in those cases.

These are North Mitrovica's main attractions:

• St. Dimitrija Serbian Orthodox Church (8-18; audioguide for 2€): colourful church built in 2005 and decorated with nice frescoes. It was built because, after the separation of Mitrovica in Serbian and Albanian areas, St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church became inaccessible to the Serbs.
• Monument to the Serbian and Albanian Partisans: monumente designed by Bogdan Bogdanović that honors the Albanian and Serbian partisans from Kosovo who died in World War II in Yugoslavia. It is a viewpoint to see both sides of Mitrovica and think about its situation.
• Zvečan Fortress: fortress first used by Byzantines that gained importance from 1093, as a border fort of Grand Principality of Serbia, when the Grand Prince of Serbia Vukan I launched his conquest of Kosovo. Stefan Dečanski died here and it was captured by Ottoman Turks in 1389. It's was abandoned in the 18th century and is in very bad conditions due to lack of maintenance.

These are South Mitrovica's main attractions:

• Bajram Pasa Mosque: biggest and the most modern mosque in Kosovo, donated by the district of Bayrampaşa in Istambul to substitue former Isa Beg Mosque, very damaged because of war.
• Museum of Mitrovica (8-16 Mon-Fri): museum that explains the complex history of Mitrovica and whose collections are rich with funds of archaeology, ethnology, history, geology and numismatics.
• St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church: 20th century church from 1912 that was abandoned after Kosovo War and damaged in the unrest of Kosovo in 2004. Since 2015 there is again a priest serving this church.

Isa Beg's Mosque

St. Dimitrija Serbian Orthodox Church

Gazivoda Lake

The northern part of Kosovo (mainly ethnically Serbian) is one of the least touristic regions in Europe and formerly considered insecure. Nowadays it's quite secure and there are some interesting things to do here. One of the most interesting places is Gazivoda Lake, an artificial 24 km long lake formed a river dam where practising many outdoors sports like trekking, mountain bike or kayaking. One of the most demanding and interesting routes is Via Ferrata Berim (3 km) that reaches peak Berim (1,731 m) with a 520 m slope. It can be interesting do this activities with a local company such as Outdoor In. It can also be a good idea to visit mountain monasteries like Banjska Serbian Orthodox Monastery (free), eclectic monastery comissioned by the Serbian king Stefan Milutin in 1317 that has been destroyed many times, converted in a mosque in the 19th century, abandoned and renovated in the 20th century (reopening as an active male monastery in 2004). In the road that connects Mitrovica with Pristina the visitor could stop at Vučitrn (Vushtrria in Albanian, Вучитрн in Serbian), 26,964 inhabitants town of mostly Albanian people.

Remains of Vučitrn Fortress

Here it can be visited the Remains of Vučitrn Fortress, a former 14th century fortress that was the seat of the despot of Serbia, Đurađ Branković, and only one tower still remains; or St. Proroka Ilije Serbian Orthodox Church, 19th century church erected in 1834 under Ottoman rule having its nave lower than ground level (Turks never allowed a church to be higher than other buildings, especially mosques). It's curious to see Vojinović Bridge, 14th century bridge that connected Dubrovnik to Skopje and now stands on dry ground, too. Not far from Vučitrn the visitor can get to know Podujeva (Podujevë or Besianë in Albanian, Подујево in Serbian), a 23,453 inhabitants town in the northeastern part of Kosovo. The town has an important point during Kosovo Wars, where it took place the Battle of Podujevo and Podujevo bus bombing (2001).

Batlava Lake

Here there's a mosque with a nice bridge and it's also located St. Ilije Serbian Orthodox Church, a church built in 1929 that has been demolished several times and the three last times (1999, 2004 and 2006) were by Kosovar Albanians, prior its restoration when Kosovo became independent. Next to it there's the pine park Manchester Peace Park. On the outskirts of the town it can be visited Batlava Lake, a lake that attracts visitors around Kosovo during holidays, having six beaches in good condition.

 

Where can I eat in Mitrovica?

One of the nicest places to eat in Mitrovica are outside it like the Albanian restaurant Ibri Restaurant (Koshtovë) or the Serbian restaurant Hajdučki Konak (Kremeštak bb).

Posted in: Europe,Kosovo