Peć

Peć (Pejë in Albanian, Пећ in Serbian, İpek in Turkish) is a 48,962 inhabitants town on the Peć Bistrica (a tributary of the White Drin) in the northeastern part of Kosovo, close to the border with Montenegro and with Serbia. Peć is the 4th largest city in Kosovo and is very important for Serbian Orthodox, but it has many more things to do as it has a wonderful bazaar and is the entrance to Rugova Canyon and Bjeshkët e Nemuna National Park.

How do I arrive to Peć?

  Peć is one of the most popular destinations in Kosovo and a very important for Serbian Orthodox so it's quite well communicated with other destinations. 

• Train: there are two daily trains to Peć from Pristina (aprox. 2 hours). 
• Bus: there are buses every 20 minutes that reach Pristina (aprox. 1.5 hours), frequent buses to Deçan (aprox. 20 minutes), Gjakova (aprox. 50 minutes) or Prizren (aprox. 1 hour 20 minutes). It's also frequently connected with Podgorica (aprox. 7 hours) and Ulclinj (aprox. 10 hours) in Montenegro.
• Car: if you rented a car, from Peć you can reach  Bjeshkët e Nemuna National Park, Deçan (aprox. 20 minutes), Gjakova (aprox. 45 minutes) or Mitrovica, Pristina and Prizren (aprox. 1 hour 20 minutes). It can be reached from towns in Montenegro like Petnjica (aprox. 2 hours), Albanian towns like Kukës (aprox. 1 hour 40 minutes) or Serbian ones such as Novi Pazar (aprox. 2 hours 15 minutes).

History

The Medieval city was probably built on the ruins of a Roman municipium, Siparantum. Slavs tribes settled the Balkans in the 6th century and the Byzantine Empire and the First Bulgarian Empire fought for the control of the area, finally gained by Serbia (Serbian Grand Prince Stefan Nemanja liberated Peć from Byzantine control in 1190) for 300 years, donated to Serbian archbishops and later patriarchs. When the monastery of Žiča was burnt by the Cumans, the seat of Serbian archbishop was transferred by Serbian Emperor Stefan Dušan to the Patriarchal Monastery of Peć (1346) till when it was abolished (1766). Ottoman rule was established in 1455 and became the center of the Sanjak of İpek, being settled by a large number of Turks. In 1899 it was founded the League of Peja (similar to the League of Prinzren), an organisation that defended the rights of Ottoman Albanians. After the First Balkan War Montenegro took control of the city in 1912 and during WW1, Austria-Hungary took the city. Peć was taken by Serbian forces on 1918 and became part of Yugoslavia. In WW2 Peć was occupied by the Italian puppet state of Albania and after the war, again became part of Yugoslavia as part of the Autonomous Region of Kosovo and Metohija. During all the 20th century the relations between Serbs and Albanians were often tense, peaking at Kosovo War of 1999, with Peć suffering heavy damage and mass killings, suffereing further damage in violent inter-ethnic unrest in 2004. 

 

What can I visit in Peć?

 Peć has been ruled by different dominating powers throughout history and therefore it has a diverse cultural character with Serbian Orthodox churches and monasteries, Ottoman bazaars or even brief traces presence of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

These are Peć's main attractions:

• Patriarcal Monastery of Peć (8-18; audioguide for 2€): 13th century complex of Serbian Orthodox churches and monasteries located on the outskirts of Peć. It was the historical seat of Serbian Orthodox church and all the churches and monasteries give the impression of being inside a dark cave with beautiful frescoes The first church was built by Archbishop Arsenije I in the first third of the 13th century. It's part of Medieval Monuments in Kosovo, four churches in Kosovo place in UNESCO World Heritage List in 2004.
• Museum of Peja (8-12 and 13-16 Mon-Fri, 10-14 Sat-Sun; 1€): ethnographic museum placed in a former Ottoman house. It has objects that show how life was under Ottoman occupation and owns a small but interesting collection of archaeological objects that show the old history of Peć and all its surrounding area.
• Bazaar of Peć: Ottoman style market, destroyed during WW2 and in Kosovo War, in the center of Peć.
• Bajrakli Mosque: 15th century Ottoman style mosque built in 1471 by Sultan Fatih Mehmet, burnt down by Italian forces in 1943 but unperturbedd during Kosovo War. It has the oldest and highest dome in the city.
• Peć Hammam: 15th century Ottoman style bath currently used as an exhibition hall for different art shows.
• Going 15 km south it can be found Deçan (Deçani in Albanian, Дечани in Serbian), a 3,803 inhabitants town that used to be a stronghold of Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) during Kosovo Wars. This town is famous for the Visoki Decani Serbian Orthodox Monastery (10-14:30 and 15:30-17:30; free), 14th century monastery comisioned by the Serbian king Stefan Dečanski and one of the largest in whole Balkans. It may be considered one of the most beautiful churches in whole Europe because of its incredible biblical frescoes, largest preserved gallery of Serbian medieval art. It's surrounding area with mountains and surrounded by trees make it even nicer. During Kosovo War it was guarded by KFOR and still nowadays it has to be guarded. It's part of Medieval Monuments in Kosovo, four churches in Kosovo place in UNESCO World Heritage List in 2004.

Patriarcal Monastery of Peć

Frescoes of Visoki Decani Monastery

Gjakova Old Bazaar

Keeping going south from Deçan on the way to Prizren, 35 km south from Peć, there's the town of Gjakova (Gjakovë in Albanian, Ђаковица in Serbian). This 40,827 inhabitants town used to served as a trading center on the route between Shkodër and Istanbul (one of the most developed trade centers in the Balkans) but it was badly hit by Kosovo Wars and much of city's buildings were burnt or destroyed. Gjakova Old Bazaar is the oldest in Kosovo and has recently been restored (it was damaged during Kosovo Wars). The most important religious buildings are: Hadum Mosque, a 16th century mosque with a highly decorated graveyard, part of tariqa (branch of sufism); St. Palit and Pjetrit Catholic Church, 18th century church totally destroyed during Kosovo Wars and rebuilt afterwards; and Uspenja Presvete Bogorodice Serbian Orthodox Monastery (free), 19th

Mirusha Waterfalls

century monastery that houses the last four elderly Serbian women who live in the city (living confined to the monastery). It can also be visited Gjakova Etnographic Museum, small museum with thematic exhibitions and collection of objects and tools Gjakova and its surrounding areas like clothing or furniture placed in a house from 1810. Not so far from Peć (37 km) or Gjakova (32 km) it can be visited one of the most beautiful nature sights in Kosovo, Mirusha Waterfalls, a series of waterfalls that have created over time canyons and caves.

Where can I eat in Peć?

Peć has some nice places to eat that are worth a try such as the traditional Balkanic restaurants Art Design (Adem Jashari) or Kulla e Zenel Beut (William Walker 51).
In Gjakova a great choice to eat is the restaurant of Hotel Çarshia e Jupave (Ismail Qemajli 9). 

Posted in: Europe,Kosovo