Prizren

Prizren (Prizreni in Albanian, Призрен in Serbian, Prizren in Turkish) is a 85,119 inhabitants city (2nd largest in Kosovo) by Prizren Bistrica river and on the slopes of the Šar Mountains, in the southern part of Kosovo, close to the border with North Macedonia and with Albania. Prizren is one of the most culturally and ethnically heterogeneous of Kosovo, retaining communities of Serbs, Turks, Bosniaks and Romani.

How do I arrive to Prizren?

  Prizren is the 2nd largest city in Kosovo and it's very close with the border with North Macedonia, therefore it's surprising it isn't well communicated. 

• Train: there are railways to Prizren from Pristina. 
• Bus: there are buses every 20 minutes that reach Pristina (aprox. 2 hours), frequent buses to Peć (aprox. 2 hours). It's also frequently connected with Skopje (aprox. 3 hours) in North Macedonia and Tirana (aprox. 3 hours) in Albania.
• Car: if you rented a car from Prizren you can reach Sharr Mountains National Park (aprox. 40 minutes), Gjakova (aprox. 50 minutes), Pristina (aprox. 1 hour 10 minutes) and Peć (aprox. 1 hour 20 minutes). Despite being close to the border with North Macedonia it's very bad communicated with the country. It's much better communicated with Albania, with some destinations such as Kukës (aprox. 45 minutes).

History

Prizren is thought to be the northeasternmost area of Albanian settlement before the Slavic expansion. Bulgarian rulers controlled the area of Prizren from the 850s, under the Archbishopric of Ohrid, replaced afterwards by Byzantine rule in the 11th century. In the 12th century the Serbian Gran Prince Stefan Nemanja conquered the dirstrict of Prizren and Stefan Dušan used Prizren as capital of Serbian Empire, passing to Mrnjavčević and Balsić families before the Ottoman conquest (1455). Prizren was the capital of the Sanjak of Prizren and later part of the Ottoman province of Rumelia. In those times Prizren was one of the largest cities (cultural and intellectual capital) of Ottomans's Kosovo vilayet, a major Albanian cultural center and capital of Kosovar Albanians. During late 19th century it became a focal point of Albanian nationalism and here it was founded the League of Prizren, a movement that seeked the national unification of Albanians. During the First Balkan War the city was seized by the Serbian army and incorporated into the Kingdom of Serbia and when WW1 began, it was occupied by Austro-Hungarian and Bulgarian armies till then end of the war, when the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes was formed (later Yugoslavia). Prizren, along with most of Kosovo, was annexed to the Italian puppet state of Albania in WW2. When war ended Prizrem was made part of the Autonomous Region of Kosovo and Metohija within the People's Republic of Serbia, a constituent state of the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia. Prizrem didn't suffer much Kosovo Wars and the war and its aftermath caused only a moderate amount of damage to Prizren compared to other cities in Kosovo. During the unrest of Kosovo (2004) the entire Serb quarter of Prizren was completely destroyed and all remaining Serb population was evicted from Prizren.

What can I visit in Prizren?

 Prizren is a very interesting city with a very vivid nightlife and a very interesting mixture of cultures and religions. Its most popular area is Shadervan, a tourist area with numerous cafes and restaurants there and Prizren Old Stone Bridge. Prizren is also known for a very popular international documentary and short film festival, Dokufest.

These are Prizren's main attractions:

• Prizren Fortress (sunrise-sunset; free): 11th century fortress (also known as Kalaja) used by the Byzantines, the Serbian emperor Stefan Dušan and the Ottomans, serving as the first Serbian imperial capital. From here there are great views of all Prizren and the surrounding places. It can be reached going up from Old Town in aprox. 15 minutes.
• Svetog Spasa Serbian Orthodox Church: church from 1330 constructed with clausonage technique throughout its layout and that has 14th century frescoes. It was heavily damaged during the unrest in Kosovo (2004).
• Sinan Pasha Mosque (sunrise-sunset): Ottoman mosque that dates back to 1615 when Sofi Sinan Pasha, former beylerbey and kaymakam in Bosnia, ordered its construction. Its façade, minaret and cuppola are admirable but it's also worthy to see its inner part. It's considered the most important mosque in Prizren.
• Maskut Pasha Mosque: 17th century mosque built by Maksut Pasha.
• Hammam of Gazi Mehmet Pasha: 16th century Ottoman hammam that served as public bathroom. It's considered one of the biggest in the Balkans and currently it's used as a cultural place.
• Emin Pasha Mosque: mosque from 1831, built by Mehmet Emini, with beautiful drawings. 
• Minaret of Arasca Mosque.
• Prizren Ethnographic Museum (10-16 Tue-Sun; 1€): little museum with an interesting exhibit of costumes, handicrafts and household implements.
• Albanian League of Prizren (9-16 Tue-Sat; 1€): old complex where this political organization was founded on 1878. Its aim was to form an autonomous Albanian state that would cover the Ottoman vilajets of Prizren, Shkodra, Manastir and Janina, considered the first serious effort to create united Albanian region since Skenderbeg. Yugoslav Serb police destroyed it during the Kosovo War in 1999.
• St. Nikole Serbian Orthodox Church: 14th century church founded by Dragoslav Tutić and his wife Bela with nice frescoes. At the time of the 2004 unrest in Kosovo, the church was vandalized but since then, it has been restored.
• Zonja jonë e Succour Catholic Cathedral: 19th century cathedral commissioned by Dario Bucciarelli, Archbishop of Skopje, in 1870. It has some frescoes, like a fresco of Skanderbeg painted in 1883 by the Albanian monk Gjergj Panariti. Currently it's the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Prizren-Priština.
• Mosque of Muderis Ali Efendi: 16th century mosque founded by Ali Effendi, who was at that time the Muderis of Prizren is buried in the garden. After WW2 it was used as a Red Cross center and was heavily damaged, with a fire in 1963 too, losing most of it original outlook. It was famous for the 1908 three year boycott of catholic shops in Prizren.
• Bogorodica Ljeviška Serbian Orthodox Church: 14th century church that was converted to a mosque during the Ottoman Empire till in the early 20th century. Its construction was promoted by Serbian King Stefan Milutin and has wonderful frescoes from those times. During Kosovo War it was guarded by KFOR but however, it was heavily damaged during the 2004 unrest in Kosovo. It's part of Medieval Monuments in Kosovo, four churches in Kosovo place in UNESCO World Heritage List in 2004.

Views from Prizren Fortress

Bogorodica Ljeviška Serbian Orthodox Church

 

Where can I eat in Prizren?

Prizrem has some interesting places to eat, such as kebab restaurant te Syla (Sejdi Begu), Fish House (Saraçët), the restaurant of Hotel Prizreni (Sheshi i Shadërvanit) or Restaurant Marashi (Vatra Shqiptare) with traditional Balkanic food.

Posted in: Europe,Kosovo