Prizren town is located on the Bistrica (Lumbardhi) River in the South of Kosovo

admin ♦ August 4, 2010 ♦ 1 Comment

Prizren town is located on the Bistrica (Lumbardhi) River in the South of Kosovo. It is set against the backdrop of the Sharr Mountains to the south and the Accursed Mountains bordering Albania to the west.

Of all the towns in Kosovo, Prizren is certainly the most charming. Boasting the highest number of Ottoman-era buildings and mosques, adorned with narrow cobbled streets, a beautifully carved stone bridge and shops selling traditional crafts, it has best preserved its Ottoman flair. For centuries Prizren was a vibrant trading town and an important Ottoman administrative and commercial center. There was a strong tradition of crafts, in particular tanners, armourers (with guns exported as far afield as Egypt) metalworkers and filigree. To this day, Prizren remains Kosovo’s most ethnically mixed municipality, home to Albanians, Serbs, Bosnians, Turks, Roma and Gorani. Turkish, alongside Albanian and Serbian, is widely spoken in Prizren’s homes.

The best way to get to Prizren is by bus from Pristina. You can also catch a bus from Skopje. Most bus companies that run from Istanbul to Pristina continue onward and terminate in Prizren. There are several direct buses from Belgrade (7hours, 1 day bus & 2 night busses, run by Kosovo Albanian companies, cost about 10Euro, stops depending on the route in Nis or Krusevac, Pristina and other towns on the road, information dates from february 2005). Good way going to Prizren is from Tirana. You may be in Prizren in about two and a half hours using the Durres-Morine highway. The main event in the town is yearly international documentary DOKUFEST and short film festival held in August.
See

* The Turkish baths – the Hammam – The Prizren Hammam is located near the center of town, just up from the main post office. It is a distinctive complex of low brick domes. Obviously no longer used as public baths, the building is occasionally used for art exhibits.

* The mostly destroyed Serbian Quarter above the city – from the center of the city, start heading up hill. You will see the remains of the walls on the crest of the hill – head up paths in that direction. There are no signs along the way. You will pass an Orthodox Cathedral in the center of town that is being guarded by armed KFOR soldiers. The Cathedral was badly damaged during the ethnic riots of March 2004, but has largely been repaired. As of April 2010 however it was still not open to the public (there’s a sign on the gate to contact the Prizren Police office for entry). There are other Serbian Orthodox Churches in Prizren including a small chapel across the street from the Cathedral which was also destroyed in March 2004.

* There are numerous mosques around town, but the largest, dominating the town center is the Mosque of Sinan Pasha.

* The city castle – has a wonderful view over the town. The castle dates from Roman era.

There is much more going on in Prizren during the Summer than any other time of the year. The main square in town, a stone piazza known as Shatervan, is the gathering point on most evenings. The piazza is surrounded by cafes, bars, restaurants and ice cream parlors. During the day this is an excellent place to sit and have a coffee, or have lunch and watch the town go about its business. The fountain in the center of the piazza is safe to drink from and is a central gathering point during hot summer afternoons. From about 9:30pm to midnight on almost every night in the summer the streets around Shatervan are crowded with locals walking the corso, meeting, chatting and drinking. In August the town hosts the Dokufest International Documentary and Short Film Festival www.dokufest.com. During the Festival the town is full of people and various parties go late at night in the bars.

The area around Prizren, particularly to the east and southwest is also scenic. Heading east from town toward the old Yugoslav ski resort of Brezovica takes you through the Zupa valley. There are numerous restaurants following the river along this route. The ski slopes at Brezovica are open and for skiing during the winter. The runs were once considered some of the best in Yugoslavia, and the site was a back-up for the Sarajevo Winter Olympics in 1984.

To the southwest, toward the Albanian border the landscape is also dramatic. About an hour’s drive from Prizren is the mountain town of Dragash. Although there is no skiing in the mountains surrounding Dragash, the area is beautiful. Friday is market day in Dragash.

The Hammam of Prizren is an early Ottoman-era monument in which oriental and local traditions combine. It was built in the heart of the city in 1563/4 by Gazi Mehmet Pasha, at the time when he was also building the nearby mosque. The hammam has two large and nine small domes and is separated into men’s and women’s sections. As one of the most precious hammams in South-East Europe, it embodies special architectural, historical, cultural and social values. Integrated for centuries in the lives of the citizens, it has become a symbol for the spiritual and cultural heritage of Prizren and its region. The building functioned as a hammam until 1944. It then served for cheese production, as a warehouse, and later the entrance area was used for cultural events. In state protection since 1954, the hammam was repaired and maintained until 1981 when it was left at the mercy of time. After the NATO intervention in Kosovo in 1999, some limited measures were undertaken for the monument’s protection.

Bajrakli Mosque- the 14th century Mosque of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror, can be reached on the first left street infront of The Hamam.. Bajrakli mosque dates from 1566 and is possibly the most beautiful mosque in Prizren with ornate wood work and detailed blue-and-white paintings.

The Sofi Sinan Pasha Mosque-The Mosque of Sinan Pasha is one of the most important monuments from the occupation of Ottoman Empire in this territory. According to the inscription inside themosque Sofi Sinan Pasha, built it for his co-citizens, on hijrij year 1024 (1615). The mosque was built with walls over 2 m thick, it contains more than 50 windows, and the minaret is one of the highest in the city. The mosque is very rich in ornaments of many colors and shapes. The interior of the mosque is decorated by arabesques and other decorations of flora and fauna in the baroque style. There are two layers of paintings in it, the paintings of the time when the mosque was built (17th century) and a second layer of paintings (19th century). In the entrance the mosque has a fountain, built by the founder. The mosque also used to have a madras and a library with numerous books of different contents.

The Prizren league house- old complex where Albanian political organization founded on June 10, 1878 in Prizren. Albanian Prizren League officially started with gathering of 300 representatives of all Albanian regions. In the meeting there were also Bosnians from Bosnia and Sanxhak. The aim of the meeting was to form an autonomous Albanian state that would cover the otoman regions (vilajets) of Prizren, Shkodra, Manastir and Janina. The league was the first serious effort to create united Albanian region since the failure of Skenderbeg forces in medieval.

The River-side walk place “Marash”- follows the line of bars on the river-side. It leads to the Dokufest Camp place and if you follow the white stone passage you will find a perfect jogging ground along the astonishing nature and will be enchanted with where it takes you at the end of it! It’s a surprise! Follow the narrow white line!

The Catholic Church- stands at the top of the stone street that leads from the “Shadërvan Square”.Error processing request