what to see in Pristina

admin ♦ August 4, 2010 ♦ 2 Comments

Pristina  is the capital city of Kosovo. Places that should be visited in Prishtina is the quarter near the National Museum of Kosova. In addition to visiting the museum where a lot of archelogical artifacts are presented, in both ways when you exit you see the old mosques, since the Ottoman Empire.

* No visit to Pristina is complete without a walking tour. To see the city from street-level is best: start off in the Dardania neighborhood, in front of the three-storey portrait of Bill Clinton, and stroll past the university to the Grand Hotel and UNMIK. Follow Nena Tereze street towards the Skenderbeg monument and the new Government Building, then point yourself toward the historic mosques and meander through the tight lanes of the old quarter. You will see street market stalls, kids hawking cigarettes and phone cards, qebabtores and cafes, and the vibrant community life of Kosovo’s biggest city. If you have more time, it’s also worthwhile wandering up into Dragodan / Arberia or Velania (especially City Park, also referred to as “the Italian park,” and the park dedicated to now-deceased President Ibrahim Rugova).

* Pristina is a brown and sprawling city, with none of the historic charm of Prizren or the imposing mountain backdrop of Pejë. But there are outposts of green, the biggest and best of which is Gërmia Park. During the summer, the lake-sized swimming pool here is a hot spot for families and young people, but year-round the park itself offers grassy spaces to relax or kick the ball around, and a network of mine-cleared trails through the dense woods perfect for dog-walking or drunken hide-and-seek tournaments. A couple of restaurants at the top of the park have good food and nice views. Also interesting to check out the cluster-bombed police bunker, just up the road from the best restaurant.

* It may be “interesting” for some visitors to see the offices of the major international organizations in Kosovo. UNMIK’s compound in the centre of town is tough to penetrate without an UNMIK card, but you spending a half-hour in Phoenix bar just outside the fence will provide you with a basic idea of what’s going on in there. A more worthwhile destination is the OSCE headquarters on Luan Haradinaj; if you can get yourself inside, the view from the restaurant on the ninth floor is excellent.

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Library of the University of Pristina
Library of the University of Pristina

A couple minute’s walk from the Grand Hotel Pristina is the library of the University of Pristina. It looks like it is constructed of massive concrete Lego bricks and then covered with chain mail. It is certainly worth a look.

* Lately Pristina is rebuilding, and some of the city roads now are new! But you still must be on the look out for large potholes!

* The museum is free, and even better than its collection is the building itself.

* Don’t miss the Pristina Ethnografic museum tucked back in the old town streets about 5 minutes walk from the main museum. Beautiful house, costumes and traditional tools.

* Check out the mosques on Nazim Gafurri Street. Jashar Pasha Mosque (near the clock tower) is currently being restored, and is closed to the public [2010], however the work that is visible on the exterior is beautifully executed in calming blues.Error processing request