Day 16 13 Sep - Exploring Pristina, Kosovo

Photo above - arty photo of me in the war exhibition in Pristina, Kosovo.

City centre protests

Today we have time to explore Pristina, which has a population of about 230,000 and is the capital and largest city in Kosovo.

When we went out to find food last night, the city was clearing up the main square following protests by hundreds of thousands of Kosovans. This is due to the imminent war crimes trial decision in the Hague due in the next couple of days.

In 2008 the former leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army became the president of the newly independent Kosovo, however he resigned in 2020 when he was charged with war crimes relating to the Kosovo war in the 90s, and he and three others have been incarcerated ever since. Protestors want all four released. There are more protests expected here again today in the main square, where there is a huge video displaying a clock counting down to the time of the trial verdict.

Exploring the city centre

We walked back into the centre at about 9am to have a look around. Everything was quiet although there were a lot of police walking around. As the morning went on, more people were about, and the atmosphere seemed very relaxed.

We saw a clock tower which somewhat strangely just stands on its own between a couple of buildings, but I think in the past, it may have been part of a small bazaar at this location. We saw many small mosques, the national library which is a very unusual looking building from an architectural point of view, covered in metal grating and with large space age domes on the top, several statues including Saint/Mother Theresa who also has a cathedral just down the road.

We stumbled upon a very sad looking city centre cinema, but on a similar theme, a stage set up for the final day of the Pristina film festival, with their very own red carpet and oscar style awards.

Memories of the war

There were also plenty of Kosovo war related things that we came across, with memorials to British people who lost their lives, and a piece of art made of old medals, honouring ethnic Albanian women who lost their lives. There was also a small exhibition helping visitors to understand the war, the formation of the Kosovan Liberation Army, UN airstrikes, and ultimately the path to independence in 2008.

Our last stop was at the Newborn artwork, which again celebrates the country’s journey towards freedom and state, the artwork on which is changed every year on independence day. Behind this is a conference centre, which today appeared to be hosting some form of school martial arts competition, and a stadium which is home to FC Pristina.

Views over the city

After having a coffee and people watching, we retired to the hotel to chill out. Later in the afternoon, we went back out to the Saint Theresa Cathedral, to go up the tower for some fantastic views over the city. It costs two euros for an elevator ride to the top.

Tomorrow, we have half a day to relax before starting the journey back home.