Prizren
Encyclopedia
Prizren is a historical city located in southern Kosovo
. It is the administrative center of the eponymous municipality and district
.
The city has a population of around 131,247 (2010 estimate), mostly Albanians
. The municipality has an estimated population of about 170,000 inhabitants, comprising both the town itself and its 76 villages.
Prizren is located on the slopes of the Šar Mountains in the southern part of Kosovo, at 42.23°N 20.74°E. The municipality has a border with Albania
and the Republic of Macedonia
.
in Ptolemy
's Geography
is mentioned in the 2nd century A.D.. In the 5th century A.D. it is mentioned as being restored in Dardania with the name of Petrizên by Procopius of Caesarea
in De aedificiis (Book IV, Chapter 4). Sometimes it is mentioned even in relation to the Justiniana Prima
.
It is thought that its modern name comes from old Serbian
Призрѣнь, from при-зрѣти, indicating fortress which could be seen from afar (compare with Czech
Přízřenice
or mount Ozren
).
While there were some predecessors, the first major Serbian power arose in 1166, when the Nemanjic dynasty emerged, headed first by Tihomir and then by his brother Stefan. The Serbian Nemanjic dynasty would base the Serbian empire in Kosovo and Metohija, making Kosovo the political, cultural, and religious center of the Serbia. Metohija, which refers more specifically to western Kosovo, is a Byzantine Greek word indicating possessions held by the Orthodox Church. The Nemanjic dynasty would endure until 1371 when it would end due to the invasion of the Ottoman Turks and defeat at the 1371 battle of Marica.
As the Serbian empire sought an outlet to the Adriatic coast, the administrative and religious center of the empire shifted to Shkodër, Prizren, and Decani.
, and under new administrative organization of Ottoman Empire it became capitol of the Vilayet. This included the city of Tetova. That time this open mosque had built. It is the first work of Ottoman architecture in Prizren. In recent years, has undergone serious repair and renovation.. Marino Bizzi, the Archbishop of Bar
(Antivari), in his 1610 report stated that Prizren had 8.600 large houses and that it was irrigated by many sources of flowing water, like fountains. He recorded that the population of Prizren spoke the Dalmatian language, although some part of the Sanjak of Prizren penetrates into Albania, which population speak its own language. Later it became a part of the Ottoman province of Rumelia
. It was a prosperous trade city, benefiting from its position on the north-south and east-west trade routes across the Empire. Prizren became one of the larger cities of the Ottomans' Kosovo Province
(vilayet).
Prizren was the cultural and intellectual centre of Ottoman Kosovo. It was dominated by its Muslim population, who composed over 70% of its population in 1857. The city became the biggest Albanian cultural centre and the coordination political and cultural capital of the Kosovar Albanians. In 1871, a long Serbian seminary was opened in Prizren, discussing the possible joining of the old Serbia's territories with the Principality of Serbia.
, a movement formed to seek the national unification and liberation of Albanians within the Ottoman Empire.
was a step in the dissolving of the Ottoman empire that led to the Balkan Wars.
The Third Army (Ottoman Empire)
had a division in Prizren, at the time called Pirzerin,
the 30th Pirzerin Reserve Infantry Division (Otuzuncu Pirzerin Redif Fırkası).
in the Order of Battle, October 19, 1912 in the First Balkan War
.
During the First Balkan War
the city was seized by the Serbian army
and incorporated into the Kingdom of Serbia
. After the Serbian army achieved control over the city of Prizren, it imposed a repressive measures against the civilian population. Serbian detachments breaking into the houses, plundering, making violence and killing indiscriminately. Around 400 people were "eradicated" in the first days of the Serbian military administration. Bodies were lying everywhere on the streets. According to witnesses, these days around Prizren were about 1,500 corpses of Albanians.
Foreign reporters were not allowed to go to Prizren. The British
traveler Edith Durham
attempted to visit it shortly afterward but was barred by the authorities, as were most other foreigners, for the Montenegrin
forces temporarily closed the city before full control was restored. A few visitors did make it through—including Leon Trotsky
, then working as a war correspondent—and reports eventually emerged of widespread killings of Albanians. One of the most vivid accounts was provided by the Catholic
Archbishop
of Skopje
, who wrote an impassioned dispatch to the Pope
on the dire conditions in Prizren immediately after its capture by Serbia:
It is estimated that 5.000 Albanians were massacred
in the area of Prizren.
. The Serbian Army pushed the Central Powers out of the city in October 1918. By the end of 1918, the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes was formed—with Prizren a part of its historical territorial entity of Serbia. The Kingdom was renamed in 1929 to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia
and Prizren became a part of its Banate of Vardar.
forces conquered the city in 1941 during World War II
; it was annexed to the Italian puppet state
of Albania
. In 1943 with the help of the German Wehrmacht
Bedri Pejani created the Second League of Prizren
.
and Metohija
within the People's Republic of Serbia, a constituent state of the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia. In 9–10 July 1945 the Regional Assembly of Kosovo and Metohija held in Prizren adopted the decision of abolishing the region's autonomy and direct integration into Serbia.
The Province was renamed to Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo
in 1974, remaining part of the Socialist Republic of Serbia
, but having attributions similar to a Socialist Republic within the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
. The former status was restored in 1989, and officially in 1990.
For many years after the restoration of Serbian rule, Prizren and the region of Dečani
to the west remained centres of Albanian
nationalism. In 1956 the Yugoslav
secret police
put on trial in Prizren nine Kosovo Albanians accused of having been infiltrated into the country by the (hostile) Communist Albanian regime of Enver Hoxha
. The "Prizren trial" became something of a cause célèbre
after it emerged that a number of leading Yugoslav Communists had allegedly had contacts with the accused. The nine accused were all convicted and sentenced to long prison sentences, but were released and declared innocent in 1968 with Kosovo's assembly declaring that the trial had been "staged and mendacious."
but its surrounding municipality was badly affected 1998-1999. Before the war, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
estimated that the municipality's population was about 78% Kosovo Albanian, 5% Serb and 17% from other national communities. During the war most of the Albanian population were either forced or intimidated into leaving the town. Tusus Neighborhood suffered the most. Some twenty-seven to thirty-four people were killed and over one hundred houses were burned.
At the end of the war in June 1999, most of the Albanian population returned to Prizren. Serbian and Roma minorities fled, with the OSCE estimating that 97% of Serbs and 60% of Romas had left Prizren by October. The community is now predominantly ethnically Albanian, but other minorities such as Turkish, Ashkali (a minority declaring itself as Albanian Roma) and Bosniak (including Torbesh community) live there as well, be that in the city itself, or in villages around. Such locations include Sredska
, Mamuša
, the region of Gora
, etc. http://www.osce.org/kosovo/documents/reports/hr/part2/07e-prizren.htm
The war and its aftermath caused only a moderate amount of damage to the city compared to other cities in Kosovo. Serbian forces destroyed an important Albanian cultural monument in Prizren, the League of Prizren building On March 17, 2004, during the Unrest in Kosovo
, all Serb cultural monuments in Prizren were damaged, burned or destroyed, such as old Orthodox Serb
churches:
Also, during that riot, entire Serb quarter of Prizren, near the Prizren Fortress
, was completely destroyed, and all remaining Serb population was evicted from Prizren.
, Turks
, and Roma in addition to the majority Kosovo Albanian population live in Prizren. Only a small number of Kosovo Serbs remains in Prizren and area, residing in small villages, enclaves, or protected housing complexes.http://www.osce.org/documents/html/pdftohtml/1200_en.pdf.html Furthermore, Prizren's Turkish community is socially prominent and influential, and the Turkish language
is widely spoken even by non-ethnic Turks.
, Serbian
and Turkish
languages are official languages.
. The city is home to numerous mosques, Orthodox and Catholic churches and other monuments. Among them:
These monuments, part of the historic center of the city, have recently been threatened by development pressures. In addition, war, fires, general dilapidation and neglect have taken their toll on this unique architectural landscape.
} . It was built in 1615 by Sofi Sinan Pasha, bey
of Budim. The mosque overlooks the main street of Prizren and is a dominant feature in the town's skyline.|| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|||align="left"|The remaining minaret of the Arasta Mosque|| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
|}
was based on retail industry fueled by remittance income coming from a large number of immigrant communities in Western Europe
. Private enterprise, mostly small business, is slowly emerging food processing
. Private businesses, like elsewhere in Kosovo, predominantly face difficulties because of lack of structural capacity to grow. Education is poor, financial institutions basic, regulatory institutions lack experience. Central and local legislatures do not have an understanding of their role in creating legal environment good for economic growth
and instead compete in patriotic rhetoric
. Securing capital investment from foreign entities cannot emerge in such an environment. Due to financial hardships, several companies and factories have closed and others are reducing personnel. This general economic downturn contributes directly to the growing rate of unemployment
and poverty
, making the financial/economic viability in the region more tenuous.
Many restaurants, private retail stores, and service-related businesses operate out of small shops. Larger grocery and
department stores have recently opened. In town, there are eight sizeable markets, including three produce markets,
one car market, one cattle market, and three personal/hygienic and house wares markets. There is an abundance of
kiosks selling small goods. Prizren appears to be teeming with economic prosperity, but appearances are deceiving as
the international presence is reduced and repatriation of refugees and internally displaced person
s is expected to further strain the local economy. Market saturation, high unemployment, and a reduction of financial remittances from abroad are ominous economic indicators.
There are three agricultural co-operatives in three villages. Most livestock breeding and agricultural production is private,
informal, and small-scale. There are five operational banks with branches in Prizren, the Micro Enterprise Bank (MEB), the Raiffeisen Bank, the Nlb Bank, the Teb Bank
and the Payment and Banking Authority of Kosovo (BPK).
According to the 1991 census conducted by the Yugoslav authorities, the municipality of Prizren had a population of 200,584 citizens:
According to the same census, the city of Prizren had 92,303 citizens.
Just before the Kosovo War in 1998, the OSCE estimated the population of the municipality of Prizren:
According to a United Nations
estimate in 2003, the city had about 124,000 citizens, most being ethnic Albanians. According to the World Gazetteer, the city only had 131,247 residents in 2010.
, Macedonia
Skopje
, Macedonia
Mamuša
, Kosovo
Durrës
, Albania
Tirana
, Albania
Vlorë
, Albania
Shkodër
, Albania
Istanbul
, Turkey
Zagreb
, Croatia
Osijek
, Croatia
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
. It is the administrative center of the eponymous municipality and district
District of Prizren
The Prizren District is one the seven districts of Kosovo, with seat in Prizren.-Municipalities:It include the municipalities of:* Prizren* Dragaš * Suva Reka...
.
The city has a population of around 131,247 (2010 estimate), mostly Albanians
Albanians
Albanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...
. The municipality has an estimated population of about 170,000 inhabitants, comprising both the town itself and its 76 villages.
Prizren is located on the slopes of the Šar Mountains in the southern part of Kosovo, at 42.23°N 20.74°E. The municipality has a border with Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
and the Republic of Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
.
History
Ancient
The Roman town of TherandaTheranda
Theranda was an old Roman settlement in what is now Prizren.The town is mentioned by Ptolemy in the 2nd century AD in his Geography, whereas in the 5th century AD. it is mentioned with the name of Petrizên by Procopius of Caesarea in De aedificiis .Sometimes the town is mentioned even in relation...
in Ptolemy
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy , was a Roman citizen of Egypt who wrote in Greek. He was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer, and poet of a single epigram in the Greek Anthology. He lived in Egypt under Roman rule, and is believed to have been born in the town of Ptolemais Hermiou in the...
's Geography
Geographia (Ptolemy)
The Geography is Ptolemy's main work besides the Almagest...
is mentioned in the 2nd century A.D.. In the 5th century A.D. it is mentioned as being restored in Dardania with the name of Petrizên by Procopius of Caesarea
Procopius
Procopius of Caesarea was a prominent Byzantine scholar from Palestine. Accompanying the general Belisarius in the wars of the Emperor Justinian I, he became the principal historian of the 6th century, writing the Wars of Justinian, the Buildings of Justinian and the celebrated Secret History...
in De aedificiis (Book IV, Chapter 4). Sometimes it is mentioned even in relation to the Justiniana Prima
Justiniana Prima
Justiniana Prima is an archaeological site near today's Lebane in southern Serbia, It was a Byzantine city that served as the seat of an Archbishopric that had jurisdiction of the Central Balkans...
.
It is thought that its modern name comes from old Serbian
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
Призрѣнь, from при-зрѣти, indicating fortress which could be seen from afar (compare with Czech
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
Přízřenice
Brno
Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...
or mount Ozren
Ozren
Ozren is a mountain in northern Bosnia and Herzegovina. It lies between cities of Doboj and Zavidovići, partly in the Republika Srpska and partly in the Federation entity....
).
Medieval
The Serbs, one of the Slavic tribes that settled the Balkans in the 6th-7th centuries AD, acquired the spiritual and cultural orientation they have retained to this day when they accepted Byzantine Orthodox Christianity in the 9th century. They remained within Constantinople’s cultural sphere of influence, while however becoming more independent, forging autonomous kingdoms based on the opportunities that this Christian orientation provided for the development of a coherent civilization and state.While there were some predecessors, the first major Serbian power arose in 1166, when the Nemanjic dynasty emerged, headed first by Tihomir and then by his brother Stefan. The Serbian Nemanjic dynasty would base the Serbian empire in Kosovo and Metohija, making Kosovo the political, cultural, and religious center of the Serbia. Metohija, which refers more specifically to western Kosovo, is a Byzantine Greek word indicating possessions held by the Orthodox Church. The Nemanjic dynasty would endure until 1371 when it would end due to the invasion of the Ottoman Turks and defeat at the 1371 battle of Marica.
As the Serbian empire sought an outlet to the Adriatic coast, the administrative and religious center of the empire shifted to Shkodër, Prizren, and Decani.
Prizren Vilayet
In 1455 Ottoman army had conquered Prizren. Prizren was the capitol of the Sanjak of PrizrenSanjak of Prizren
The Sanjak of Prizren was one of the sanjaks in the Ottoman Empire with Prizren as its administrative centre. It was founded immediately after Ottoman Empire captured Prizren from Serbian Despotate in 1455. It was one of the sanjaks established on the territory which Ottoman Empire conquered from...
, and under new administrative organization of Ottoman Empire it became capitol of the Vilayet. This included the city of Tetova. That time this open mosque had built. It is the first work of Ottoman architecture in Prizren. In recent years, has undergone serious repair and renovation.. Marino Bizzi, the Archbishop of Bar
Bar, Montenegro
Bar is a coastal town in Montenegro. It has a population of 17,727...
(Antivari), in his 1610 report stated that Prizren had 8.600 large houses and that it was irrigated by many sources of flowing water, like fountains. He recorded that the population of Prizren spoke the Dalmatian language, although some part of the Sanjak of Prizren penetrates into Albania, which population speak its own language. Later it became a part of the Ottoman province of Rumelia
Rumelia
Rumelia was an historical region comprising the territories of the Ottoman Empire in Europe...
. It was a prosperous trade city, benefiting from its position on the north-south and east-west trade routes across the Empire. Prizren became one of the larger cities of the Ottomans' Kosovo Province
Kosovo Province, Ottoman Empire
The Vilayet of Kosovo was a vilayet of the Ottoman Empire in the Balkan Peninsula which included the current territory of Kosovo and the western part of the Republic of Macedonia...
(vilayet).
Prizren was the cultural and intellectual centre of Ottoman Kosovo. It was dominated by its Muslim population, who composed over 70% of its population in 1857. The city became the biggest Albanian cultural centre and the coordination political and cultural capital of the Kosovar Albanians. In 1871, a long Serbian seminary was opened in Prizren, discussing the possible joining of the old Serbia's territories with the Principality of Serbia.
League of Prizren
During the late 19th century the city became a focal point for Albanian nationalism and saw the creation in 1878 of the League of PrizrenLeague of Prizren
The League for the Defense of the Rights of the Albanian Nation commonly known as the League of Prizren was an Albanian political organization founded on 10 June 1878 in Prizren, in the Kosovo province of the Ottoman Empire....
, a movement formed to seek the national unification and liberation of Albanians within the Ottoman Empire.
Young Turk Revolution
The Young Turk RevolutionYoung Turk Revolution
The Young Turk Revolution of 1908 reversed the suspension of the Ottoman parliament by Sultan Abdul Hamid II, marking the onset of the Second Constitutional Era...
was a step in the dissolving of the Ottoman empire that led to the Balkan Wars.
The Third Army (Ottoman Empire)
Third Army (Ottoman Empire)
The Ottoman Third Army was originally established in the Balkans and later defended the northern and eastern parts of the Ottoman Empire. Its initial headquarters was at Salonica. With the onset of World War I, it moved to Erzurum Fortress. The headquarters was moved to Susehir after the Battle...
had a division in Prizren, at the time called Pirzerin,
the 30th Pirzerin Reserve Infantry Division (Otuzuncu Pirzerin Redif Fırkası).
Balkan wars
The Prizren attachment was part of the İpek Detachmentİpek Detachment
The İpek Detachment of the Ottoman Empire was one of the Detachment under the command of the Ottoman Western Army. It was formed in İpek area during the First Balkan War.- Order of Battle, October 19, 1912 :...
in the Order of Battle, October 19, 1912 in the First Balkan War
First Balkan War
The First Balkan War, which lasted from October 1912 to May 1913, pitted the Balkan League against the Ottoman Empire. The combined armies of the Balkan states overcame the numerically inferior and strategically disadvantaged Ottoman armies and achieved rapid success...
.
During the First Balkan War
First Balkan War
The First Balkan War, which lasted from October 1912 to May 1913, pitted the Balkan League against the Ottoman Empire. The combined armies of the Balkan states overcame the numerically inferior and strategically disadvantaged Ottoman armies and achieved rapid success...
the city was seized by the Serbian army
Serbian Army
-Objectives:The Serbian Army is responsible for:* deterring armed threats* defending Serbia's territory* participation in peacekeeping operations* providing humanitarian aid and disaster relief-Personnel:...
and incorporated into the Kingdom of Serbia
Kingdom of Serbia
The Kingdom of Serbia was created when Prince Milan Obrenović, ruler of the Principality of Serbia, was crowned King in 1882. The Principality of Serbia was ruled by the Karađorđevic dynasty from 1817 onwards . The Principality, suzerain to the Porte, had expelled all Ottoman troops by 1867, de...
. After the Serbian army achieved control over the city of Prizren, it imposed a repressive measures against the civilian population. Serbian detachments breaking into the houses, plundering, making violence and killing indiscriminately. Around 400 people were "eradicated" in the first days of the Serbian military administration. Bodies were lying everywhere on the streets. According to witnesses, these days around Prizren were about 1,500 corpses of Albanians.
Foreign reporters were not allowed to go to Prizren. The British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
traveler Edith Durham
Edith Durham
Mary Edith Durham was a British traveller, artist and writer who became famous for her anthropological accounts of life in Albania in the early 20th century.-Early life:...
attempted to visit it shortly afterward but was barred by the authorities, as were most other foreigners, for the Montenegrin
Kingdom of Montenegro
The Kingdom of Montenegro was a monarchy in southeastern Europe during the tumultuous years on the Balkan Peninsula leading up to and during World War I. Legally it was a constitutional monarchy, but absolutist in practice...
forces temporarily closed the city before full control was restored. A few visitors did make it through—including Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky , born Lev Davidovich Bronshtein, was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and theorist, Soviet politician, and the founder and first leader of the Red Army....
, then working as a war correspondent—and reports eventually emerged of widespread killings of Albanians. One of the most vivid accounts was provided by the Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
of Skopje
Skopje
Skopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre...
, who wrote an impassioned dispatch to the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
on the dire conditions in Prizren immediately after its capture by Serbia:
- "The town resembles the kingdom of death. They knock at the doors of Albanian homes, take the men out and shoot them right away, simply because they are Albanians."
It is estimated that 5.000 Albanians were massacred
Massacres of Albanians in the Balkan Wars
A series of massacres of Albanians in the Balkan Wars were committed by the Serbian and Montenegrin Army and paramilitaries, according to international reports....
in the area of Prizren.
Yugoslav period
With the invasion of the Kingdom of Serbia by Austro-Hungarian forces in 1915 during the First World War, the city was occupied by the Central PowersCentral Powers
The Central Powers were one of the two warring factions in World War I , composed of the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulgaria...
. The Serbian Army pushed the Central Powers out of the city in October 1918. By the end of 1918, the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes was formed—with Prizren a part of its historical territorial entity of Serbia. The Kingdom was renamed in 1929 to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...
and Prizren became a part of its Banate of Vardar.
Second League of Prizren
The Axis ItalianItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
forces conquered the city in 1941 during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
; it was annexed to the Italian puppet state
Puppet state
A puppet state is a nominal sovereign of a state who is de facto controlled by a foreign power. The term refers to a government controlled by the government of another country like a puppeteer controls the strings of a marionette...
of Albania
Albania under Italy
The Albanian Kingdom existed as a protectorate of the Kingdom of Italy. It was practically a union between Italy and Albania, officially led by Italy's King Victor Emmanuel III and its government: Albania was led by Italian governors, after being militarily occupied by Italy, from 1939 until 1943...
. In 1943 with the help of the German Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
Bedri Pejani created the Second League of Prizren
Second League of Prizren
The Second League of Prizren was an organisation founded by leading Albanian officials in Kosovo in 1943 to campaign for the ethnic unification of Albanians in Albania....
.
Democratic Federal Yugoslavia
The Communists of Yugoslavia liberated it by 1944. It was formulated as a part of Kosovo and Metohija, under Democratic Serbia as a part of the Democratic Federal Yugoslavia. The Constitution defined the Autonomous Region of KosovoKosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
and Metohija
Metohija
Metohija , is a large basin and the name of the region covering the southwestern part of Kosovo.It encompasses three of the seven districts of Kosovo, namely the historical :* District of Peć * District of Đakovica * District of Prizren...
within the People's Republic of Serbia, a constituent state of the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia. In 9–10 July 1945 the Regional Assembly of Kosovo and Metohija held in Prizren adopted the decision of abolishing the region's autonomy and direct integration into Serbia.
The Province was renamed to Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo
Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo
Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo was one of the two socialist autonomous areas of the Socialist Republic of Serbia incorporated into the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1974 until 1990...
in 1974, remaining part of the Socialist Republic of Serbia
Socialist Republic of Serbia
Socialist Republic of Serbia was a socialist state that was a constituent country of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. It is a predecessor of modern day Serbia, which served as the biggest republic in the Yugoslav federation and held the largest population of all the Yugoslav...
, but having attributions similar to a Socialist Republic within the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
. The former status was restored in 1989, and officially in 1990.
For many years after the restoration of Serbian rule, Prizren and the region of Dečani
Decani
Decani is the side of a church choir occupied by the Dean. In English churches this is typically the choir stalls on the south side of the chancel, although there are some notable exceptions, such as Durham Cathedral and Southwell Minster...
to the west remained centres of Albanian
Albanians
Albanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...
nationalism. In 1956 the Yugoslav
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
secret police
Secret police
Secret police are a police agency which operates in secrecy and beyond the law to protect the political power of an individual dictator or an authoritarian political regime....
put on trial in Prizren nine Kosovo Albanians accused of having been infiltrated into the country by the (hostile) Communist Albanian regime of Enver Hoxha
Enver Hoxha
Enver Halil Hoxha was a Marxist–Leninist revolutionary andthe leader of Albania from the end of World War II until his death in 1985, as the First Secretary of the Party of Labour of Albania...
. The "Prizren trial" became something of a cause célèbre
Cause célèbre
A is an issue or incident arousing widespread controversy, outside campaigning and heated public debate. The term is particularly used in connection with celebrated legal cases. It is a French phrase in common English use...
after it emerged that a number of leading Yugoslav Communists had allegedly had contacts with the accused. The nine accused were all convicted and sentenced to long prison sentences, but were released and declared innocent in 1968 with Kosovo's assembly declaring that the trial had been "staged and mendacious."
Kosovo War
The town of Prizren did not suffer much during the Kosovo WarKosovo War
The term Kosovo War or Kosovo conflict was two sequential, and at times parallel, armed conflicts in Kosovo province, then part of FR Yugoslav Republic of Serbia; from early 1998 to 1999, there was an armed conflict initiated by the ethnic Albanian "Kosovo Liberation Army" , who sought independence...
but its surrounding municipality was badly affected 1998-1999. Before the war, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe is the world's largest security-oriented intergovernmental organization. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, human rights, freedom of the press and fair elections...
estimated that the municipality's population was about 78% Kosovo Albanian, 5% Serb and 17% from other national communities. During the war most of the Albanian population were either forced or intimidated into leaving the town. Tusus Neighborhood suffered the most. Some twenty-seven to thirty-four people were killed and over one hundred houses were burned.
At the end of the war in June 1999, most of the Albanian population returned to Prizren. Serbian and Roma minorities fled, with the OSCE estimating that 97% of Serbs and 60% of Romas had left Prizren by October. The community is now predominantly ethnically Albanian, but other minorities such as Turkish, Ashkali (a minority declaring itself as Albanian Roma) and Bosniak (including Torbesh community) live there as well, be that in the city itself, or in villages around. Such locations include Sredska
Sredska
-Church of the Holy Virgin:At the hamlet of Pejcici, today north of the highway, there is the biggest but also the youngest church in the group of churches of the Sredska district, dedicated to the Holy Virgin...
, Mamuša
Mamuša
Mamuša or Mamusha is a town in Kosovo. In 2008 it became a municipality. Prior to that it was part of Prizren municipality. Of all municipal units in Kosovo, this one is by far the smallest in terms of area.-Location:...
, the region of Gora
Gora (region)
Gora is a geographical region in southern Serbia and northeastern Albania, inhabited by Albanians and a Gorani minority. The name "Gora" is a Slavic word for "mountain" or "forest"....
, etc. http://www.osce.org/kosovo/documents/reports/hr/part2/07e-prizren.htm
The war and its aftermath caused only a moderate amount of damage to the city compared to other cities in Kosovo. Serbian forces destroyed an important Albanian cultural monument in Prizren, the League of Prizren building On March 17, 2004, during the Unrest in Kosovo
2004 unrest in Kosovo
Violent unrest in Kosovo, which at the time was under United Nations administration, broke out on 17 March 2004. Kosovo Albanians, numbering over 50,000, took part in widescale attacks on the Serbian people, compared by the then Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica to ethnic cleansing but not...
, all Serb cultural monuments in Prizren were damaged, burned or destroyed, such as old Orthodox Serb
Serbian Orthodox Church
The Serbian Orthodox Church is one of the autocephalous Orthodox Christian churches, ranking sixth in order of seniority after Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Russia...
churches:
- Our Lady of LjevišOur Lady of LjevišOur Lady of Ljeviš is a 12th-century Serbian Orthodox Church in the town of Prizren, located in southern Serbia - Kosovo and Metohija. It was converted to a mosque during the Ottoman Empire and then back into an Orthodox Church in the early 20th century....
from 1307 (UNESCO World Heritage Site) - the Church of Holy SalvationChurch of Holy Salvation, PrizrenChurch of the Savior is Serbian Orthodox church in Prizren, built around 1330.Church of the Savior was declared Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance in 1990, and it is protected by Republic of Serbia...
- Church of St. George (the city's largest church)
- Church of St. George (Runjevac)
- Church of St. Kyriaki, Church of St. Nicolas (Tutić Church)
- the Monastery of The Holy ArchangelsSaint Archangels MonasteryThe Saint Archangels Monastery is a Serbian Orthodox monastery located in Prizren, in southern Kosovo. It was founded by the Serbian emperor Stefan Uroš IV Dušan of Serbia, and built between 1343 and 1352, on the site of the earlier church, part of the Višegrad fortress complex...
, as well as - Prizren's Ortodox seminary of Saint Cyrillus and Methodius
Also, during that riot, entire Serb quarter of Prizren, near the Prizren Fortress
Kaljaja
Kaljaja or Prizren Fortress is the medieval fortress in Prizren, Kosovo, in which once the capital of Serbian Empire was located. It was built on a hill above Prizrenska Bistrica, around which the modern city developed. The first fort, erected on this location by the Byzantines, was further...
, was completely destroyed, and all remaining Serb population was evicted from Prizren.
Prizren now
The municipality of Prizren is still the most culturally and ethnically heterogeneous of Kosovo, retaining communities of BosniaksBosniaks
The Bosniaks or Bosniacs are a South Slavic ethnic group, living mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a smaller minority also present in other lands of the Balkan Peninsula especially in Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia...
, Turks
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
, and Roma in addition to the majority Kosovo Albanian population live in Prizren. Only a small number of Kosovo Serbs remains in Prizren and area, residing in small villages, enclaves, or protected housing complexes.http://www.osce.org/documents/html/pdftohtml/1200_en.pdf.html Furthermore, Prizren's Turkish community is socially prominent and influential, and the Turkish language
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
is widely spoken even by non-ethnic Turks.
Official languages
In Prizren Municipality, AlbanianAlbanian language
Albanian is an Indo-European language spoken by approximately 7.6 million people, primarily in Albania and Kosovo but also in other areas of the Balkans in which there is an Albanian population, including western Macedonia, southern Montenegro, southern Serbia and northwestern Greece...
, Serbian
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
and Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
languages are official languages.
Culture
Prizren is the seat of a summer documentary film festival called DokufestDokufest
Dokufest is an International Documentary and Short Film Festival that is held every year during August in Prizren, Kosovo. It started recently, in 2002. This Festival attracts numerous international and regional artists...
. The city is home to numerous mosques, Orthodox and Catholic churches and other monuments. Among them:
- Saint Archangels MonasterySaint Archangels MonasteryThe Saint Archangels Monastery is a Serbian Orthodox monastery located in Prizren, in southern Kosovo. It was founded by the Serbian emperor Stefan Uroš IV Dušan of Serbia, and built between 1343 and 1352, on the site of the earlier church, part of the Višegrad fortress complex...
- League of Prizren Monument
- KaljajaKaljajaKaljaja or Prizren Fortress is the medieval fortress in Prizren, Kosovo, in which once the capital of Serbian Empire was located. It was built on a hill above Prizrenska Bistrica, around which the modern city developed. The first fort, erected on this location by the Byzantines, was further...
fortress - Church of Holy SalvationChurch of Holy Salvation, PrizrenChurch of the Savior is Serbian Orthodox church in Prizren, built around 1330.Church of the Savior was declared Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance in 1990, and it is protected by Republic of Serbia...
- Our Lady of LjevišOur Lady of LjevišOur Lady of Ljeviš is a 12th-century Serbian Orthodox Church in the town of Prizren, located in southern Serbia - Kosovo and Metohija. It was converted to a mosque during the Ottoman Empire and then back into an Orthodox Church in the early 20th century....
church - Church of St. Nicolas
- Sinan Pasha MosqueSinan Pasha MosqueThe Sinan Pasha Mosque is an early Ottoman-era mosque in Damascus, Syria, located along Suq Sinaniyya Street.-History:The mosque was built in 1590 by Sinan Pasha, the Ottoman-appointed governor of Damascus from 1589 to 1593. It stands on the site of an older mosque called the Mosque of Basal to...
- Church of St. Kyriaki
- The Mosque of Muderis Ali EfendiMosque of Muderis Ali EfendiMuderis Ali Efendi Muderis Ali Efendi Muderis Ali Efendi (also called the Mosque of Myderis Ali Efendisë/, Myderiz Ali Efendi Mosque/ and also named (Mosque of Ali Hoxha/) and is a mosque in Prizren, Kosovo....
- The St. George Cathedral
- Mosque Katip Sinan Qelebi
- Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual SuccourCathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, PrizrenThe Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Prizren, Kosovo, seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Prizren.- History :...
- The Lorenc AntoniLorenc AntoniLorenc Antoni was a Kosovo Albanian composer, conductor, and ethnomusicologist.-Early years:...
Music school
These monuments, part of the historic center of the city, have recently been threatened by development pressures. In addition, war, fires, general dilapidation and neglect have taken their toll on this unique architectural landscape.
| Name | Description | Picture |
|---|---|---|
| style="text-align:center;" | |align="left"|The Shadervan is a tourist area on the south side of town, there are numerous cafes and restaurants there. The ancient water fountain is a protected cultural monument, there is a legend that if you drink from it you will be sure to come back. | |
| style="text-align:center;" | |align="left"|The Old Stone Bridge is one of the landmarks of Prizren. It crosses the Prizrenska Bistrica. | |
| style="text-align:center;" | |align="left"|The Tannery/Leatherworks in Prizren is an ancient handcraft building. Tabakëve is the Albanian, and табахана the Serbian version, both from , where -ana means house. | |
| style="text-align:center;" | |align="left"|The old Turkish bath is in the center of Prizren. | |
| style="text-align:center;" | |align="left"|1534 (1543?) Mosque of Kuklibeu also known as Kukli Bej Mosque | |
| style="text-align:center;" | |align="left"|Mosque of Mustafe Pashe Prizrenit (Xhamia e Mustafë Pashë Prizrenit/Xhamia e Mustafa Pashës). 1562-1563 Destroyed in 1950 after a storm. It was located at the location of the former UNMIK headquarters, now municipality building 42.210060°N 20.736372°W | |
| style="text-align:center;" | |align="left"|1543-1581 Mosque of Muderis Ali Efendi Mosque of Muderis Ali Efendi Muderis Ali Efendi Muderis Ali Efendi Muderis Ali Efendi (also called the Mosque of Myderis Ali Efendisë/, Myderiz Ali Efendi Mosque/ and also named (Mosque of Ali Hoxha/) and is a mosque in Prizren, Kosovo.... |
|
| style="text-align:center;" |
Bey
Bey is a title for chieftain, traditionally applied to the leaders of small tribal groups. Accoding to some sources, the word "Bey" is of Turkish language In historical accounts, many Turkish, other Turkic and Persian leaders are titled Bey, Beg, Bek, Bay, Baig or Beigh. They are all the same word...
of Budim. The mosque overlooks the main street of Prizren and is a dominant feature in the town's skyline.|| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|||align="left"|The remaining minaret of the Arasta Mosque|| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
|}
Economy
For a long time the economy of KosovoEconomy of Kosovo
The economy of Kosovo is a transition economy Despite substantial development subsidies, Kosovo was the poorest province of the former Yugoslavia. During the 1990s poor economic policies, international sanctions, little access to external trade and finance, and ethnic conflict severely damaged the...
was based on retail industry fueled by remittance income coming from a large number of immigrant communities in Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
. Private enterprise, mostly small business, is slowly emerging food processing
Food processing
Food processing is the set of methods and techniques used to transform raw ingredients into food or to transform food into other forms for consumption by humans or animals either in the home or by the food processing industry...
. Private businesses, like elsewhere in Kosovo, predominantly face difficulties because of lack of structural capacity to grow. Education is poor, financial institutions basic, regulatory institutions lack experience. Central and local legislatures do not have an understanding of their role in creating legal environment good for economic growth
Economic growth
In economics, economic growth is defined as the increasing capacity of the economy to satisfy the wants of goods and services of the members of society. Economic growth is enabled by increases in productivity, which lowers the inputs for a given amount of output. Lowered costs increase demand...
and instead compete in patriotic rhetoric
Rhetoric
Rhetoric is the art of discourse, an art that aims to improve the facility of speakers or writers who attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. As a subject of formal study and a productive civic practice, rhetoric has played a central role in the Western...
. Securing capital investment from foreign entities cannot emerge in such an environment. Due to financial hardships, several companies and factories have closed and others are reducing personnel. This general economic downturn contributes directly to the growing rate of unemployment
Unemployment
Unemployment , as defined by the International Labour Organization, occurs when people are without jobs and they have actively sought work within the past four weeks...
and poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
, making the financial/economic viability in the region more tenuous.
Many restaurants, private retail stores, and service-related businesses operate out of small shops. Larger grocery and
department stores have recently opened. In town, there are eight sizeable markets, including three produce markets,
one car market, one cattle market, and three personal/hygienic and house wares markets. There is an abundance of
kiosks selling small goods. Prizren appears to be teeming with economic prosperity, but appearances are deceiving as
the international presence is reduced and repatriation of refugees and internally displaced person
Internally displaced person
An internally displaced person is someone who is forced to flee his or her home but who remains within his or her country's borders. They are often referred to as refugees, although they do not fall within the current legal definition of a refugee. At the end of 2006 it was estimated there were...
s is expected to further strain the local economy. Market saturation, high unemployment, and a reduction of financial remittances from abroad are ominous economic indicators.
There are three agricultural co-operatives in three villages. Most livestock breeding and agricultural production is private,
informal, and small-scale. There are five operational banks with branches in Prizren, the Micro Enterprise Bank (MEB), the Raiffeisen Bank, the Nlb Bank, the Teb Bank
and the Payment and Banking Authority of Kosovo (BPK).
Demographics
| Demographics | |||||||||||||
| Year | Albanians | % | Bosniaks | % | Serb | % | Turk | % | Roma | % | Others | % | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 cens. | 132,591 | 75.58 | 19,423 | 11.1 | 10,950 | 6.24 | 7,227 | 4.1 | 3,96 3 | 2.3 | 1,259 | 0.7 | 175,413 |
| 1998 | n/a | n/a | 38,500 | n/a | 8,839 | n/a | 12,250 | n/a | 4,500 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Jan. 2000 | 181,531 | 76.9 | 37,500 | 15.9 | 258 | 0.1 | 12,250 | 5.2 | 4,500 | 1.9 | n/a | n/a | 236,000 |
| March 2001 | 181,748 | 81.9 | 22,000 | 9.9 | 252 | 0.1 | 12,250 | 5.5 | 5,424 | 2.4 | n/a | n/a | 221,674 |
| May 2002 | 182,000 | 79.6 | 29,369 | 12.8 | 197 | 0.09 | 11,965 | 5.2 | 4,400 | 1.9 | 550 | 0.25 | 228,481 |
| Dec. 2002 | 180,176 | 81.6 | 21,266 | 9.6 | 221 | 0.09 | 14,050 | 6.4 | 5,148 | 2.3 | n/a | n/a | 221,374 |
| Source: For 1991: Census data, Federal Office of Statistics in Serbia (figures to be considered as unreliable). 1998 and 2000 minority figures from UNHCR in Prizren, January 2000. 2000 Kosovo Albanian figure is an unofficial OSCE estimate January–March 2000. 2001 figures come from German KFOR, UNHCR and IOM last update March 2, 2001. May 2002 statistics are joint UN, UNHCR, KFOR, and OSCE approximations. December 2002 figures are based on survey by the Local Community Office. All figures are estimates. Ref: OSCE .pdf |
|||||||||||||
According to the 1991 census conducted by the Yugoslav authorities, the municipality of Prizren had a population of 200,584 citizens:
- 157,518 (78.53%) AlbaniansAlbaniansAlbanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...
- 11,371 (5.67%) SerbsSerbsThe Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
and Montenegrins - other' http://www.anem.org.rs/mape/ops/dg90255-en.htm
According to the same census, the city of Prizren had 92,303 citizens.
Just before the Kosovo War in 1998, the OSCE estimated the population of the municipality of Prizren:
- Albanians 78%
- Serbs 5%
- others 17%
According to a United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
estimate in 2003, the city had about 124,000 citizens, most being ethnic Albanians. According to the World Gazetteer, the city only had 131,247 residents in 2010.
Sister cities
BitolaBitola
Bitola is a city in the southwestern part of the Republic of Macedonia. The city is an administrative, cultural, industrial, commercial, and educational centre. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba and Nidže mountains, 14 km north of the...
, Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
Skopje
Skopje
Skopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre...
, Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
Mamuša
Mamuša
Mamuša or Mamusha is a town in Kosovo. In 2008 it became a municipality. Prior to that it was part of Prizren municipality. Of all municipal units in Kosovo, this one is by far the smallest in terms of area.-Location:...
, Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
Durrës
Durrës
Durrës is the second largest city of Albania located on the central Albanian coast, about west of the capital Tirana. It is one of the most ancient and economically important cities of Albania. Durres is situated at one of the narrower points of the Adriatic Sea, opposite the Italian ports of Bari...
, Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
Tirana
Tirana
Tirana is the capital and the largest city of Albania. Modern Tirana was founded as an Ottoman town in 1614 by Sulejman Bargjini, a local ruler from Mullet, although the area has been continuously inhabited since antiquity. Tirana became Albania's capital city in 1920 and has a population of over...
, Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
Vlorë
Vlorë
Vlorë is one of the biggest towns and the second largest port city of Albania, after Durrës, with a population of about 94,000 . It is the city where the Albanian Declaration of Independence was proclaimed on November 28, 1912...
, Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
Shkodër
Shkodër
Shkodër , is a city located on Lake of Shkoder in northwestern Albania in the District of Shkodër, of which it is the capital. It is one of the oldest and most historic towns in Albania, as well as an important cultural and economic centre. Shkodër's estimated population is 90,000; if the...
, Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
Osijek
Osijek
Osijek is the fourth largest city in Croatia with a population of 83,496 in 2011. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja county...
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
External links
- Municipality of Prizren by Republic of Kosovo
- Prizren, Serbian capital
- University of Prizren
- Prizren pictures through time