Kosovo is a tiny state in the Balkan Peninsula. It has belonged till 1991 to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. After the split, it stayed under the control of Serbia, from whom they claimed independence in 2008. After some conflicts with Serbia, Kosovo got its independence and is in 2020 about to celebrate its 12th birthday, which makes it the youngest state in Europe.
My curiosities about Kosovo started one day when, looking at Google Maps, I noticed a dashed line between this country and its border with Serbia. What is the problem with a state that has not all its borders well traced? I decided that I needed to know more about it, and I searched some information on the internet. Many people said that is was a dangerous place, but some travel bloggers had aleady been there and described it as very safe. As an international relations developer, I had to know the truth. During June 2018, I organised a trip around the Balkans, and Kosovo was straightly included on the list.
While I was in Nish, Serbia, my couchsurfer told me very concerning things about Kosovo: "In Kosovo the air is so polluted that citizens have to wear masks to protect themselves from toxic substances". I then decided to go to North Macedonia, so that I would not have had to cross the border from Serbia to Kosovo, which seemed to have some unresolved conflicts.
Prishtina
While I was in Nish, Serbia, my couchsurfer told me very concerning things about Kosovo: "In Kosovo the air is so polluted that citizens have to wear masks to protect themselves from toxic substances". I then decided to go to North Macedonia, so that I would not have had to cross the border from Serbia to Kosovo, which seemed to have some unresolved conflicts.
Prishtina was not at all as I imagined it! On the way from the station till the city center I asked some information to people, and even if they couldn’t speak proper English, they still managed to help me. At the beginning of the big avenue in the centre of Prishtina there is the statue of Bill Clinton, the first American President that helped Kosovo be recognised by the United Nations. The avenue ends at the main square, where people gather peacefully to enjoy their time.
The big particularity of Kosovo is that the food is extremely cheap in restaurants, so that sometimes eating outside is more convenient than cooking at home. This whole pizza, for example, cost me only two euros!
At the moment of paying a question rose immediately in my mind: why do people in Kosovo use the Euro? Before 1999, Kosovo used the Yugoslav dinar. When the tension between the members started, the risks of inflation increased, so that Kosovo and Montenegro decided to rely on the Deutsche Mark, a foreign currency that had more economical stability. That’s why in 2002 with the creation of the Euro Zone, Kosovo followed Germany and adopted the Euro.
Another particularity about Prishtina involves the architecture. The city has many soviet-style buildings that might seem very anonymous, but other that are more remarkable. The National library has a very particular style, and it is ranked to be one of the ugliest building in the world: does it looks that bad?
Prizren
Once in Prishtina I was advised to visit another city, which is more historical and cultural: Prizren. It took only 30 minutes of bus to arrive there, and the difference was instantaneous. Prizren is an old city, whose monuments and architecture mirrors the mix of cultures that characterised Kosovo and the region of the Balkans.
The main castle up on the hill is a heritage from the Medieval period and the Slavic expansion, the several Mosques are the symbol of the Islamic Turkish influence and the Byzantinian bridge reflects the period under the Ottoman empire. This very mix of culture makes Prizren a very beautiful city to visit!
Is Kosovo dangerous?
The Republic of Kosovo is a country that is now self governed and has its own flag and identity. The reason they wanted independence is that the population is composed of Albanians, an ethnicity that speak a completely different language and has a separate culture from all the other countries of the Balkan Peninsula. However, part of the Serbian population still live in Kosovo, which is the reason why the Serbian government claims control of that land.
This dispute led a lot of countries, including Russia, India and Brazil, to not recognise its independence. I’ve seen in Prizren some military in the streets. This is because the country is still under the protection of the NATO, that maintains control and ensures stability. This gave me a sense of protection rather than fear, because conflict in Kosovo would imply bigger and unresolved issues between big powers.
Did you know all these things about Kosovo? I hope you found my article interesting. Let me know if you have ever been there and your thoughts about Kosovo. Leave a like or a comment!
_edited.png)
_edited.png)
