Kosovo and its culture is characterized by Kosovar-Albanian literature and architecture worth seeing. The city of Prizren is considered the cultural center of the country.
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the essentials in brief
- Kosovo Albanian literature did not flourish until after the Second World War.
- The architecture of the country is characterized by numerous Ottoman buildings.
- The capital of the country is Pristina, which also offers monuments worth seeing.
Since the declaration of independence in February 2008, the institutions have been using the new Kosovo flag. However, many Kosovar Albanians use the flag of Albania, while most Serbs prefer the flag of Serbia.
Kosovo Albanian Literature
An independent Albanian literature did not develop in Kosovo until after the Second World War. In the mid-1960s, Yugoslavia began publishing Albanian and Kosovar Albanian literature on a larger scale.
With the founding of the University of Pristina in 1969, Albanian Kosovars had access to higher education in their mother tongue for the first time. As a result, Albanian literature began to flourish in the 1970s.
Because many Kosovar Albanians lived temporarily in western countries, they sought to connect with contemporary tendencies in modern western literature.
architecture of the region
The remains of ancient buildings in Kosovo can be seen in the archaeological site of Ulpiana. Furthermore, the Museum of Kosovo in Pristina has ancient architectural fragments.
From Serbian times mainly church buildings have been preserved. Many mosques were built under Ottoman rule. For example the Sinan Pasha Mosque in Prizren or the Great Mosque of Pristina.
In addition to the Islamic sacred buildings, the Ottomans also built many fortifications. In large and strategically important cities, existing fortresses were further expanded.
The architecture is also characterized by some stone arch bridges, such as the Schneider Bridge in Gjakova. It was built at the end of the 15th century and the name goes back to the tailors’ guild. Typical Ottoman houses can be seen in the historic centers of many cities.
Due to the ethnic conflicts from the 1990s and the Kosovo War in 1999, many historical buildings were destroyed and rebuilt.
The two cities of Pristina and Prizren
Pristina is the capital of Kosovo. There are two different monuments in the middle of the city. One is the popular “Newborn” which was unveiled on the day of the Declaration of Independence. It is redesigned almost every year.
On the opposite side of the street is the «Heroinat Memorial». That shows the face of a woman and consists of 60,000 coins. The memorial was erected in honor of the many women who were raped in the Kosovo war.
Prizren is considered the most beautiful city in Kosovo and a cultural center. The city nestles between the Drin River and the Sar Planina mountain. Numerous stone bridges can be seen and the Prizren Fortress towers over the city.
Major sports in Kosovo
There are many sports associations and clubs in Kosovo, which have been active at international level since independence in 2008. The country became a member of the International Olympic Committee at the end of 2014. They were able to take part for the first time at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Kosovo’s most successful individual sport is judo. The successful judoka Majlinda Kelmendi also won the first Olympic medal for Kosovo in 2016 with gold.
As a team sport, handball has a long and successful tradition in Kosovo.
More on the subject:
Architecture Mosque Kosovo
