ALL ABOUT KOSOVO

History

As with the rest of the Balkan countries, the region now known as Kosovo was first settled in antiquity and became part of the Roman Empire just over two millennia ago. During the European migrations sparked by the fall of Rome, the region was subject to barbarian raids during the 5th and 6th centuries, with Slavs arriving and taking over in the late 6th and 7th centuries. Until the Middle Ages, the region slipped into obscurity, although by the 9th century, it was part of the Bulgarian Empire and had absorbed Orthodox Christianity.

The Byzantine armies arrived in force in the early 11th century to reclaim the region, and the tug of war between Byzantium, Serbian and Bulgarian powers continued until Serbia finally outlasted the others in the 12th century. The first reference to an Albanian population came in the late 11th century and, by the early 14th century, Kosovo was a spiritual and political center for the Serbian Empire as well as the seat of the Serbian Archbishopric.

By the late 14th century, the rise of the Ottoman Empire had impacted on the region, with Ottoman Kosovo firmly established by 1455 and lasting until 1912, with Islam the dominant religion. At the time of the Ottoman conquest, records show that Serbs formed the bulk of the population, but the Great Serb Migration caused by harsh Ottoman rule and continuing conflict had reversed this position by the early 20th century, at which point Albanian ethnic groups moved in.

As with the Balkans in general, the 19th century in Kosovo saw a resurgence of nationalistic fervor, resulting in rebellions and civil strife. The Albanian nationalist movement was based in Kosovo, add ongoing tension between Muslims and Christians focused on autonomy and cultural rights. By the early 20th century, the trend toward population exchanges, border disputes and devastating wars were well established, beginning with an Albanian uprising in 1912.

The rise of nationalism coupled with interference from Austria, Russia and the remnants of the Ottoman Empire hampered attempts at Kosovan integration between Serbs and Albanians, and set the trend for the rest of the century. Officially Kosovo was part of Serbia, which caused an exodus of Albanians prior to WWI and Serbian immigration. The chaos of WWI ended with Kosovo being divided into four regions, three in Serbia and one in neighboring Montenegro.

By 1929, the entire region became the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, doomed from the outset. Albanians and Muslims were discriminated against and another mass exodus took place. During WWII, Kosovo was allocated by the Axis powers to Albania, itself under Italian rule and, at the end of the war, Communism took over and introduced repression and political chaos. Kosovo’s remaining Albanians bore the brunt of the repression.

Yugoslavia’s disintegration began with civil war between ethnicities and resulted in Kosovo being declared a republic by popular demand in 1990. Shortly afterward, the Kosovo War broke out, sparked by Albanian separatist violence against the Yugoslavian government, which escalated into a major insurgency that finally involved a controversial NATO bombing. By 1999, a NATO-led peacekeeping effort was in effect, and Kosovo was declared an independent republic in 2008, although it is still not fully recognized as such by the United Nations today.

Kosovo indepedence

After the Kosovo war of 1999, theUnited Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) took over the governance of Kosovo. Kosovo was still a province of Serbia, but that country did not have much to say anymore. Kosovo unilaterally declared ‘Kosovo independence’ on February 17th, 2008.

Kosovo was from that very moment de facto

independentfrom Serbia and

called itself the Republic of Kosovo. The new status was quickly backed by a majority of Western countries. Currently,the majority of the UN member statesrecognize its independence, including 23 out of 28 EU-countries. Greece (one of the five others)might accept the independence soon.

Serbia, backed by Russia, is strongly against the thought of Kosovo independence. But the relationship between Kosovo and Serbia has been improving the last couple of years (with some ups and downs, as you might expect).

The NEWBORN statue in the center of the capitalPristinasymbolizes the new status of Kosovo. Kosovo born singer Rita Ora (famous for several number-1 hits in the UK) dancedupon this statuein her video clipShine Ya Light. The statue was for its first five years yellow colored. With the celebration of the first lustrum, people painted the flags of all the recognizing countries on the six newborn letters. The day of independence is an official holiday throughout the nation.

Kosovo independence: a new flag

The new republic has had its own flag since the Kosovo independence. The blue ‘Kosovo flag’ shows in yellow or gold the map of the state with six white-coloredstars above it.

The six stars represent the six biggest ethnic groups in the country.

  • Albanians (at least 90%)
  • Serbians
  • Turks
  • Bosniaks
  • Gorani
  • RAE (Roma, Ashkali, Egyptian)

Because the Albanian flag used to be the unofficial flag for the Albanian Kosovars before independence, many Kosovars still prefer the Albanian one. During holidays, weddings and parties, often both the new flag and the red-black Albanian flag are used.

Where is Kosovo on the map of the Balkans?

The distance between Kosovo and Western Europe is short. A drive between Kosovo and France is 1800 kilometers, and a ride between Germany and the small Balkan state is 750 kilometers.You can flywithin 2,5 hours between Europe’s capital Brussels and Kosovo’s capitalPristina. Istanbul (Turkey) is just 1 hour and 15 minutes away fromPristina by plane.

Where is Kosovo in the Balkans? As you can see on this map below, Kosovo is the blue colored country. It is situated in the middle and surrounded by other countries. It is just a couple of hours drive to the beaches of Albania and Montenegro. Even a ride to Greece is possible within around four hours.

Where is Kosovo?

The Republic of Kosovo lies in the South East of Europe, in the heart of the so-called Balkans. On this page you will find out where Kosovo is situated within Europe and within the Balkans.

Map of Europe. Kosovo is in the south, with a blue circle drawn around the country.

Where is Kosovo on the map of Europe? A blue circle is drawn around the country, just below the yellow colored country Serbia, and above red colored Greece.

Neighboring countries of Kosovo are Macedonia, Albania, Serbia and Montenegro. Kosovo is a part of theWestern Balkans, a region that also includes Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia, Serbia and Albania. This region is also known as the former Yugoslavia, although that was with Slovenia and without Albania.

Culture

At the present time, ethnic Albanians form the majority of Kosovo’s population, with Albanian the country’s official language and Islam the major religion. Village life, with its extensive family networks ruled by a patriarch, still exist in the rural areas although, as young people move to the cities, it’s being diluted by Western values. Among this group, lifestyles are based on the clan system, with many unwritten rules and norms that date back centuries regarded as legally binding, including personal honor and trust.

Generally, Kosovo’s culture is an eclectic mix of ethnicities, including a number of separate languages and traditions. Ottoman heritage is strong with Turkish-speakers found in several regions and the Serbian minority leading the less populous groups in the rural areas. A small number of Roma remain and are traditionally credited with influencing folk music styles, as are the Serbs. Music, dance and art are highly valued, forming a major part of the cultural events and celebrations in the country, especially the elaborate wedding ceremonies with their elaborate costumes and make-up.

Kosovo religion

The Republic of Kosovo is a secular state. The majority of the inhabitants have a Muslim heritage and practice a very mild form of Islam.

City of Gjakova, Kosovo

You will find everywhere through the country mosques and the big feasts of Islambeing celebratedyearly. In most of thecities in Kosovoyou hardly see women with head scarves. Most of the Kosovars consider their Albanian ethnicity to be of higher importance than their religious identity.

Catholicism
Kosovo religion fact: Around 60,000 Kosovars (4% of total population) consider themselves Catholic. In general there are no serious rivalries between Catholics and Muslims. One of the most famous international public figures in the Albanian history is the Catholic nun Mother Teresa. Many believe that her parents wereboth from Kosovo.

The Holy See (the Vatican) does not recognize the Republic of Kosovo as an independent state yet.

Kosovo religion: five protected faiths

The Serbian ethnic minority in Kosovo is Serbian Orthodox. You will find a number of beautifulSerbian churches and monasteriesin the country. Police or NATO-soldiers guard some of these.

The old town of Prizren has one center street with both alarge mosque, a large Serbian Orthodox church and a Catholic Church.

Protestantism and Judaism

There are around 45 (evangelical) Protestant churches across Kosovo and a very small Jewish community. The law on freedom of religion names five religions, which all are above mentioned. They ‘shall be offered any kind of protection and opportunity in order to have rights and freedom foreseen by the law’, says the law of the small Balkan country. Kosovo is proud of their multi-religious character. The annualInterfaithconference brings leaders of all the religions together.

Language in Kosovo

The language of Kosovars is Albanian, because of the large majority of ethnic Albanians in the country (more than 90%). Albanian is an independent language, influenced by Latin and Greek, but also by Ottoman Turkish.

Serbian is also an official language in Kosovo and can be seen at many governmental signs and websites. Other recognized regional languages are Bosnian, Turkish, Gorani and Romani.

Names of cities at road signs are written in both Albanian and Serbian. In the city ofPrizren, you will even find the street signs in Turkish too. Many Kosovars do speak English or German as a second language. In the center of the capital Pristina is a large number of Western expats. Ordering a coffee or beer in the English language is common. Many young Kosovars have studied abroad, and therefore speak good English. Therefore, they can also give you some personal ‘Kosovo information’.

Passports and travel documents in Kosovo

EU civilians and Americans can enter Kosovo without a visa and are allowed to stay three months. Of course, you need a passport to enter the Republic of Kosovo.Several citizens, like the Dutch, are also allowed to enter with an ID card. If you from ofone of these countries, you do not need a visa.

Inhabitants of 87 countries do need a visa to enter Kosovo. It’s not a matter of just buying a visa at the border, sobe prepared.

Time difference with Kosovo

Kosovo is in the Central European Time zone, which meansthat they have the same time as Amsterdam, Paris, Berlin and Brussels. Kosovo has daylight savings time and wintertime.

Weather in Kosovo

Kosovo has long, warm summers and cold winters. You might experience nice temperatures between April and October. June, July, and August have high temperatures,regularlyabove 30 degrees Celsius. There is a short spring and a short fall.

Winters are often intense, with a lot of frost, and from time to time much snow, which is ideal for winter holidays. Snow in the mountains is often visible until the end of April.

The big mountains cause weather differences between several cities. So when checking the internet forthe weather news, make sure you type in the correct city. Note: sometimes weather website uses the Serbian names for cities. Interested which places are great to visit in summer or winter time? Visit our Kosovo information page abouttourism.

KOSOVO CITIES

The Republic of Kosovo has seven cities that would count as relatively large for a state with a population of less than two million. The capital is calledPristina, and has around 200.000 inhabitants. The city lies in the northeast of Kosovo.

  • Prizrencontains 175.000 residents and is situated inthe south. The traditional center of the town is a highlight of Kosovo tourism. You can readall about itin our tourism section.
  • Pejahas around 100.000 inhabitants and lies in the west. In the Serbian language, the city is called Peć. Gold medal winner,Majlinda Kelmendi, was born and raised inPeja.
  • Gjakova, close to the Albanian border in the west of the country, has around 90.000 inhabitants. It’s the first Kosovar city with a female major. The old town of Gjakova is beautiful. Therefore, you will find a tourism page about thetraditional center of Gjakova.
  • Gjilanlies in the east of Kosovo and is the place of birth forseveral famous soccer players, some of them playing for Switzerland. Approximately 90.000 people live in Gjilan.
  • Mitrovicais known for it’s large Serbian minority. Stories of violent incidents are in international newspapers now and then. There is a bridge in Mitrovica that separates the Serbian and Albanian parts of the city.
  • Ferizajis situated in the south of Kosovo and is famous for Camp Bondsteel. The military base might be the biggest US Army base in Europe. A part of the district of Ferizaj is the ski resort ofBrezovica.

KOSOVO MAP

Are you looking for a Kosovo map? We show on this page two maps of Kosovo to give you a view of the country and its major cities.

As you can see, the capitalPristinais situated in the East of

Kosovo.Three other large towns,Peja,Gjakova, andPrizrenare in the West of the country. The distance between each of these three cities is around 36 kilometers (22 miles). The distance betweenGjakovain the West of Kosovo and thecapital Pristinain the East is around 85 kilometers (52 miles). A ride by car orby bustakes around 80 minutes.

As you can see on the Kosovo map, the neighboring country Macedonia has its capital Skopje very close to the Kosovar border. If you leave Kosovo via the south, you will enter Skopje very quickly. Other neighboring countries are Albania (to the left side of Gjakova and Prizren), Montenegro (to the left of Peja) and Serbia (North West of Kosovo).

Flying to Kosovo

Kosovo has a brand new international airport, twenty minutes by car from the center of the capital Pristina. The name of the airport of Kosovo is Adem Jashari International

Airport. Many planes fly directly to Kosovo.

Local currency in Kosovo

Since 2002, you pay with the euro in Kosovo, although the Republic is not an official euro country. In the couple of Serbian parts of the country, the Serbian dinar is preferred.

In shops, supermarkets, restaurants and hotels they prefer you to pay cash. Credit cards are often allowed, but having the transaction go through is not a guarantee.

Kosovo is full of ATMs, but not all will accept your foreign bank card. So when possible, take several bank cards with you.