Dr. Stefan Christmann

September 9, 2019September 29, 2019

Malet e Sharrit

At the border between Kosovo and North Macedonia you can find a fantastic mountain range called Malet e Sharrit, Sharr or Šar Planina. It is a great contrast to the flat land in the Kosovo Polje and contains high mountains, deep valleys and endless green forests. The area is especially known for the artisan products created here and the possibility to go skiing in the upper parts. A good way to explore the Malet e Sharrit nature protection zone is to start from Prizren and to drive into the direction of Brod – you will then cross the complete mountain range

September 9, 2019April 19, 2022

Prizren

The name Prizren still triggers memories of the Kosovo war in my head. If you get close to it you immediatly see its beauty: with the high mountains in the background carrying the Kalaja fortress that protected the city located at an important trade route from Albania to the Kosovo Polje. In the center there is the fantastic mosque Xhamia e Sinan Pashës located at the river Lumbardhi. An ancient bridge made of rock – the Ura e Gurit – spans the river and minded my much of Sarajevo.

September 9, 2019September 29, 2019

Kalaja

The Kalaja fortress is located high above Prizren, Kosovo. Under its protection the city became an important trade city connecting Albania and its coasts with the Kosovo Polje. The medieval fortress was built in the 6th century CE on a place that was already used by earlier generations of the Illyrians and Romans. The terrace 200 meters above the city gives great views on the area.

September 9, 2019September 29, 2019

Xhamia e Sinan Pashës

When coming to the city center of Prizren, Kosovo you cannot overlook the Xhamia e Sinan Pashës, the biggest and most beautiful mosque of the city. It is located close to the river Bistrica and the ancient stone bridge (Ura e gurit). It was built between 1608 and 1615; the main room is 14 x 14 meters large and therefore the biggest Osman mosque in Kosovo. To build the mosque stones from a former Christian cloister were recycled.

September 9, 2019September 29, 2019

Mirusha valley

The Mirusha valley is one of the natural highlights of Kosovo. It is located in the middle between Pejë and Prizren in a mountainous region with wonderful forests. The river Mirusha here creates 16 waterfalls connecting 13 small lakes. The largest waterfall is 22 meters high. Animals living in this nature protection zone include wild boars, badgers, wolves, turtles and otters. It is a wonderful place full of nature that is a little bit hard to reach.

September 9, 2019April 19, 2022

UÇK

If you get to Kosovo you will definitely get to know something about the Ushtria Çlirimtare e Kosovës, the Kosovan liberation army. Throughout the country you can find big memorials for their fallen soldiers. The UÇK was formed in 1994 to achieve independence of Kosovo from Serbia and to fight what was seen as Serbian occupation. What started with acts of terror ended with the UÇK being an accepted ally of NATO during Kosovo war.

September 8, 2019September 29, 2019

The Past

Clock at Grand Hotel Prishtina, Prishtinë

Njeriu nuk mund ta njohen të sotmen, nese nuk do të kujtoje të kaluaren.
– Kosovan saying

September 8, 2019September 29, 2019

Priview bar

If you want a bar with good views at Prishtinë, Kosovo you need to walk a little bit. Coming from the city center you’ll need to cross the railway tracks and walk up the hill towards the shiny new buildings and the KFOR camp ‘Film city‘ where once movies were produced. Inside the new Minimax shopping centre you can find the Priview bar. From their seats next to the large glass windows you can watch the lights of the capital city.

September 8, 2019September 29, 2019

Bear sanctuary

Going to a place where bears are held in eastern Europe is normally no pleasure. They often live in old and shabby cages that are much too small and don’t provide a suitable environment for these beautiful animals. With the Bear sanctuary Prishtina at Novo sellë, Kosovo it is absolutely different. In Kosovo it was allowed for long time to have a bear as your personal animal. Most often they were held in small cages next to restaurants for the amusement of the visitors. When this law was fortunately changed the animal protection association Four paws offered to create a sanctuary in Kosovo.

September 8, 2019April 19, 2022

Artificial lakes

The Kosovo is in a special geographic situation – a large valley with different mountains at its borders and no access to the sea. There are some rivers like the Drin and the Ibër and only few lakes, most of them glacial lakes. That is why there are also some artificial lakes created especially for ensuring drinking water supply. If you’re at Prishtinë two lakes are not too far away: the Liqeni e Battlavës and the Liqeni e Badovcit.