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A church in a suburb of Prizren
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Lufthansa Magazine has published a long article about Kosovo, giving some good reasons to spend holidays in this landlocked country.
Florian Sanktjohanser is the author of the article, where he presents the most impressive things about Kosovo’s nature, culture, attractions and people.
“A holiday in Kosovo? Yes, please! Pristine nature, cultural traditions and a vibrant urban scene are just some of the young nation’s charms. Best of all: the people and the warm welcome they offer you.”
First he starts with DokuFest, a music and film festival, and a magnet for creative minds and culture fans from all over the country. The festival attracts 30 000 people, and locals rent out their spare rooms to make up for the lack of hotel beds.
First he starts with DokuFest, a music and film festival, and a magnet for creative minds and culture fans from all over the country. The festival attracts 30 000 people, and locals rent out their spare rooms to make up for the lack of hotel beds.
What’s about Pristina?
The city’s patriotic heart beats here, and statues of the
national saints stand proud: Skanderbeg, Ibrahim Rugova and Mother Teresa. It’s
a strange boulevard, seamed as it is with an eclectic mix of glass bank tower,
luxury hotel and swathes of socialist concrete. Only a handful of Ottoman
mosques remain, and there’s no intact historic center. It takes true
determination to admire the other landmarks: the national library with its veil
of steel bars and 99 domes, and the Palace of Youth and Sports, a masterpiece
of brutalism. Everyone loves the monument in front of it, though: the word
“NEWBORN,” spelled out in three-meter steel letters. Unveiled on February 17,
2008, it celebrates independence. Each year since 2013, the letters have been
presented in a special way to mark the anniversary. This time, the letters N
and W were laid flat and connected with white paint to read “NO WALLS” as a
reminder of the limited freedom of movement Kosovars have.
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| Mirusha Waterfalls |
Sacred Sites in Kosovo
Two of the most sacred sites of the Serbian Orthodox Church
are in the west of the country; both are UNESCO World Heritage Sites protected
by high walls and KFOR soldiers at the gate. The Visoki Dečani Monastery is a
place of pilgrimage; King Stefan Uroš III Dečanski lies buried here,
“uncorrupted after 700 years,” as the young guide earnestly explains. We are
the only visitors crossing the immaculately kept courtyard to the marble
church. The only other place even more sacred is the Patriarchate of Peć, the
medieval spiritual seat of the Serbian Orthodox Church. It is also silent and
deserted. A Japanese tourist skulks around the 800-year-old mulberry tree; a
stern-looking nun ensures no photos are taken.
Source: Lufthansa Magazine
