From Kosovo’s world famous artists, to
natural attractions and culture, “Blick", a Swiss German-language daily
newspaper lists 10 interesting facts about Kosovo.
Natural gems of Kosovo are: Miruesha
Waterfall, Gjeravica Mountain (Kosovo’s highest peak), Brezovica Ski Resort.
You are most likely to admire also the cultural heritage of Kosovo: beautiful
architecture of monasteries, mosques and castles. Blick also highlights the
coffee culture in Kosovo writing: “Sorry, Italy, but the best coffee is in
Kosovo. Everywhere you will find pretty little coffees with silvery glossy
espresso machines.”
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| Mirusha Waterfalls Credits: Kosovo Holidays |
The youngest country on the European
continent has left the war turmoil behind. The Kosovars are proud of their
homeland and welcoming visitors so far. The small Balkan state has its own
special charms. If you are looking for a different adventure, you will find it
here.
Kosovo’s Pop Artist
Just now she stormed the charts again: The
27-year-old British pop singer Rita Ora (born Rita Sahatçiu) is a daughter of
Kosovo. She was born in the Pristina capital of Kosovo in 1990 and fled to
London a year later with her parents and siblings. The Kosovars are
nevertheless proud of their "successful" and beautiful music export.
And Rita Ora is also interested in her roots - since 2015 she is honorary
ambassador of the country.
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| Rita Ora-Kosovo's famous Pop Artist |
Mirusha waterfalls
The Mirusha Falls (in Albanian Ujëvarët e
Mirushës) are one of the most impressive natural spectacles in Kosovo. Mirusha
Waterfalls is a chain of waterfalls found in the Mirusha River, situated on the
south of the Gremnik Mountains; on the way to Gjakova at an altitude of 572
meters. Its distance from the capital city is approximately one hour.
Mirusha River engraved a 10 km long canyon
and created 13 river lakes with 12 waterfalls between them. The waterfall with
the biggest height is the one between the sixth and seventh lake, and it is 22
meters high.
Those waterfalls between the lakes,
together with the stunning landscape, and rocks and caves around the
waterfalls, form an overwhelming sight and present a special tourism
attraction. Although the water temperature is usually quite cold, throughout
summer when the temperature is high, swimming there can be incredibly pleasant.
Novo Brdo: castle ruins as in «Game of
Thrones»
From a distance, the castle ruins of Novo
Brdo look like one of the rundown castles from the cult series "Game of
Thrones". The structure towers powerfully on the extinct volcano, after
which it is named, the Novo Brdo (which means "new hill"). The
fortress was built in Byzantine times. In the 13th century it was pimped up by
Serbian kings and served to secure the numerous mines, which were primarily
looking for silver.
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| Novo Brdo |
Coffee Culture
Sorry, Italy, but the best coffee is in
Kosovo. Nowhere is the black brew prepared with more love than in the small
Balkan state - say connoisseurs. Everywhere you will find pretty little coffees
with silvery glossy espresso machines. One of the most famous is the Café Soma
near the pedestrian zone "Nënë Tereza" in the center of Pristina. If
you want to do it like the Kosovars, do not order an espresso or cappuccino,
but a "macchiato" (espresso with milk froth).
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| Soma Cafe Photo source |
The first Kosovar on Everest
When the mountaineering group in Nepal's
Everest Basecamp announced that they would not take them to the summit because
it was all too hard for women, Utah Ibrahimi (34) only spurred on. The former
marketing woman and successful tourism organizer grabbed her Sherpa and climbed
alone with him the highest peak in the world. She was the first Kosovar on
Everest - now she wants to climb the remaining thirteen 8000er. If you want to
go climbing or hiking with the lively young woman or do yoga with her outdoors,
you can visit her homepage for her outdoor activities.
Kosovar National Theater
The National Theater in the capital
Pristina is the only theater in the country. It was founded in 1946 and
declared "National Theater" after the end of the War of Independence
against Serbia in 1999. Over 400 in-house productions have been performed in
the venerable house, including politically extremely courageous and
controversial productions - sometimes even under police protection. Slightly
less controversial are the performances of the Kosovar National Ballet, which
also take place here.
On the way to Europe
Kosovo and the EU, so far a rather
unfortunate love story. The Kosovars hardly want anything more than to finally
belong to the EU. Twenty-three out of the 28 EU Member States have even
recognized the country (all but Greece, Romania, Slovakia, Spain and Cyprus).
For years, the EU's Eulex Mission has been trying to help Kosovo build the rule
of law. Nevertheless, the road to Europe is even further for the Kosovars.
Together with the Belarusians they still need a visa if they want to enter the
Schengen area.
Cultural metropolis Peja
The city on the "White Drin", the
largest river in the country, abounds with cultural historical monuments. Not
only the World Heritage Monastery Visoki Dečani of the 100,000-inhabitant city
attracts visitors. The Red Mosque (built in 1173), the Bajrakli mosque also
have beautiful ornaments and a lot of history. The Church of St. Catherine is
the spiritual center of the region's Catholic Albanians. On a themed trail, the
religious sites can be explored in about two hours.
Brezovica: Kosovo's ski resort
Just 68 people live in the small,
Serbian-dominated village in the south of Kosovo. As a winter sports resort
Brezovica is probably the most important spot in the country. The approximately
80-kilometer-long mountain range that extends between Kosovo and Macedonia,
reaches heights of over 2000 meters. In the ski center (one of three winter
sports facilities in Kosovo), nine prepared tracks and several powder snow
slopes await skiers and snowboarders. Once they were to serve as evasive slopes
for the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo.
Gjeravica: Kosovo's highest peak
With 2566 meters, the Gjeravica is the
highest mountain in Kosovo - officially, at least. For a few years ago, when
the border with Macedonia was redrawn, the "Maja e Njerit" suddenly
stood on Kosovar territory. At 2568 meters, the summit is a whopping two meters
higher than the Gjeravica. He is not yet officially recognized. Nonetheless,
the "smaller" mountain in the west of the country remains one of the
most popular hiking destinations.
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