The culture of Prizren reflects a unique blend of various identities within Kosovo. Prizren is a community where different cultures and civilizations have come together, contributing to the city's cultural development over the centuries.
Prizren is situated in the Balkans, with diverse blend of cultures stemming from its civilizations and religions. Due to its geographic setting, wide selection of monuments, and archaeological heritage, the city of Prizren has been called the "museum city," "museum under the open sky," or the "Dubrovnik of the Balkans."
Historians say "Every stone of Prizren is a history unto itself", while one of the local songs goes: "Prizren is the city of song and love."[1]
Art
Prizren's buildings exhibit a variety of artistic features, including a number of buildings with high domes. Art is a constant source of the city's traditions, supplemented by literature and song. This is evidenced by the strings of the qiftelia and mandolin.[2]
Theatre
Theatre arts are an example of cultural developments that had their start in Prizren, paving their way for success in other cities of Kosovo as well. Theatre arts in Prizren started to develop around the 1880s, right after the first Albanian school was opened in 1878, when the first theatrical plays were most likely played by students in the first-opened schools. Mati Logoreci and Lazër Lumezi were both first instructors in Prizren schools.
Professional Theatre of Prizren
Professional Theatre of Prizren was founded in 2006, with the first show performed in 2007, called "Im atë donte Adolfin" (My dad loved Adolf), which was written by Mehmet Kraja and directed by Agim Sopi. This show was performed abroad as well, in "Flaka e Janarit" (Flame of the January) — Gjilan, where the theatre was awarded as the best show. Another performances were "Dosja K" (Dossier K) and "Darka Publike"(Public Dinner). "Moncerati" was a show about an uprising of enslaved people, where about 35-40 actors performed in the festival of century of Albania in 2012.[3]
"Trenat" (Trains) took place in "Festivali i Apollonise" in antic theater. This performance was performed also in Kukaj village, where the theater was awarded as the best show.[4]
Cultural-Artistic Society "Agimi"
Cultural-Artistic Society Agimi is the first organization of this character in Kosovo. CAS Agimi was founded in November 1944. This moment shows the beginnings of flowering of cultural-artistic activities, at amateur level for Prizren citizens. First activities were organized from a cultural team, which firstly was named "Ekipi kulturor i Komitetit Shqiptar." The first performances of this team had a mosaic character, choral songs, recitals and folk songs. Since the foundations of CAS Agimi, a number of 5000 members more than 2000 times have performed different character activities in front of Albanian, Turkish, Italian, German and even Algerian audiences presenting precious part of Prizren's Culture. Performances of CAS Agimi have not only national values, but also including a large amount of values of different nations. Undoubtedly that their performances are awarded by decorates and gratitude. By the increasing the number of members and sections, "Ekipi Kultulor i Komitetit Shqiptar" becomes Cultural-Artistic Society "Agimi". The indicator was prof. Zekerija Rexha. CAS Agimi consists of 200 regular members, who practice the activities in several sections.
Mix Choir
Folk Orchestra with Singer
Folklore Ensemble
Group of Literary and Recitative
Group of Painting and Artistic Photos
Group of Entertaining Music
Drama
The first leader was chosen Anton Çeta. Thereby were set the foundations of the most ancient society among the Kosovo's Albanians. Mix Choir of CAS Agimi is the first section by which the society started activities. It is the only Mix Amateur Choir in Kosovo that has been running for seven decades. The Choir is a choral ensemble of enviable artistic level.[5]
Theatre on stilts Merula
Theatre on stilts is a theatrical group consist of some people that stands on stilts and make performances like (walking, dancing, singing or other walk acts) with stilts. This group performs in open spaces, it means that there is not necessary for stage, sound system, lighting or different things that cost or take a lot of time to make an amazing spectacle, so simply by helping of some stilts and costumes this group show an incredible performance that arouse satisfaction, enjoyment on everyone who attend this group's performances. Theatre on stilts intentionally gives up exhausting technique and light effect for the possibility to perform everywhere and accessible for everyone. Stilts, costumes and objects of production are made by local artisans remain in possession of the theatre company in Prizren and form the basis for further work alone. The stilts, as the smallest possible stage, combined by drama with virtuoso, accomplished by body use is all what a theater on stilts gives to its audience. Through the collective game, young people learn to empathize with their playing partner, experienced solidarity and group strength across ethnic, social or religious boundaries. The acting abilities of individuals and the group cause an immediate reaction of the audience and can be experienced as positive feedback for one's own risk.
Theater on Stilts Merula is the first independent theatre formed in the Balkans that functions as a theatre on stilts in public space. Showing walk acts and processions at all kinds of events and festivals or full length straight theater in public spaces, giving a wide repertoire. This unique theatre form was significantly developed by the independent theater company "Die Stelzer" *since the 1980s. The group was founded and run during a theatre workshop, that was implemented by Xchange Perspectives e.V. and Awo Kosova during the International Dokufest Prizren 2013. First performance started with a writing workshop in which young people wrote their own texts in different languages. In a second step, the young actors learn to professionally move on stilts. At the same time, the sample version of the texts is written in cooperation with Kosovar authors. Finally, a 40-minute theatre on stilts is developed and premiered at the DokuFest 2013 by 12 performers. It follows a small tour in Kosovo and oversees the establishment of the first stilt theatre company in Kosovo.[6]
Amateur Theatre – Kısa Devre Tiyatro Topluluĝu
Amateur Theatre Kısa Devre Tiyatro Topluluĝu (en: Association of short-time Theatre) is the first amateur theatre in Prizren in Turkish. It was founded in 2012 by friends Zani Arapi, Husein Minci, Abdullah Papic and is headed by Deniz Dadale, who is also its director. The actors are also volunteers of the theatre, and the theatre has thirty-five regular members. The most well-known performances of this theatre are: Hababam Sınıfı (en: Vagabons' Class), Aşk olsun (en:Well done), Şirinler (en: Smurfs). Performances were performed in Prizren and in other cities of Kosovo.[7]
Cinema
DokuFest
The International Documentary and Short Film Festival, Dokufest, is the largest film event in Kosovo. The festival started in 2002 and it is organized every year during the summer in the town of Prizren. Films are screened throughout the day and night in several cinemas located around Prizren.
The festival includes filming workshops for kids and adults, photo exhibitions, concerts, and with the adding of DokuTech, technology fairs and workshops, too.
Except for its films and workshops, the festival is also well known for its lively after screening music nights— DokuNights .
In 2015, Dokufest attracted over 60.000 visitors. In total 3050 entries from 92 countries were received, and 228 films were screened in 8 different cinemas. Nearly 200 accredited journalists reported from the festival, of which more than a hundred were from national and local media outlets and nearly 40 foreign journalists from 21 countries.[8]
Since its establishment, Dokufest has proven that through consistent work and dedication, a volunteer based organization with almost no funding could become one of the leading cultural organizations in Kosovo and in the Balkans.[9]
DokuKino
Opened in 2013, DokuKino marks the return of the cinema in Prizren. DokuKino is located in the Cultural Center "Complex Europe", and consists of two movie theaters, a 120-seat indoor movie theater and a 400-seat outdoor cinema. It is managed by Dokufest and its program mostly consists of commercial films for adults and kids, and documentaries.[10]
Zambaku i Prizrenit (The Lily of Prizren), was founded in 1986, as a cultural event to celebrate the urban music genre, including ballads and serenades.[11] The mind behind this festival was the musical editor, Reshat Randobrava, assisted by the program editor of that time, Akil Koci. This festival focuses primarily on traditional Albanian songs, but some include performances by other ethnic groups from Kosovo.[12]
Hasi Jehon — Echo of Hasi
This event has taken place annually since 1976. Hasi Jehon, which translates to: Echo of Hasi, is held in early May in the Gjonaj village, 15km far from Prizren. About 20 ensembles from across the country gather in the Hasi region to perform music, dance, and exhibit traditional Hasi clothes and crafts. Each year the "Hasi Jehon Festival" is patroned by thousands of visitors from Kosovo and abroad. In this event, many artistic groups from Kosovo, Albania, Macedonia and Montenegro present their folk values and source traditional music.[13]
NgomFest
Ngomfest is a Music festival that takes place every June in Prizren. It started in 2011 and it has been the host of many alternative singers and bands from all over the world.
NgomFest was awarded with "The Most Watched Event In 2011" in Prizren.[14]
Festivals
40 Bunar Fest
Kosovo hosts a race called Prizren's 40 Bunar River Tubing Festival. In this competition participants must get down through the Lumbardhi River from the Electrical Industry Museum to the Stone Bridge in the city center.
Participants use a tractor inner tire to get down river. This race is informally dubbed "Kosovo's craziest race" because of the challenging trail conditions that include low water levels, protruding rocks and freezing water.[15]
40 Bunar Fest is a traditional festival that takes place every year in the Lumbardhi river of Prizren.[16]
The event is organized by "Shoqnia e Sportisteve t'Kfillt" (Society of Sober Sportsmen).[17]
Comic Strip and Cartoon Festival
This festival is held annually every October in Prizren and is organized by the Association of Strip Artists, "Xhennet Comics". The festival gathers professional and amateur artists around the world to exhibit their work in the gallery of Gazi Mehmed Pasha's Hamam. Artists from 36 different countries take part in the Comic-strip and Cartoon Festival. Among them there are artists from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Macedonia, Germany, Malaysia, Turkey and Romania.[18]
Religion
Prizren is inhabited by Albanians, Turks, Serbs, Gorani, Bosniaks and Roma.
In the religious ethnic mosaic of Prizren, the Islamic faith is the most commonly practiced among its citizens. Catholicism, Orthodoxy and other minor faiths are also present. Prizren has a substantial number of Mosques, Eastern Orthodox Churches, Catholic Churches, Khanqahs, Tombs and Mausoleums, which together create grandeur and harmony of religious architecture in Prizren.
And when you look from the neighborhood called Topokli, the minaret and the domes of these three different religious temples can be seen, as they stand by each other carrying the long tradition and conveying the message of religious tolerance from centuries.[19] In this city there are no national divisions, since communication among people is done in community languages.
Prizren's Craft Works
Prizren is also known for the development of trade due to its association with the Silk Road. Prizren was the bridge connecting: Pristina, Skopje, Tirana and Montenegro. In the past, the development of the city was closely related to developments in terms of handicrafts, trade, and the road network.
Throughout history, Prizren was a craft center of the Balkans. By the later 19th century, there were 124 types of handicrafts developed in over 1,384 workshops. The most prevalent crafts were: weaponry, jewelry, saddlery, blacksmithing, blades, and furs. In the 19th century, Prizren was the second most important economic and trade center within Albanian territories with approximately 1,500 workshops. In present day, the city of Prizren still has makers who create crafts of different kinds used for everyday utility or sold as souvenirs.[20]
Filigrani
This is an ancient craft that uses predominantly silver and gold to produce artwork. Its origin is believed to stem from ancient Egyptians. Today there are about 10 family filigran businesses in Prizren that are active in producing this style of craft.[21]
Clothes
In Prizren, women dress in traditional clothes for weddings, which commonly take place in the summertime. Women's traditional wedding attire include white "dimi", silky white "gjymlek", silver waist belt, vest (doublet), "kaftan" and jewelry. Prizren attire also includes many different ethnic outfits from Albanian, Serbian, Turkish, Gorani, Bosnian, and Roman cultures, to name a few. Some characteristic components of the traditional clothing in Prizren region are: shirts, "kracas", "dimiet", silk shirts, doublet, aprons, socks," opingas", scarf, jewelry (mostly in Opoja); shirts, two aprons, shirt, long hark, jacket, overcoat with many patterns, nausea and woolen socks with different colors (in the area of Gora).[22]
Cuisine
Cuisine of Prizren is diverse and it is recognized among the best known in the region. It includes repiecpts from Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Central European cuisine. In every corner and street of Prizren, tourists may be served with Prizren style Ćevapi, Pljeskavica and Burek. Other common specialities are Goulash, Spanakopita, Sarma (food), Dolma, Moussaka, Prizren Tava and Elbasan Tava. The city is very well known for its homemade Pastirma, Prosciutto, Sujuk, Yogurt, Mayonnaise and Torshi.
Prizren is the second most populous city and municipality of Kosovo and seat of the eponymous municipality and district. It is located on the banks of the Prizren River between the foothills of the Sharr Mountains in southern Kosovo. Prizren experiences a continental climate with some mediterranean influences.
Burim Myftiu is an Albanian-American contemporary photographer.
Jeton Neziraj is a playwright from Kosovo. He was the Artistic Director of the National Theatre of Kosovo and now he is the Director of Qendra Multimedia, a cultural production company based in Prishtina.
Pristina or Prishtina is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. It is the administrative center of the eponymous municipality and district.
The International Festival of Young Musicians – DAM Festival Pristina is one of the most prominent cultural events taking place in the capital city of Kosovo, Pristina. Founded in 2006, DAM Festival is an annual music festival which gathers young and talented national and international musicians from all over the world. This festival works on enriching the Kosovar cultural scene with the collision of the traditional and the contemporary. DAM Fest was founded by back then art student, now well known TV producer, musician, journalist and manager of Kosovo's Philharmonic Orchestra, Dardan Selimaj.
40 BunarFest is an annual non traditional festival of alternative sport held in Prizren, a city in southern Kosovo, and it is organized by Shoqni e Sportistve t'kfillt . It features rafting through the Lumbardhi river using tractor-tire inner tubes. The year 2008 saw the fourth edition of the festival with nearly 70 participants in the race, during the day of festival various DJ-s performed in the center of Prizren. The festival also publishes a comic book every year when it's held, subject of the book changes every year and it includes various persona from the old urban legends of Prizren.
DokuFest is an international documentary and short film festival held in the Kosovo city of Prizren, held annually during early August. It was founded in 2002 by a group of friends. It has since grown into a cultural event that attracts international and regional artists and audiences. Films are screened throughout the eight-day festival and accompanied by programs, activities, and workshops.
Ferizaj or Uroševac, is a city and a municipality in Kosovo. It is the third largest city in Kosovo by population and also the seat of Ferizaj Municipality and the Ferizaj District.
Classical music in Kosovo refers to the art music cultivated in Kosovo. The roots of classical music in Kosovo are found in the 1940s and include the time period from the times when Kosovo was part of Yugoslavia to this day. It can be said that there is a tradition of classical music in Kosovo, however, compared to other Balkan countries and especially European countries this tradition is younger. Classical music in Kosovo reaches back about 70 years. Even though in a short period of time, this music has evolved, passing through generations of composers and artists. In his book Albanian: Zhvillimi i stileve në veprat e kompozitorëve shqiptarë të Kosovës, Engjëll Berisha comments:
The diversity of styles in Albanian music [of Kosovo], its national patterns with sound idea-aesthetic foundations are a characteristic of the European musical reality, so many many works are of interest abroad, too, because during this relatively short period Albanian classical music in Kosovo has compensated for the delay in its development.
The Cinematography in Kosovo in the Albanian language began its activities after the foundation of Kosovafilm, which produced short films, documentaries, cartoons and later feature films. Since 2008, the central authority for cinematography in Kosovo has been Kosova’s Cinematography Center (KCC) though numerous independent film companies are active in Kosovo. Before Kosovafilm, there were no fully Kosovan films.
Theatre in Kosovo like the culture of Kosovo is a dual tradition.
Events and festivals in Gjakova are highly valued if not great in number. The historical city of Gjakova, Kosovo, especially the Old Bazaar (Çarshia), is the hub of many outdoor and indoor festivals, cultural events and street parades, and is a main attraction for tourists. Many events only take place once, while others are organised regularly on an annual basis by festival societies. Some of the events are organised by the city and others by private companies.
The National Theatre of Kosovo was founded in 1946 in the city of Prizren, Kosovo. It is the highest ranked theatre institution in the country, with the largest number of productions. The National Theatre is the only public theatre in Kosovo and therefore it is financed by Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport. This theatre has produced more than 400 premieres which have been watched by more than 3 million spectators.
Prizren is located on the slopes of the Sharr Mountains in the southern part of Kosovo. The municipality has a border with Albania and North Macedonia.
Peć is a city located at the western part of the Kosovo. Numerous cultural activities and events are organized each year in the city.
Has is a region in north eastern Albania and south western Kosovo.
NGOM Fest is a music festival established in Prizren, Kosovo. The word "Ngom" is written in Gheg Albanian dialect and it means "Listen to me" whereas the word "Fest" represents the abbreviation of the word "Festival". This Festival originates from a group of young and creative people who are active in the social life of Prizren and Kosovo. The first edition of the festival was held in June 2011 and due to its major success, the activists were more committed in organizing this event. The main objectives of this festival are to promote new bands and artists, build a new perspective for music festivals in Kosovo, and to connect different ethnic groups in Kosovo and in the region.
As the capital city of Kosovo, Pristina is the heart of the cultural and artistic development of all Albanians that live in Kosovo. The department of cultural affairs is just one of the segments that arranges the cultural events, which make Pristina one of the cities with the most emphasized cultural and artistic traditions.
The National Library of Kosovo is the highest library institution in Kosovo established by the Assembly and is located in Pristina.
Tourism in Pristina attracted 36,186 foreign visitors in 2012, which represents 74.2% of all visitors that visited Kosovo during that year. Foreign visitors mostly come from countries like Albania, Turkey, Germany, United States, Slovenia and North Macedonia, but also from other countries. Some of the most visited places in Pristina are Lake Batllava and Gadime Marble Cave, which are also among the most visited places in Kosovo.
References
↑ Prizren - Venue of Civilizations, Department for Tourism and Economic Development, p.13
↑ Prizren - Venue of Civilizations, Department for Tourism and Economic Development, p.74
↑ Prizren - Venue of Civilizations, Department for Tourism and Economic Development, p.46
↑ Prizren - Venue of Civilizations, Department for Tourism and Economic Development, p.14
↑ Prizren - Venue of Civilizations, Department for Tourism and Economic Development, p.80
↑ Prizren - Venue of Civilizations, Department for Tourism and Economic Development, p.92
↑ Prizren - Venue of Civilizations, Department for Tourism and Economic Development, p.1o2,105,106,107,108,109
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