The New York Times included Kosovo on the list of 41 Places to go in 2011.[1][2] In the same year, Kosovo saw a jump of about 40 places on the Skyscanner flight search engine which rates global tourism growth.[3][4]
Kosovo's monuments are classified as common property for which the society is responsible to maintain them in order to transmit their authenticity to future generations.[5][6]
Kosovo has a variety of natural features. It is surrounded by mountains: the Sharr Mountains are located in the south and southeast, bordering North Macedonia, while the Kopaonik Mountains rise in the north. The southwest borders with Albania and Montenegro are also mountainous and home to the country's highest peak, Gjeravica, 2,656m (8,714ft) high.
Liqenat Lake is a mountain lake located in the Bjeshkët e Nemuna National Park.
Bjeshkët e Nemuna National Park is located in the districts of Gjakova and Peja in the Accursed Mountains range in western Kosovo. Spanning over 63,028 hectares (155,750 acres) of rugged mountains, the area boasts a multitude of lakes, thick deciduous and coniferous forests, and alpine vistas. Its designation as a park stems from the need to safeguard the diverse ecosystems, biodiversity, and the rich tapestry of cultural and historical heritage it holds.
Sharr Mountains National Park, situated in southwestern Kosovo, it unfolds its natural beauty. Encompassing 53,272 hectares (131,640 acres), the national park includes diverse landscapes, the park features glacial lakes, as well as alpine and periglacial terrains.[7] It was declared a national park in 1986, and re-established in 2012 by the new Kosovar Government.
Other
The Bukuroshja e Fjetur Cave stands as one of the rare caves nestled in Kosovo. Positioned close to the captivating White Drin Waterfall, it emerges as an excellent tourist hotspot.
White Drin Waterfall and the Bukuroshja e Fjetur Cave, both located near each other in the Accursed Mountains in the north of Peja, are some of the most famous tourist destinations in Kosovo, drawing thousands of visitors from both local and international origins.[8]
Brezovica ski resort is one of the best destinations for winter tourism in Kosovo.
Located on the slopes of Sharr Mountains in southern Kosovo, the Brezovica ski resort claims its status as the premier hub for winter tourism in Kosovo. During winter, mainly skiing and snowboarding take place. As the seasons transition to summer, the resort transforms into an eco-tourism haven, offering opportunities for hiking, mountain biking, golf and various outdoor activities.[9]
Gjakova - a city with nightlife and historical monuments. Monuments include mosques, churches, bridges and museums.
Peja - a city along the Lumbardhi i Pejës river. It is located near the Accursed Mountains. The center of the city is marked by different craft shops, such as tailors, goldsmiths and leather tanners. Old mosques like the Bajrakli mosque and the Orthodox church are part of the historical monuments of the city.[11]
Novo Brdo - a municipality in central Kosovo. Novo Brdo offers its visitors various hiking and mountain-biking possibilities. Some archaeological localities of the medieval town include the medieval castle, religious buildings and cemeteries.[13]
Ulpiana - an ancient city of Illyrian Dardania from the 2nd century in the Balkan peninsula. It is known to have been re-constructed by emperor Justinian I.Ulpiana, an ancient Dardanian city
Patriarchate of Peć, this complex of four churches was built between 1230 and 1330 by the medieval Serbian royal Nemanjić dynasty.[14] The church was the seat of the Serbian Patriarchate since 1302. It is considered to be of great national importance to Serbs and Serbia.
Visoki Dečani Monastery, one of the most important monasteries of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo. It was built from 1307- 1328.
Gračanica monastery- was completed in 1321 by the Serbian King Milutin.[15] The monastery is an example of Serbian medieval (14th century) ecclesiastical architecture, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[15]
The Statistical Agency of the Kosovo publishes hotel statistics on a quarterly basis since 2008. In 2018, the reported number of hotel nights spent by non-residents was 321,308, compared to 273,394 in the previous year. The number of foreign visitors also increased from 162,234 in 2017 to 192,761 in 2018.[16]
The following table illustrates the number of non resident visitors according to country of origin recorded in 2018. The data was issued by the Statistical Office of the Republic of Kosovo.[17]
Serbia considers Kosovo to be an integral part of its territory and thus does not consider the designated crossing with Kosovo to be an international border. Serbia does not apply entry or exit stamps to the passports of those using these crossings. Serbia also does not recognize the designated entry points between Kosovo (including Pristina airport) and third countries because they are not under the control of Serbian authorities. Foreign nationals have been denied entry to Serbia by Serbian border officials if they don't have a current Serbian entry stamp in their passport. If a visit to Serbia is planned after visiting Kosovo, entering Serbia via North Macedonia is recommended.[18][19][20]
Citizens of Albania, Montenegro and Serbia may use a national ID card at border crossings with no stamping involved. Meanwhile, citizens of EU countries, North Macedonia, Monaco and San Marino may use a biometric national ID card (excluding e.g. Austrian, French and Greek citizens, but including e.g. Dutch, German and Swedish citizens)
De Blocq van Kuffeler, Venetia (1 September 2011). "Picturesque Kosovo". Diplomat Magazine. Archived from the original on 4 August 2012. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
Peja is the fourth most populous city in Kosovo and serves as the seat of the Peja Municipality and the District of Peja. It is located in the Rugova region on the eastern section of the Accursed Mountains along the Lumbardhi i Pejës River in the western part of Kosovo.
The Šar Mountains or Sharr Mountains is a mountain range extending from southern Kosovo, to northwestern North Macedonia, to northeastern Albania. The sections in Kosovo, and in North Macedonia are national parks. Rugged and barren, the mountains are among the highest in the Balkans, with 30 peaks higher than 2,500 m (8,202 ft).
A municipality is the basic administrative division in Kosovo and constitutes the only level of power in local governance. There are 38 municipalities in Kosovo; 27 of which have an Albanian ethnic majority, 10 Serb and 1 Turkish. After the 2013 Brussels Agreement, signed by the governments of Kosovo and Serbia, an agreement was made to create a Community of Serb Municipalities, which would operate within Kosovo's legal framework. Since 2013, the agreement has not been fulfilled by Kosovo's authorities, calling upon its constitution and territorial integrity.
Štrpce or Shtërpcë is a town and municipality located in the Ferizaj District in Kosovo. As of 2015, it has an estimated population of 13,630 inhabitants.
Lumbardhi i Deçanit, or Deçan Bistrica or Dečani Bistrica, is a river in Kosovo. It is a 53 km (33 mi)-long right tributary of the White Drin River, passing the western part of Kosovo.
Gjeravica is a mountain peak in Kosovo. It also is the second-highest mountain peak in the Accursed Mountains range and the Dinaric Alps range, after Jezercë. It has an elevation of 2,656 m (8,714 ft) above sea level. Gjeravica is in the western part of Kosovo, in the municipality of Junik.
Pristina or Prishtina is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. It is the administrative center of the eponymous municipality and district.
Kosovo is a small and landlocked country in Southeastern Europe. The country is strategically positioned in the center of the Balkan Peninsula enclosed by Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the north and east, North Macedonia to the southeast, and Albania to the southwest. It has no direct access to the Mediterranean Sea but its rivers flow into three seas, the Adriatic, Aegean and Black Sea.
Transport in Kosovo consists of transport by land and air. After the Kosovo's independence, improvements to the road infrastructure, urban transport, rail transport and air travel have all led to a vast improvement in transportation. These upgrades have played a key role in supporting Kosovo's economy.
Hiking in Kosovo started with establishment of the first hiking association in 1928, and it continued with creation of different association all around the territory which was then part of Yugoslavia. After the Kosovo War a lot was done also by the support of societies such as HikingNjeri, which have worked hard to not only organize activities, but also to expose hiking to the general public via social media.
The forests of Kosovo make up about 44.7% Agricultural land comprises 53% of Kosovo's total land area and forests 44.7% of the entire surface of the territory. Most of the forests are located in southwestern Kosovo, including the outskirts of Peja, Deçan, Istog, Junik and Gjakova and are protected by particular laws of the Kosovar Constitution. There are several types of forests in Kosovo and they are mostly represented by pinnate ones.
Monuments of Kosovo comprise all the monuments that are located in Kosovo.
The Bazaar of Prishtina, Kosovo, was the core merchandising center of the Old Prishtina since the 15th century, when it was built. It played a significant role in the physical, economic, and social development of Pristina. The Old Bazaar was destroyed during the 1950s and 1960s, following the modernization slogan of "Destroy the old, build the new". In its place, buildings of Kosovo Assembly, Municipality of Prishtina, PTT, and Brotherhood and Unity socialist square were built. Nowadays, instead of PTT building resides the Government of Kosovo building. Only few historical buildings, such as the Bazaar Mosque and ruins of the Bazaar Hammam have remained from the Bazaar complex. Since then, Prishtina has lost part of its identity, and its cultural heritage has been scattered.
Pristina's transport forms the hub of road, rail and air networks in Kosovo. The city's buses, trains and planes together all serve to maintain a high level of connectivity between Pristina many different districts and beyond. An analysis by the Traffic Police has shown that from 240,000 cars registered in Kosovo, around 100,000 cars are from the District of 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.
The architecture of Kosovo dates back to the Neolithic period and includes the Copper, Bronze and Iron Ages, Antiquity and the Medieval period. It has been influenced by the presence of different civilizations and religions as evidenced by the structures which have survived to this day. Local builders have combined building techniques of conquering empires with the materials at hand and the existing conditions to develop their own varieties of dwellings.
The Imperial Mosque, also known as King's Mosque, is an Ottoman mosque located in Pristina, Kosovo. It was built in 1461 by Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror. The inscription written in Arabic alphabet in six rows which is situated in the entry portal as the exact date of construction provides the year 1461, according to the Gregorian calendar, i.e. Hijra 865 year according to the Islamic calendar.
The architectural heritage of the Kosovo Albanians during Yugoslav rule was shown institutionalised disregard for decades prior to outright conflict at the end of the 20th century. Numerous Albanian cultural sites in Kosovo were destroyed during the period of Yugoslav rule and especially the Kosovo conflict (1998-1999) which constituted a war crime violating the Hague and Geneva Conventions. In all, 225 out of 600 mosques in Kosovo were damaged, vandalised, or destroyed alongside other Islamic architecture during the conflict. Additionally 500 Albanian owned kulla dwellings and three out of four well-preserved Ottoman period urban centres located in Kosovo cities were badly damaged resulting in great loss of traditional architecture. Kosovo's public libraries, of which 65 out of 183 were completely destroyed, amounted to a loss of 900,588 volumes, while Islamic libraries sustained damage or destruction resulting in the loss of rare books, manuscripts and other collections of literature. Archives belonging to the Islamic Community of Kosovo, records spanning 500 years, were also destroyed. During the war, Islamic architectural heritage posed for Yugoslav Serb paramilitary and military forces as Albanian patrimony with destruction of non-Serbian architectural heritage being a methodical and planned component of ethnic cleansing in Kosovo.
This is a list of protected areas in Kosovo which includes 2 national parks, 11 nature reserves, 99 natural monuments and 3 protected landscapes. The total area of all protected areas in the country is 118,913 hectares (1,189.13 km2). The national policy for governing and management of the national parks is implemented by the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning.
The Oshlak Strict Nature Reserve is a strict nature reserve in the District of Prizren and Ferizaj of Southeastern Kosovo. The reserve encompasses 20 hectares of mountainous and hilly terrain, small lakes and wide forests with numerous of the related flora and fauna. It is entirely located within the Sharr Mountains National Park, one of the two national parks of Kosovo.
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