Kosovo province Travel Guide

Recently Kosovo has seen a lot of turmoil. NATO bombings made an end to Serbian military campaign and marked the arrival of UN peacekeepers into the province. The status of Kosovo is yet to be determined, as the direct talks between Belgrade and Pristina are entering its final fase. 

Kosovo residents are divided along ethnic lines.  The majority of the population are Kosovo-Albanians.  Kosovo-Serbs live in small enclaves in cities such as STRPCE.  About two thids of all Kosovo Serbs today live as refugees througout Serbia, while the remaining diminishing minority fears for its security on daily basis.

In 2004, there were riots over the supposed drowning of Kosovo-Albanian children by Kosovo-Serbs.  The Kosovo-Albanians took advantage of the riots and stuck at many of the Kosovo-Serb enclaves, attacking Orthodox churches and homes with fire bombs.  The riots lasted for three days and are still a source of great ethnic tension in the region.   

After NATO bombing against Serbia in 1999, Kosova has its own parlament, own government and its institution but has not achieved independence.  Kosovo is a UN protecterate and the final status of Kosovo will not be decided until 2006.  The United Nations personnel in Kosovo are known as UNMIK (United Nations Mission in Kosovo).  Their mission is to monitor Kosovo's development and assist in setting up democratic institutions.  UNMIK is almost universally disliked by the Kosovars due to the perceptions that the UN did nothing to help them during the war and that the UN is too slow in deciding the fate of Kosovo.  Currently Kosovo has a large number of NATO troops based there known as the Kosovo Force (KFOR).  KFOR's mission is to ensure a safe and secure environment for Kosovo and preserve the freedom of movement for all Kosovars.  KFOR patrols in all major cities, along the border of with Macedonia, and along the Administrative Boundary Line (ABL) with Serba-Montenegro.  KFOR also conducts Vehicle Check Points and Traffic Control Points throughout Kosovo.   

Tensions are currently rising between Kosovo and Serbia due to the approaching final status decision.  Most Kosovo-Albanians would prefer independence from Serbia, with small minority wanting Kosovo to join with Albania.  Serbia does not want Kosovo to achieve independence and prefers that the province be granted a limited autonomy under Belgrade's rule.

The situation is especially complex because serb's says that Kosova is a holy land to the Serbs: It’s the ancient birthplace of Serbia and rich in national history and tradition. (After the Battle of Kosova in 1389 Serbia became a vassal state under Ottoman Turkish rule. That lasted almost 500 years until Russia helped oust the Turks.) The Turkish influence lingers.

The main towns of this troubled province are Pristina.  Other cities are: Prizren (city of many mosques), Gjilane, Mitrovica, Ferizaj/Urosevac, Gjakova/Djakovica, Peja/Pec, Dardana, Besiana, Rogana and other cities.

For a dedicated detailed travel guide to Kosovo with more than 19 maps, hundreds of restaurants, hotels, walks, bike rides and museum opening buy the Kosovo Bradt travel guide published in November 2007 and  available on Amazon or within Kosovo itself from ksymetkosovo@yahoo.com. See www.bradt-travelguides.com for more information.

The Kosovo Airport is located at Slatina (30 minutes from Pristina) and is serviced by a number of airlines, including Air Austria.  Entrance to Kosovo by vehicle is restricted to a select number of border crossing sites.  Drivers in Kosovo are very aggressive and will pass at any point on the road.  The majority of the roads are two lanes and are populated will trucks, cars, tractors, horse drawn carts and the infamous Kosovo Harley (a vehicle that can only be described as a cross between a cart and modified rototiller).  There are many gas stations available on the main highways.  Law enforcement throughout Kosovo is run by KPS (Kosovo Police Service) and overseen by KFOR .